Why your small business needs a brand identity, not just a logo
Starting a small business is an exciting endeavor. You may have started with an idea for a neat product or service. OR you saw a problem that needs solving and realized how your solution can add value to people’s lives. You probably got into that natural flow of creativity. And once you had a concept of a product, I’m guessing one of the first things you thought about was your logo, not a brand identity.
I did too. Because, let’s be honest, dreaming up and designing the visuals is one of the most fun parts about creating a business. (yum)
So, you get online and browse colors, fonts, images and imagine your company name on packaging and all sorts of elements you know you’ll need. I know from experience, it’s a freaking rush.
But here’s the slightly sobering truth: a logo by itself is not your brand.
Your brand is much more than a single graphic or image. And your brand identity is more than that too.
Your brand identity is the way your business looks, sounds, and feels to the people you are trying to reach; your potential customers.
If you are just starting out with planning your small business then understanding the difference between a logo and a brand identity will set the foundation for the success and the longevity of your business.
What’s the Difference Between a Brand, Brand Identity, and a Logo?
These terms are used interchangeably all the time, but they each mean different things and each play a unique role in how your business shows up in the world.
Here’s a breakdown of what each one actually means:
Your brand – or brand image, to be more accurate – is how people perceive your business. It’s the emotional connection and experience they have when interacting with your business. Whether that’s shopping your website, engaging with your social media content or actually talking with you or one of your employees. It’s also how people would describe your business when thinking or talking about you when you’re not in the room.
Your brand identity is the visual representation and expression of your brand. This includes your logo, color palette, typography, photography, and tone of voice in communications including the words you speak in a video or the way you write your emails. It’s basically the personality of your brand and the parts that make you recognizable. This is the part we love to dream up and design.
Your logo is just a party of your brand identity. It’s an important part, but not the whole thing. A logo is kind of like your signature. It lets people know the product or service came from you. It’s often symbolic, memorable and distinctive and should represent the brand personality behind it.
For example: If your business were a person, your brand would be its personality, your brand identity would be its wardrobe, speaking style and any other outward self expression, and your logo would be its signature. They are all connected, but each serves a different purpose.
The Elements of a Memorable Brand Identity
A good effective brand identity combines strategy and creativity. A brand identity should communicate who you are, your company values, and who you are trying to speak to (your target market or audience) – all through visuals and copy.
Here are the core elements that make a brand memorable:
Mission, Values, & Vision
These are your “why.” Your mission should define what you do, your values guide how you achieve that mission, and your vision is the direction you want to take. When they are clearly defined, these three things will help direct you with intentional design choices and decisions for your business.
Logo Suite
A great brand identity has more than one logo. You will want a suite of variations to achieve consistency across all the platforms that your logo and business will appear. These variations should include a primary logo, a simplified submark or brandmark, and variations of the brandmark and wordmark.
Color Palette & Typography
A cohesive color and font pairing will make your brand recognizable, visually appealing and work together to create emotional cues. Some colors and fonts are so recognizable and synonymous with their brand that they can evoke emotions instantaneously. (Think Coca-Cola’s red can or Starbucks green coffee cup.)
Patterns, Graphics & Imagery
Patterns, graphics and imagery should support, add depth and consistency to the logo and brand. They make your marketing materials, packaging, and website cohesive and help your brand stand out from your competitors.
Voice & Tone
Your voice is the way your brand “speaks.” Is it friendly and conversational? Expert and confident? Calm and nurturing? Humorous and irreverent? Having a consistent tone across your written communication and copy will build trust with your audience. This is a big deal these days since the majority of marketing happens online and on social media platforms.
Brand Guidelines
Your brand guidelines document is dedicated to specific instructions on how to use each element of your brand identity. It ensures that anyone who works with your brand (social media managers, web designers, graphic designers) will know how to represent it consistently.
Visit my portfolio to see how these elements come together as a visual identity.
How a Fully Designed Brand Contributes to Longevity
When your brand identity is well-crafted and consistent, it will do more than just make your business look good. It will make it last!
Similar to how you think about iconic brands like Coca-Cola and Starbucks, customers will come to associate your colors, fonts and tone with how reliable, trustworthy, recognizable, and professional your business is. That recognition can turn into loyalty.
It will also make your marketing efforts easier and more effective. Each time you post to social media or write an email, you’ll have all those elements in place.
A solid and cohesive brand identity will support your business growth. As you expand your business, your identity can evolve while maintaining that recognition and loyalty. Rebrands can be a simple refresh instead of complete overhauls. This alone can save you countless hours and money in the long run.
I break this process down in How to Craft Your Businesses Brand Identity.
What are the Options for Brand Design Services?
Depending on your goals, budget and skills, there are several ways to begin building your brand identity. Each option has its benefits and drawbacks.
DIY Branding
This is where I started. And if it weren’t for my love of design, if I could go back, I would have hired someone.
If you are starting out there are many DIY tools that can help you create a logo and simple brand assets. Canva and Adobe Express are popular options for this as they are both accessible and affordable. However, it is likely that your brand will look generic and the options for custom assets are limited.
AI Branding Tools
AI generators can produce quick logos and color palettes. They are incredibly convenient, but they lack a human design touch. There is a lot of storytelling, emotion and strategy that goes into brand design that AI cannot replicate well. However, AI can be a helpful tool for brainstorming.
My thoughts on AI: It can be an amazing tool for productivity, but will never come close to the original ideas humans can create. AI, if you didn’t know, is trained on what has already been created. Which means there is nothing truly original about what it can create. Not to mention that today the interwebs are so saturated with AI content that it is now recycling what it has already created. Talk about a recipe for a Frankenstein creation! I would suggest you use it sparingly and never for creative work. But that’s a choice you’ll have to make for yourself.
Logo or Graphic Designer
There are graphic designers who will design just a logo, but this would be the bare bones option. There might be details about your business that are not considered for the final design of the logo. This option may not offer the valuable assets you will need moving forward.
Brand Designer
This is the most comprehensive option. A professional brand designer can help you define your mission, values, audience and voice and then build a visual identity around and in support of those elements. This should include a full logo suite, color palette, typography system, brand assets, and a brand guidelines document. This option, with a good designer, would be an investment in the future of your business.
This is me, I do this! If your interested in hiring me for your brand design, submit and inquiry!
Budget & Pricing: What to Expect
Pricing varies widely depending on your needs, budget, the designers experience and the depth of strategy.
Here’s a general idea of what to expect, and note that these are all estimates:
DIY or AI – free to $100
The cost for this option is free or very low, typically the cost of a design or AI software subscription. This can take extra time if you are not familiar with the software and will have to hurdle the learning curve.
Logo or Graphic Designer – $300 to $1,000, roughly
This varies greatly depending on how the designer charges for their services and what assets they are willing to include.
Full Brand Identity Package – $1,500 to $5,000 & up
A full brand identity should include the whole system and assets that will build your business recognition and trust. There should be an element of marketing with this strategy. A good designer will be able to anticipate certain needs your business may have in regards to your marketing strategy. This option will be costly upfront, but potentially save you a lot in the future.
You should choose the option that aligns best with your goals and the stage your business is in. Remember that first impressions can make or break your business. When you are ready to go searching, most of these options can be found with a simple Google search. This will lead you to different platforms where designers list their services. The most helpful place, I have found, for finding a designer is social media. You will get a really good feel for a designer’s style, their workflow and their personality by browsing their social media content.
Build Your Brand, Not Just a Logo
By this point, I hope you have an idea of what direction you want to take your brand’s identity. This place of growth and developmentIt can feel daunting to be. There’s a lot to consider and plan and the stress of getting it right can run high!
At the heart of developing a brand is the question “how do I want my customers to feel when they engage with my business?”
And most importantly, “how can my business make their life better?”
Your brand identity is how you will communicate these things to your audience and connect with them. Hopefully in a meaningful way so they continue to seek the added quality your product or service provides them.
Jump over to my portfolio to view my past projects and let’s design your brand!
Are you ready for more? Next read about How to Craft Your Businesses Brand Identity and I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.