7 questions to consider before getting a new brand identity.

When starting out, most businesses have a clear vision of what they want to create and who they want to sell to. However, they can forget or ignore the key visual foundation that underpins strong, consistent growth for the future of their business: brand identity.

And so, what can often happen is that they motor ahead with a cookie-cutter design, same-same messaging and a direction-less “strategy”,... hoping for the best. 

The result? 

A confused brand identity that doesn’t reflect who they are and what they want to achieve.

If that sounds familiar and you’ve decided it’s time for a new brand identity, I’ve curated this one-stop guide as your first vital stepping stone before you hit the refresh button. 

What is brand identity?

Let’s start with the basics.

What exactly is a brand identity? 

I like to say that a brand identity is, in ways, like a human identity. It’s the little quirks, personality traits and behaviours that define your brand. It’s what sets your business apart from competitors and helps build powerful connections with your target audience.
In essence, your brand identity is your business's thumbprint that feeds into everything your brand does online and offline. Every element, from your logo and typography to your mission statement and messaging, is an opportunity to communicate and reinforce who you are as a brand.

Benefits of a clearly defined brand identity

A brand identity involves so much more than a compelling logo design or striking colour palette. 

And while yes, these elements are essential, creating a truly memorable brand means recognising that its’ identity is the complete summation of your business – everything that makes your brand truly unique. 

Beyond a renewed sense of clarity and focus, a strong brand identity can help

• Increase brand awareness and recognition - that all-important “Oh, I know that brand” factor we get from household names such as Apple, McDonald's and Nike. 

• Encourage customer loyalty & trust - at the end of the day, people buy from brands they trust. In fact, research shows that 57% of customers spend more money with brands they trust and are loyal to. 

• Stand out against competitors - in a crowded, noisy market, your strong identity is what it takes to fill in the initial ‘why should I choose you?’ question in your customer’s mind.

Signs your current brand identity isn’t working 

It’s easy to become stagnant if you’ve been doing the same thing for a long time.

And if you’ve been in business for some time, you might be sentimentally attached to your current brand identity and, as a result, perhaps a little blind to what’s working and… what's not.

And that’s okay.

We’ve all been there at some point.

To provide some much-needed clarity, here are some common signs that your current brand identity might not be right for you anymore. 

❌ It doesn’t stand out

Cookie-cutter design and same-same messaging will simply drown in a sea of competitors. To cut through the noise, your brand needs to be refreshing and offer your audience something different. If you’ve chosen your logo from Canva and a colour palette that you think ‘looks nice’, you’re not going to have something original or that will necessarily exude the essence of what your brand is all about.

❌ It lacks clarity

The best brand identity is one that has been formed from research and a clear brand purpose and vision. I always recommend a clarity-first approach when it comes to branding and design.

❌ It leaves your customer behind

A common misconception is that your brand identity is all about you. In fact, it’s also about your customer. A brand that only sees itself can leave customers feeling unheard and left out. 

❌ It’s inconsistent, and a little confused

Quick and easy test: go to your website, Instagram, and Facebook. Do you see a consistent tone of voice and cohesive design across all three platforms? Would a new customer instantly recognize similarities and identify your brand? If not, chances are you’re dealing with an inconsistent brand identity. 

❌ It doesn’t position your brand properly

Clarity is key. When there’s a lack of understanding around your offering, existing clients won’t see the need to continue their journey with you, and potential clients won’t understand how you can help them. If your brand identity doesn’t reflect who you truly are consistently across all channels, chances are you’re confusing (and perhaps losing) potential customers.

If you’re nodding along to all or some of the above right now, chances are it’s time for to review your branding.

7 factors to consider before building a new brand identity

Whether it’s a new project, exciting milestone or potential opportunity, there are many reasons you might need a brand identity refresh.

Before working with a professional brand strategist or designer (hi 👋) on your new brand identity, they’ll need a detailed brief to get your messaging, positioning, and design on point. 

⁠⁠Here are seven important factors to consider:  

1. Brand vision: Where do you see your brand now & in the future?

This is the big-picture stuff - encompassing your brand mission, goals and purpose. What’s your vision for your business? What do you want to be known for? If there was nothing standing in your way, what would you be doing? Who would you be working with? What does your business look like in your dreams?

2. The offer: How can you help your customer? 

⁠What do you sell? Who is it for? How do people hire or buy you?  What confuses them about your service or product? What questions might your customer have about your offer specifically or your processes? When you can clearly articulate your services or product, you're one step closer to having a more defined brand.

3. Brand personality: If your brand were a person, what would they be like? 

Everybody’s favourite step - it’s time to personify your brand. ⁠How would your brand walk, talk and act if it were in the room right now? Are there any famous figures or celebrities that come to mind? Make a list of all characteristics that come to mind, and then try to narrow this down to five key stand-out traits that truly describe the essence of your brand.

4. Brand sentiment: How do you want your audience to feel?

Everything in branding relates back to your customer. How do you want your customers to feel when they encounter your brand? Can you come up with three words that describe how you want your brand to feel? For example, natural, refined and elegant. Or purposeful, grounded and authentic? Can you see how each of these collections of three words evoke a very different feeling? By capturing the feeling of your brand, we can translate that into a tangible visual identity through colours, fonts, shapes, icons, photography etc. This is the foundation of building a brand that works commercially.

5. Brand impact: What change will you spark in your customer?

No matter what you sell – whether it's a service or product, your offer has the power to spark change in your customer. Understanding how you change people will provide you with powerful brand positioning.

💡 Bonus Tip: To help identify your brand impact, I suggest a simple but very insightful exercise. On a piece of paper, divide the page into two columns labelled “Before” and “After. Under the “Before” column, describe your audience before they work with you. How are they feeling? What are their challenges? What pain points do they have? What keeps them up at night? What words or phrases do they use to talk about these challenges? And then, under the “After” column, make a list of what they're like after they engage with your brand. How do they feel now? What do they know now they didn't know before? What do they say to their friends and family about your brand?

6. The competition: Who are your competitors? And what are they doing?

Bottom line: competitors can tell you a lot about yourself. Proper competitor research not only gives you insight into your brand’s position but also provides a roadmap for adjusting your brand positioning and helps you anticipate how your competitors will react to potential changes or upcoming opportunities. Competitive research is a process, not a one-time exercise. To get started, I recommend keeping it simple and asking yourself three core questions; Who are your closest competitors? Where do they fit into the market, and how does that compare with your services? What makes you different, a.k.a, why should a customer choose you over them?

7. Brand USP: What makes your brand unique?

Once you've gathered information on your target audience and your competition, it's time to use it to set yourself apart and to determine what your differentiator is. You want to specifically address what unique value you bring to your audience. If you have a product or service, you will likely already have a unique selling proposition (USP), even if you’re not quite exactly sure what it is just yet. Your USP encompasses all the things about your product that make it distinctive and stand out from the competition. What do you offer that only you can? What are you really great at? What do you find easy that others find challenging? Taking time to really think about these questions will allow you to pinpoint what your offer is, at its core, and help you to communicate your brand identity to your customers. 

Let’s build your brand identity

Unfortunately; many brands assume that their identity is effective simply because they have one. And that just isn’t the case. 

If your identity isn’t cohesive or doesn’t accurately represent your brand, you’re less likely to attract the right type of customer and you’re more likely to misrepresent your business.

And that’s where a professional brand strategist and designer, like me can step in.

If you feel like your branding is a bit generic, not on-point or is not working commercially, book a free discovery call today to chat more about what’s involved. You can give me the background to your business and we’ll take a look at your existing branding, if you have it. Often it turns out that my clients need help with their positioning before getting started with a visual identity, in which case I usually refer them to a strategist who can help them with this super-important foundational work. Once that work has been completed, then it’s time to come back to me to translate all of that into a visual brand identity. Anyway, book a call and we can see where you’re at.