What’s the difference?
Branding, Identity Design, and Logos
There are so many terms when talking about a BRAND. Branding, brand identity, visual identity, a logo, corporate identity, and brand strategy.
Do they mean the same thing?
As a brand identity designer, let me help quickly decode the different terms.
BRAND & BRANDING
A BRAND is how a product or business is perceived by those who experience it—including customers, investors, employees, the media, and more. BRANDING is the entire process of shaping these perceptions.
BRAND STRATEGY
BRAND STRATEGY is the overall long-term plan to reach business goals.
To have a BRAND IDENTITY you first must start with a BRAND STRATEGY. You must create a strategy before the design process. This strategy will evolve into your brand identity. So a brand strategy is an actionable overall plan to help reach long-term successful business goals. It is where you define the what, when, where, how and to whom you will be communicating your brand and messaging to. It is the road map for everyone who will work with your brand; from designers, marketers, developers, printers, and employees. Your brand strategy will consist of; your personality, goals, values, voice, purpose, vision, audience, tagline, and your market positioning.
BRAND IDENTITY
A BRAND IDENTITY is the collection of visual and verbal elements.
Once you establish your overall BRAND STRATEGY then you can create your BRAND IDENTITY. Brand identity is simple…it’s the sensory elements that are used to identify your brand. These elements include, but are not limited to: a logo, color palette, typography, messaging, a theme, brand strategy, style guide, and marketing materials.
VISUAL IDENTITY
VISUAL IDENTITY is an umbrella term for every visual element of a brand.
This is everything a customer can visually see. Logo, font, color palette, imagery, graphics, and physical assets such as flyers, posters, billboards, mailers, packaging, etc.
LOGO
A LOGO is the mark or symbol that identifies the business in its simplest visual form.
A logo is an artistic graphic that usually serves as the first identifier of a company. And, what most likely will be the image that is imprinted into the public’s memory for future company recognition.
CORPORATE IDENTITY
CORPORATE IDENTITY is how a business as a whole presents itself to the public.
Once a company develops their brand strategy, they then know how to appeal and influence their target audience. This is done through marketing, advertising techniques, product packaging, logo, colors, uniforms, retail space design, etc. Once these approaches are executed, then a company will establish its corporate identity to the overall public.
The BENEFITS of hiring a Brand Identity Designer
You’re a small business just starting out, from scratch, and you’re wondering where to start. Is it worth it to invest in a graphic designer when you could do it yourself?
OR maybe you’re a company that’s been around for many years and you know you need to update your existing brand identity or never really had one to begin with. Is it really worth the effort and money?
Are you a business, think plumbers or mechanics, that gets their customers from neighborhood referrals? Are you satisfied with that advertising method? If yes, then in this particular case, it may NOT be worth it to go through the branding process as your customers only care about your provided service and if the job is done well. If your customers are extremely happy with your services and you’re getting plenty of referrals, then it means your customers aren’t concerned about how your visual identity looks and it’s most likely not affecting customers seeking out your services.
But, if you’re in a competitive market or an industry where you need to really stand out visually and your messaging needs to be heard loudly to increase revenue, then you absolutely can benefit from a brand identity designer.
