What is a “brand”?

What exactly is a “brand”?

Did you know that your brand is not your logo, or even your colour palette? This is a common misconception. Your “brand” is actually an intangible thing: it’s what your audience feels about you. Your brand exists whether you have a logo or not. [Allows pause for moment of clarity]. 

This is something that is not entirely in your control. However … the most magical thing about what brand designers do, is that we can use things like design elements, colour, typography and tone of voice to influence how your audience feels and perceives your brand. This is “brand identity design”. It is often also referred to as “brand design” or “branding”. 

Of course, an important point to add is that for branding to be effective, it should always be led by some sort of strategy that is going to make sure the design is going to work and not just look pretty, but I’ll tell you more about strategy another time. 

If there’s just one thing you need to think about as you set goals for your business, it’s the fact that your brand already exists with or without a visual identity; and to ask yourself how well what you have right now is working for your brand?

Brand examples

Here are some examples:

If you have no visual identity (no logo, using no set colours or not following any particular typographic guidelines), are you being perceived as professional, or with a clear message or direction?

If you are running with a premade logo for now, how well is that serving your goals at the moment? It can save you money in the short term, but there’s been no strategy behind its development. Are you connecting with the right people? How is that affecting your trajectory of growth as a business? 

If you’ve done your own DIY visuals, how do you know if it’s saying the right things to your audience, or even if it’s reaching them? Is it truly communicating the core essence of your brand, or differentiating you from your competitors? 

If you only have a primary logo, it is probably not allowing your brand to be fully flexible across different applications. Does it feel repetitive to your audience? Is it allowing your full message (and therefore brand experience for your audience) to be heard?

I’m here to help you

If your brand is an area that needs work, I can help you create an identity that will transform the way your audience feels about you and experiences your brand, in exactly the way we want them to. It’s a little bit of magic and a whole lot of strategy and beautiful design. 

Keen to learn more? I’d love to hear from you.