Understanding how to establish a memorable brand.
Brand identity is a tricky thing to understand. Most people in business assume brand and logo are the same thing, but as a graphic design major, you quickly learn the difference. I like to think of it in this way: the logo represents the brand, and the brand represents the company. The brand encompasses all the elements that make a business unique: values, mission, goals, and presence. It’s how your audience perceives the company as a whole; their feelings towards it. Let’s dive deeper into the importance of creating a solid brand identity.
Foundation of Branding
Values, mission, and goals are the three elements that make up a brand (along with your graphic elements). Without understanding the what, why, and who of your new or established business, it will be impossible to reach goals or communicate a clear message through marketing to your audience.
Company values are, “the set of guiding principles and fundamental beliefs that help a group of people function together as a team and work toward a common business goal,” (Darmanin, 2022). Company, or core, values may include accountability, integrity, teamwork, creativity, and honesty, among many others. Developing values for your company can assist in making decisions, providing a guide for employee expectations, and establishing the overall direction of the business. These ideas will then go into your mission statement, which will give your audience a glimpse of who you are as a company.
The mission statement should be clear, concise, and attainable. It should state what you do, how your values are incorporated, and who you exist for. For example, Google’s mission statement is, “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Why does this statement work?
- The mission is clearly stated (to make information accessible).
- The values are stated (information) and implied (knowledge).
- The audience is clearly stated (those all over the world).
Let’s write a mission statement together, based on the criteria above. Monkey Bars, a local gym, is in need of a mission statement. Here is their information: Monkey Bars is a gym for families who enjoy working out together. They value engagement and enjoyment. With this information, could you come up with a statement? Here’s what I came up with: Monkey Bars’ mission is to provide fun and engaging workout activities for family or friend groups.
Your values and mission statement will establish who you are and what you do, but goals in the guiding force behind your business.
Developing Company Goals
Business goals are vastly important to your company: goals = direction. Writing out a clear set of goals that are achievable and timely will set your business up for success. Business goals also fall under the umbrella of branding because you will use these goals to guide your marketing department in developing brand and advertising strategies.
Company goals may be associated with finances, marketing, locational, and the like. You can keep them generalized while department goals can be more specific. If you own a gym, like Monkey Bars, you might have a goal of recruiting a certain amount of members each month or each year. Goals like this may change each year as your business grows so refer back to these goals often and update as needed. If you would like some tips on how to set up your business goals, visit masterclass.com (see references for website link).
Visual Branding
The visuals of your business will be elements such as a logo, business cards, website, and social media posts, among many others. Most of these will include a number of brand identifiers; these are elements that make your business memorable (logo, colors, fonts, etc.). These give your business personality, and also convey how you want to appear to your audience. The visual brand is a reflection of your values, mission, and goals.
One of the most iconic brands that continues to develop their identity through color, typography, and photography is Starbucks. Their mission statement – “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time,” – is reflected in each franchise from menu boards to merchandising, as well as their website and that classic logo. In fact, they have a whole website solely dedicated to their brand identity: https://creative.starbucks.com/. It says, “we’re thoughtfully incorporating beautiful, expressive moments with calm confidence in ways that are optimistic, joyful and recognizably Starbucks,” (“Our New Expression”). These key words can easily be identified through the iconic siren logo, calming green color palette, and modern typography and architecture. See how it all comes together?
Using Starbucks as an example, let’s break down the key elements of visual branding:
- Colors – A color palette ranging from 3 to 7 colors that fit the brand’s personality (I suggest looking up color theory and the meaning of colors to assist you). Starbucks’ green can be identified from a mile away! Their color palette consists of 8 colors that compliment each other. I usually stick with 3 to 5; you don’t have to go overboard.
- Fonts – Typography that is easy to read and makes sense for the business (understanding Serif and San Serif fonts is helpful). If you happened to see the Starbucks font used for something else, you might think, that looks familiar. They use three simple fonts to convey their message.
- Logo – Use color and typography in the creation of your logo (I suggest going to a professional for this part). Starbucks’ Siren logo has ever so slightly changed throughout the years but has stayed true to the brand. It is a reference to the character Starbuck in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Your logo does not have to be literal, but it should be significant in its meaning.
Color, font, and logo are not the only aspects of a visual brand, but these elements will be used in creating all other content for your brand, whether that be business cards or a website, and everything in between.
In my graphic designer opinion, a brand should be functional while expressing the distinct personality of a company. A bad brand or no brand at all will leave your audience confused and (also in my opinion) will make your company appear unprofessional. Establishing a brand takes time but will create structure for how the business is marketed.
If you’re confused about where to start, talk to a pro who knows the importance of creating a brand identity. They can assist you with ideas and planning, as well as pinpointing the key elements of your company’s brand.
References:
Darmanin, David. “70+ examples of core company values & how they shape your culture.” hotjar, 18 Aug 2022, https://www.hotjar.com/blog/company-values/. Accessed 20 Oct 2022.
“Our New Expression.” Starbucks, 2020, creative.starbucks.com.
“The Ultimate Guide to Setting Business Goals.” MasterClass, 30 Aug 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals. Accessed 24 Oct 2022.