What is a brand?
Branding is a term that has become increasingly common amongst people in the creative industry as well as on social media. This growth can be attested to many businesses and companies realising the importance of creating a strong brand. But what exactly is branding?
Branding refers to the process of creating a brand. Then poses the question of what a brand is; it isn't just your business, what you sell or provide or how it looks. A brand is the way a company, individual or business is perceived by those who encounter and experience it. It is therefore crafted for people as it represents a relationship and how they perceive you. Of course, everyone has their own set of life experiences and memories, these all affect perception of a brand so it can be subjective. However, every brand should start with a promise to consumers, and this is where the brand strategy comes in. A brand can be simply broken down into these two parts:
Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Let’s break down what these parts mean.
Imagine a kid starting at a new school.
She has just moved from a small town where she was pretty quiet at school, sort of blended into the background and didn’t leave much of an impression. However, this isn’t what her personality is like at all. She is bright, humorous and artistic but never got a chance to express this previously. She always wore plain clothing and kept her hair short and neat. Now that she is starting at a new school she has a chance to revamp herself and let her real personality shine through. She already knows her personality and herself quite well, so all she needs to do is make sure that these aspects stand out and that she is able to stand out from the crowd.
So there are a few things about her appearance and outward behaviour she can change. She can change her outfit style, from something plain to something more bright with patterned prints. She can change her hairstyle from her usual ponytail to a modern shag cut. She can make sure she is more outspoken and speaks her mind rather than always hiding what she feels. The person she is, everything that makes her unique is the brand strategy, while her outward appearance is like your brand identity.
What is brand strategy?
The brand strategy should ideally be defined before you start your business, however many companies will go through re-branding processes when they feel like their brand no longer aligns with the way they operate. Many businesses also go through branding even after existing for a while because they realise they have never defined their brand strategy or identity.
Brand strategy can simply be explained as what your brand stands for and the promise you make to your customers. It encompasses the heart of your brand, what is important to you and how you will deliver those aspects to consumers. A good brand is authentic, meaning there is no made up narrative or fabrication of what you think consumers will like. Instead it must be the driving force and what is truly important to you, it goes beyond making profit and deeper into why you created your business or company.
Another important aspect of a good brand is one that ensures every touch-point from your social media assets, to the way you interact with customers to your internal employee culture, is all consistent with your brand strategy. This leads us to the brand identity.
What is a brand identity?
After you have defined your brand strategy, the next part is the creation of the brand identity. These are tangible assets that represent the brand and communicate the strategy. It includes your logo, colour palette, typography, imagery, tagline and brand voice. These are an extension of your brand strategy and should be applied consistently throughout all your channels. When creating a brand, the brand designer or agency will create a document called the Brand Guidelines. This includes your brand strategy and brand identity, with visual language rules and do’s and don'ts, so that any designer, marketer or employee will know how to communicate and create content for your brand.
I hope this has helped you gain a better understanding of what branding is all about. If your business or company hasn't yet defined its brand or you feel that it needs work, drop me an enquiry on the contact page and we can work on creating a brilliant brand!
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