Branding
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How to Build a Brand Identity

October 14, 2019 - by samuel wagura

Think of yourself as a new high school student, you’re fresh and haven’t made any friends yet. You want to be one of the cool kids, how do they notice you? You buy some cool kicks, get a new haircut and all the attention is yours now. What an achievement, one of the cool kids now. The cool kicks, the new haircut are what sum up your identity in this school. The same happens in the market place too. The kicks and haircut, in this case, are your colour pallete, type choice, and logo. A combination of this makes up your Brand Identity.

While Brand is how your customers perceive you. An identity is what makes you recognizable to customers. Your Audience will associate your brand identity with your product, service or idea. It builds a connection between you and your customers and fosters Brand Loyalty. To develop a strong, formidable brand identity you need to know thyself first. You need to know your Mission, Values, Brand Personality and Voice.
Elements that make up your brand design
1. Typography

This refers to the font/typeface you choose for your brand. There are four major ones;-
 
a) Serif
These fonts have slight projections finishing off a stroke of a letter in a typeface. Serif Fonts have a traditional feel and elicit a feeling of trust.
 
b)San Serif
These fonts lack the projections that finish off the stroke of a letter. They are best for a sleek, modern, feel to brands.
 
c) Script
This type of fonts emulate cursive handwriting and are best for a luxurious or feminine feel.
 
d) Display
They have more eccentric and variable designs than the simple, relatively, restrained typefaces. Common for headlines rather than big chunks of text. Can be tweaked, twisted, tuned, inclined, etc. to form any desired meaning. They can elicit feelings of fun, uniqueness and directness.
 

2. Colour Pallete

Colours evoke certain psychological emotions in different people. Using colours strategically has an impact on how people perceive your brand. Below is a list of some colours and the emotions they evoke.
 
a) Red
This is a colour that elicits feelings of excitement and passion. Red is a perfect colour for loud, youthful and exciting brands.
 
b) Orange
A good choice for brands that want to appear friendly and playful. Elicits feelings of high energy. 
 
c) Yellow
An excellent choice if you want your brand to feel fun, accessible and affordable. Elicits feelings of happiness. 
 
d) Green
Elicits feelings of health, serenity, and tranquillity. Best for brands affiliated with nature or money.
 
e) Blue
It is associated with water and preferred by men. It represents calmness and serenity creating a sense of security and trust in a brand.
 
f) Purple
It is the colour of Royalty, success, wealth and wisdom. it is used in the creative industry since it’s a colour of mystery, creativity and regeneration. It is also used for cosmetics and anti-ageing products.
 
g)Black
Colour of sophistication, mystery, power and control. It is for sleek items and brands sold to those who like reserved brands.
 
h)White
It denotes cleanliness, purity and safety. Used to project neutrality.
 
i) Pink
Evokes femininity. Best for brands targeting women and soft or luxurious identity.
 
j) Brown
Creates feelings of masculinity and ruggedness.
 

3. Form/Shape

This can reinforce the desired reaction from your customers.
 
a) Round Shapes
Circles, ovals, ellipses create feelings of community, unity, Love and femininity.
 
b) Straight Edged Shapes
Squares, rectangles and triangles. They create feelings of stability and trustworthiness. Best to evoke strength and efficiency.
 
c) Straight Lines
Vertical lines suggest masculinity and strength while horizontal lines suggest tranquillity.

Logo

A logo is a symbol or image used to identify your business. Logos can be a combination of text and image or either as a stand-alone. The elements we discussed above form the building blocks of a great logo.
 
When creating a logo there are five elements that make it great. They are:-
 

1. Simplicity

 
There’s a Golden rule of thumb in design, ‘KISS ME'(don’t you dare) that states, keep it simple stupid, make it exciting. The simpler a design is the more people will keep it in their memory.
 

2. Relevance

Knowing your audience before yourself plays an important role in making your logo relevant. What appeals to you does not necessarily appeal to your audience. A great logo is more than just a cool logo. It should stand for something in relation to the product or service you offer.
 

3. Versatility

Form follows function. Throughout a logos lifecycle, it ends up being used on many applications both big and small. The ability of a logo to adapt to any application is a big plus.
 

4. Uniqueness

It is always best to be yourself and avoid imitating the look and feel of established brands. The more unique your logo the more appealing and memorable it becomes.
 

5. Memorability

There’s only one rule for this to happen, check point number 1. The more simple a logo is the more memorable it becomes and the more a conversion it brings.
 

In a Nutshell

Building a Brand identity is a journey of discovery that requires patience and wisdom. It takes into account a lot of research and thought and should be handled with utmost dedication. Great brand identity will ensure that like the high school kid we were talking about. You’ll become one of the cool ones. Great brand identity will enhance your brand image. And your customers will not talk ill of you when your not in the room.
 

In case you have doubts on how to create a compelling brand identity seek the services of a professional graphic designer. You’re in luck too as Break Concepts offers this services. Feel free to contact us for any query regarding Brand Identity.

About Author

samuel wagura

samwagura@gmail.com

https://breakconcepts.co.ke

Samuel Wagura Njuguna is the Founder and Creative Lead at Break Concepts. He has over 10 years of experience in the creative industry. In his free time, he likes to read, watch movies, meditate, doodle and think up creative concepts. Talk to him about branding, design or just to say hi.

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