Creating a strong brand identity is crucial for companies who want to stand out in a crowded marketplace. But where do you start when developing that coveted brand identity? Follow this 7-step guide to build a winning brand image that resonates with your target audience.
Step 1: Define Your Brand Vision and Values
The first step is to clearly define what your brand stands for. Ask yourself key questions:
- What is your brand mission?
- What makes your company unique?
- What core values do you want to convey?
Really dig deep here, as your brand identity should encapsulate your brand vision and values. This will drive all downstream design decisions.
For example, LadyBug's vision is to bring joy and self-expression to customers through our fun and colorful designs. Our core values include creativity, individuality and community. We aim to convey these values clearly through our brand identity.
Step 2: Analyze Your Target Audience
Once you know your brand vision, it's time to analyze your ideal target audience. Really get to know them inside out.
- What are their demographic details (age, location, gender etc)?
- What are their psychographics (values, beliefs, attitudes)?
- What are their needs and pain points?
- How does your brand help address those needs?
Understanding your audience is key, as your brand identity needs to resonate with them specifically.
For example, LadyBug's targets socially-conscious Millennials. We know they value individuality, creativity and community. Our branding aims to align with those values.
Step 3: Review Your Competitors
Now conduct a competitive analysis. What are your direct and indirect competitors doing with their branding?
- What are their brand personalities?
- What tone of voice and imagery do they use?
- How do they position themselves?
Your brand identity should differentiate you from competitors. Identify white space opportunities to stand out.
For instance, many competitors in our industry use serious black and white color schemes. However, LadyBug uses bright, playful colors that better suits our fun and lively brand personality.
Step 4: Brainstorm Brand Identity Elements
Time for the fun part! Brainstorm how you'll visually express your brand through key elements:
Logo Design
Consider the shapes, fonts, colors and symbology you'll use in your logo. Your logo is the face of your brand so its design must reflect your vision and values.
Color Palette
Choose colors that are consistent with your desired brand traits. Bright vibrant colors convey youthful energy while muted tones feel more elegant.
Typography
Fonts used in your designs also convey brand personality. Round bubbly fonts feel playful while sharp sans-serif fonts feel more authoritative.
Voice and Tone
Will you use conversational or formal language? Witty humor or matter-of-factness? Your brand's voice should resonate with your audience.
Photography
What kinds of images will you use - lifestyle scenes, product shots, abstracts? Consistent filters or effects? Photos greatly impact brand perception.
Brainstorm creative ways to express your vision through these elements. Mood boards can help visualize concepts.
For LadyBug, we opted for a handwritten logo with bright colors, playful fonts, relatable lifestyle photos and conversational voice because it suits our casual, energetic brand personality.
Step 5: Create a Style Guide
Now pull together all those elements into a comprehensive brand style guide. This guide serves as the bible for applying your visual identity across any media.
Make sure to provide guidelines and specifications on:
- Logo usage - size standards, clear space, positioning etc
- Color schemes - primary, secondary and accent colors with hex codes
- Typography - font styles, sizes, line spacing for headings/body text
- Image guidelines - composition, tone, filters to use
- Voice and tone - examples of brand voice in different mediums
- Graphic elements - badges, borders, illustrations etc
Having detailed guidelines ensures brand consistency whenever you create marketing materials. It also helps when working with external agencies or international offices.
At LadyBug, our style guide provides specific instructions that our designers meticulously follow when producing our fun, colorful designs.
Step 6: Apply Your Brand Identity
With your style guide complete, it's time to apply your brand identity across touchpoints that customers interact with.
These include:
- Business cards - Great for first impressions
- Email templates - Reinforce brand with every email sent
- Website - Key digital interaction point
- Product packaging - Make your products instantly recognizable
- Social media - Maintain consistent profiles on all platforms
Ensure brand consistency across channels through accurate implementation of your style guide. This strengthens recognition and trust in your brand.
For example, LadyBug's social media profiles, website, packaging and even our office interiors use the same color schemes, fonts, imagery and voice specified in our style guide. This uniquely expresses our brand personality everywhere customers see us.
Step 7: Track Performance and Iterate
Launching your brand identity is just the first step. You must track its effectiveness and be ready to iterate.
Use data and surveys to understand:
- Is our brand recognition increasing?
- Does our branding resonate with our target audience?
- How do people perceive and describe our brand personality?
Be open to refinements to better reflect your brand as it evolves. A brand identity is a living, breathing thing that should grow stronger over time.
For instance, we recently introduced illustrated mascots in our designs based on feedback that it better conveys our playful personality. We're also reconsidering our color palette as our brand matures.
Brand building is a continuous process, so keep reviewing your identity against business goals and audience responses. With ongoing nurturing, you can develop an iconic brand image.
Let LadyBug Craft Your Powerful Brand Identity
Developing an impactful brand identity takes skill, creativity and market insight. Our talented designers at LadyBug can help express the full potential of your brand.
Our brand identity design process includes:
- Collaborative discovery sessions to understand your brand story
- Data-driven audience research to optimize brand positioning
- Exploration of creative concepts and ideation
- Design of visual identities and creation of style guides
- Application across business cards, packaging, website and other touchpoints
We would love to bring out the best in your brand. Book a consultation today and let's get started!