How To Create a Brand Identity – in 3 easy steps

Creating a brand identity is a crucial first step in launching an online brand because customers trust easily identifiable brands more than generically branded or unbranded goods. This is because the more identifiable a brand is, the more accountability they have if something is wrong with the product.

Branding is a part of the natural evolution of commerce that helps customers. The lesson for selling unbranded goods was learned the hard way in Eastern European countries under communism. Branding was considered “un-Marxist,” so the government required sellers of goods like bread to simply use the label, “bread” with no distinction from one producer to the next. Since customers didn’t know who to blame when they bought bread with maggots, they were unable to identify and stop purchasing unsanitary sellers. This punished sellers who had sanitary practices, and so to keep up with cheap sellers they also began sacrificing quality to produce cheaper unsanitary bread. In the book “Alchemy,” Sutherland says, “unhappy customers had no threat of sanction, and happy customers had no prospect of rewarding producers through repeat custom.”

Since branding benefits customers, they tend to gravitate towards branded products. The question is, how do you create a brand identity for your company and products? In this blog, I will take you through three levels of creating a brand identity:

1. Visual Identity

2. What We Do

3. Who We Are

Branding Level 1: Visual Identity

1. Brand Logo: Logo usage + preferred logo colors

2. Color Palette: Define a color palette that supports the essence of your business and create visual consistency to become more recognizable.

3. Typography: Fonts elicit feelings and tell a story, so it’s important to strategically choose a font stack that supports your brand’s personality and speaks your customers’ language.

4. Brand Elements: Acceptable shapes, icons, patterns, etc. to keep consistency across web and print media.

Do not launch a product without this first layer of brand identity. The style of your logo, colors, font, and graphics matters less than actually deciding and committing to something consistent and identifiable. At first, customers won’t associate your visual identity with meaning, but they will be able to recognize your brand.

Branding Level 2: What We Do

1. Brand Essence: The slogan that says what you do as clearly as possible.

2. Positioning Statement: A short paragraph that expands on your brand essence. Your positioning statement defines what you sell, who it’s for, and the problems it solves.

3. Brand Pillars: The main selling points of what you offer – this guides visuals and copy.

4. Pain Points: These are the messages you promote that solve your clients’ problems.

 
This second level gives meaning to your visual identity. Customers will begin connecting your brand’s visual identity to what you provide and how your products solve their problems.

Branding Level 3: Who We Are

1. Brand Personality + Voice: What are we like? How does this shape the way we speak?

2. Brand Story:

   1. What kind of person we are

   2. How we are different than the competition

   3. What we accomplish for our customer/client

   4. How the above made the company what it is today

3. Mood-board: A collection of images and/or graphics that establishes the overall look of the brand.

 
This third layer takes a deeper dive into giving your visual identity meaning. Copywriting is used to shape the way your brand speaks, giving it a personality of its own. Customers see your logo and begin thinking of it as goofy, sophisticated, futuristic, or however you choose to define it. Your brand story is an expansion on Level 2 (What We Do), using your brand essence, brand pillars and pain points to tell a coherent story. Finally, your mood-board defines your visual style in a way that transcends colors, font, and graphics, where photos and videos begin to have a consistent vibe in line with your personality.

By the end of this process, your logo and brand should be personified. Customers will see your logo and feel your brand’s personality and their relationship to it.

Work With Us:

Branding your products is a part of Step 2: “Product Prep & Positioning” in our 6-step process to e-commerce growth and success. If you would like to work with us or learn more about branding, reach out to us by clicking here!

Manoli Epitropoulos

Manoli creates compelling communication between brands and their customers, directing product marketing that delivers real results (increasing sales, clicks, and conversion) by understanding how customer interactions with branding affect shopping behavior.