Achieving good brand recognition is half the battle when it comes to increasing sales. But how can you ensure that your brand is not only noticed, but also remembered and even recalled? The answer is to work on your brand identity.
In this article, we will explain what identity is, how it is implemented by large companies, what its features are, and the stages of its creation. We will also provide you with a template for a brief on the development of visual elements of identity, which you can show to your contractor.
It is difficult to explain the term identity without mentioning brand and corporate style. These three concepts are so intertwined that even in the professional field, specialists can interpret them differently, shifting the emphasis. Because of this, identity, corporate style, and brand are often perceived as the same thing — although this is not entirely correct.
Let’s break down each of these concepts to understand where they intersect and what place identity occupies in this system.
Corporate identity
The development of a corporate identity includes everything related to visual content: color palette, typography, corporate graphics, printing, packaging. Corporate identity is the foundation of a brand, thanks to which customers distinguish a company from others.
However, small companies can create corporate identity elements without an ideological basis. For example, the sign of a small shop near your home may not reflect any ideology — its purpose is to help customers find their way around.
Identity
Identity is the means by which a company conveys its ideas, values, and principles. It affects all the senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Identity is designed to be memorable to consumers, evoke emotions, and create lasting associations with the brand.
Corporate identity is part of identity and refers to its visual aspect.
Every element of identity—whether it’s corporate style, merchandise, a mascot, or a slogan—is directly related to the company’s mission and goals. In other words, there is always an idea or strategy behind the elements of identity. These, in turn, are developed at the branding stage.
High-quality identity shapes the brand image among users. This allows them to recognize the company even if they don’t see the logo or name. This increases sales in the long term.
Identity is used on various media, from websites and social networks to physical devices and uniforms.
Brand
A brand is a broader concept than corporate identity and identity. It reflects the company’s mission, values, and positioning in the market.
The overall goal of branding is to create a positive image of the company in the minds of consumers. Identity and corporate identity are formed based on the conclusions made while working on the brand.
What is the role of identity?
Let’s summarize what identity is and how it intersects with corporate style and brand:
- Identity in design is a set of auditory, semantic, verbal, and visual elements that help a brand establish itself in the minds of its audience. Identity elements convey the company’s ideology.
- The task of identity is to ensure that the outer shell reflects the essence of the brand, which, in turn, is sought when working on the brand.
- Corporate style is part of identity and can be used as its synonym.
The scheme of brand, identity, and corporate style
It cannot be said that first comes full-fledged work on the brand, and then the development of identity. In practice, everything happens gradually.
At the start of a project, companies usually have an initial vision of the project, from which they develop elements of identity. At the beginning, they mainly focus on corporate style.
As the company grows, its positioning becomes clearer: the audience segment is more clearly defined, and the brand’s characteristics, mission, and values are worked out. Sometimes the project pivots. Therefore, after launch, the identity is often expanded and even completely revised.