Long before your customers think about the price or features of your business, they will have already decided how much they can trust you based on how your business appears (visually, verbally and consistently). 

This is your brand identity. It is one of the few pieces of marketing that will work for you 24/7.

In this guide, we’ll walk through what a brand identity is, what makes it up, why it’s important for growing your business and how to create one that is memorable.

What is Brand Identity?

Brand identity is essentially everything that represents your brand visually and verbally. It includes your logo, colours, fonts, imagery, tone of voice and values. You can think of it as your brand’s personality.

It is often confused with:

Branding – This is the process of creating and developing your brand. This includes marketing campaigns, content, customer service etc.

Brand image – This is how your customers actually perceive your brand. It is in their head.

Brand identity – This is created intentionally by you. This way, you are ensuring that your brand image aligns with what you intended.

Remember, brand identity is what you show. Brand image is what they see.

Brand Identity In Real Life!

Let’s say you’re running two cafes in your local area. Both serve the same coffee at the same price.

 Café 1 has a faded sign, different fonts on the menus and random coloured social media posts.

 Café 2 has a consistent colour scheme using warm colours on their signboard, cups, menu and Instagram page. They greet their customers with a friendly tone and have consistent social media posts.

Both cafes serve great coffee, however most people will remember and recommend café 2. This is because they have a clear brand identity. They know what to expect from the café before even walking in.

This applies to any type of business. Whether you’re running a clinic, plyshowroom, training institute or Online Store, if people can’t instantly work out what you stand for, they will move on to someone who makes it clear.

A strong brand identity consists of:

Logo – This is the first thing people will recognise. Having a primary logo plus variations for dark backgrounds, smaller sizes and social media profile pictures.

Colours – You’ll usually have 1-2 main colours with a few accent colours. colours help to evoke feelings quickly. Blue often gives a feeling of trust, green gives a feeling of growth and red gives energy.

Font – Keep it simple by having one font for headings and one for body text. This makes your content feel like it all comes from the same source.

Imagery – What style of images, illustrations, icons and layouts you’ll use. This could be banners on your website, social media posts etc.

Tone Of Voice – How you write and speak. Friendly, formal, playful or professional.

Mission, Values & Positioning – Why you exist and what makes you different. Your visuals won’t mean anything unless they represent something.

All of these points written down create your brand guidelines. This is what your team, designers and freelancers will follow.

Getting Into More Detail

Logo – A good logo is simple, readable when small and identifiable when in one colour. Don’t overcomplicate it. A logo that looks great on a billboard might look like a blob on a 40px social media icon. Ensure you have horizontal, stacked and icon versions.

Colours – Using a clear colour scheme will help. Have a main brand colour for key elements, an accent colour and neutral colours for text/backgrounds. Ensure your text is readable on all backgrounds. This includes mobile screens in bright sunlight. It’s also helpful to know the exact colour codes so all designers use the same shade.

Font – Fonts give personality. Rounded fonts give a friendly feel, serif fonts give a traditional/trusted feel whilst clean sans-serif fonts give a modern feel. Choose fonts that are easy to read on screen. Ensure you have clear rules for font sizes (headings, body text).

Imagery – Decide what style of images you’d like. Bright natural, dark dramatic or bold illustrated. Ensuring you have consistent editing, framing and subjects will make your social media look intentional. Use real images of your work, team and customers whenever possible.

Tone Of Voice – This is your brand’s personality. This should always remain the same throughout all platforms. The tone will vary slightly depending on the situation. For example, you might be more upbeat when offering a festival deal and calm and reassuring when responding to a complaint. Creating a short list of words you will and won’t use will make your messaging consistent.

Values & Positioning – This is the foundation of your brand. If your brand identity suggests you’re friendly and reliable, but it takes ages for you to respond to customers they’ll notice straight away. The best brand identities are honest and reflect what your business is.

Why Brand Identity Matters

Having a clear brand identity will help you in many ways.

It makes you easily identifiable. When your brand has a consistent look and tone, people will remember you. If someone scrolls past your post and knows it’s from you before seeing your name, your brand identity is doing it’s job.

Makes you trustworthy. If your brand has a professional and consistent feel, it shows it’s an established and trustworthy business. If your logo, fonts and tone don’t match it can have the opposite effect.

Helps you stand out from your competitors. In a busy industry with many businesses offering similar products, your brand identity is often the deciding factor.

Allows you to charge fair prices. People will pay more for a brand they trust and know. Compared to one they don’t know.

Creates consistency in your marketing. Having set colours, fonts and tone makes everything look connected. Your team won’t have to spend as much time thinking of new designs.

Builds brand loyalty. People will come back to brands they feel a connection with and will recommend them.

How Brand Identity Benefits Your Digital Marketing

Brand identity is the foundation of all your marketing.

Website – Your brand identity will determine how your homepage feels within the first 5 seconds. Using consistent visuals and clear wording will make visitors feel more comfortable to take the next step.

Social Media – Having a recognisable style will make your posts stand out. Using templates for your posts, reels covers and stories will save you time and ensure your page looks professional

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Paid Ads – Ads that match your brand will feel familiar to those who have already seen your page. This will help them trust you.

Email & WhatsApp – Using the same logo, colours and tone in all your messages will let customers know the message is genuine.

SEO & Content – Having a defined tone and clear positioning will make it easier to decide what to write about and how to explain it. This means your blog and website content will feel focused.

Offline – Having the same brand identity in all your visiting cards, brochures, packaging, vehicle branding and shop boards.

Overall, having a clear brand identity will mean all your channels will work together. Whereas without, they’ll have to work harder to stand out.

Common Brand Identity Mistakes

Copying your competitors,Choosing a trendy logo/colours,Having inconsistent logos, fonts and tones across your website, social media and print,Not having a strategy in place,No guidelines so every new designer/team member is making it up,Never reviewing your brand identity as your business grows and audience changes.

Most of these issues occur because you’re looking at your brand identity as a ‘fluffy’ element. Rushing your logo, choosing colours because they’re your favourite or copying the tone of a larger brand may look good when you first start, but can cause confusion as your business grows.

The biggest issue you can have is inconsistency. If your brand looks different on Instagram, your website and printed brochures, customers will start to question if they’re the same business.

Consistent doesn’t mean everything looks the same, it means everything looks like it belongs to the same family.

Trying to appeal to everyone. If your brand is trying to appeal to everyone, no-one will remember it. It’s better to be clear that you’re the right choice for a specific group of customers.

How To Create Your Brand Identity

Define your purpose & values. Write down why your business exists, what you stand for and what you promise.

Know your audience. Who are you talking to? What do they care about? Where do they hang out?

Research your competitors. Take note of how others in your industry look and sound. Decide how you’re going to position yourself to stand out.

Create your brand guidelines. Write everything into a short document. Include rules on how to use everything.

Use your brand identity. Ensure everything matches from your website, social profiles, packaging, signage, email signatures, invoices and adverts.

Review yearly. Ensure you’re keeping what’s working and adjusting what isn’t. Refresh your brand identity as your business changes direction.

How To Know If Your Brand Identity Is Working

Although brand identity seems like a fluffy element to your business, there are ways to check if it’s working.

People are describing your business using words that match your intended personality.

Your posts, adverts or packaging are recognised without seeing your name.

Direct traffic, branded searches and returning customers are increasing.

Your team can create new content quickly without questioning if it looks right.

Customers rarely ask basic questions about who you are and what you offer as they can find the answers on your website/profiles.

For a more structured approach, carry out a quick survey. Or ask 10 recent customers 3 questions. How would you describe us in 3 words? Why did you choose us? What would you say to a friend? Compare their answers to what you intended. This will show you exactly where to improve.

Final Thoughts

Brand identity is more than just your logo and colours. It’s how your business looks, sounds and behaves consistently. This will determine if your customers remember, trust and choose you. Businesses who invest in brand identity early on will find all their marketing efforts (social media, paid adverts etc.) work harder.

If you’re unsure where you’re at with your brand, carry out a simple audit. Place your website, social profiles and printed materials side by side. Do they look like they belong to the same business? If not, this is what you should fix first.

Need help creating or refreshing your brand identity? Get in touch with our team at Zigzag Digital Solutions and we’ll help you create a brand that stands out and is consistent across all channels.