How to Set up a Strong Brand Image: An Ultimate Guide

What comes to mind when you think of some of the world’s most successful brands? Names like Coca-Cola, Google, Apple, Nike, and Walmart are probably some of the first that come to mind. What do all of these brands have in common? They all have a strong brand image. 

For instance, brand names like Google, Nike, etc. don’t have a meaning in the English dictionary, but we know what they mean because of the image that they’ve built up over the years.

When you hear someone say ‘Nike,’ your brain automatically associates the word with sports, fitness, and an active lifestyle. That’s the power of a strong brand image.

Do you know? You can use Design software to create a powerful brand identity for your business easily now.

A strong brand identity is essential for any business. It can help you attract customers, differentiate yourself from your competition, and build loyalty among your customer base.

In this guide, we will discuss the steps that you need to take to create a powerful brand image for your company. We’ll cover everything from developing a brand strategy to creating a visual identity for your business. By following these steps, you can create a brand that consumers will love and trust!

What is Brand Identity?

Your brand identity is how your customers perceive your business. It includes elements like your company name, logo, tagline, and colors. Consider it as a human personality, made up of different characteristics that work together to create a certain image.

When you’re developing your brand identity, it’s important to keep in mind what message you want to send with your brand. Do you want to be seen as professional and trustworthy? Or fun and approachable? Your answer will help guide the development of your visual identity.

Think of it this way: if someone were to see your company’s logo on a billboard, they should be able to tell what industry you’re in just by looking at it. That’s the power of a strong brand identity!

Creating a strong brand identity is essential for any business, big or small. It’s what helps customers remember your company and sets you apart from your competition. With so many businesses out there, it’s more important than ever to have a well-defined brand identity.

Let’s take Google, for example. We all know that Google is a tech company, but its logo is actually very simple. It’s just the word ‘google’ in lowercase letters.

The simplicity of their logo is what makes it so memorable and recognizable. When you see it, there’s no doubt in your mind what company it belongs to. That’s the power of a strong brand identity!

In fact, today, the name ‘Google’ and internet search are synonymous. That’s how strong their brand identity is!

Why Do You Need Brand Awareness?

Now that we’ve talked about what brand identity is and why it’s important, let’s discuss the next step in creating a strong brand image: brand awareness.

Brand awareness is exactly what it sounds like: it’s the level of customer recognition and recall of your brand. In other words, it’s how well your target audience knows and remembers your company.

There are a few different ways to measure brand awareness. The most common method is called ‘top-of-mind’ or ‘unaided’ recall. This is when consumers spontaneously name your brand when asked about companies in your industry.

For example, if someone were to ask you about companies that sell jeans, Levi’s might be one of the first brands that come to mind. That’s because Levi’s has a high level of brand awareness.

Another way to measure brand awareness is ‘aided’ recall. This is when consumers need a little reminder before they can name your brand.

For example, if someone were asking about companies that make shoes, Nike might not be the first brand that comes to mind. But, if you were to give them a list of shoe brands and ask them to pick out the one they’re most familiar with, Nike would probably be at the top of the list.

Recommendation: You can increase your brand presence through proper marketing software, as they help you to increase customer satisfaction and bring trust to your brand.

The last way to measure brand awareness is ‘brand recognition.’ This is when consumers see your company’s logo or name and can identify it as belonging to your business, even if they can’t remember the name.

For example, if someone were to see the Nike swoosh, they would probably be able to tell that it belongs to Nike, even if they couldn’t remember the company’s name.

Now that we’ve talked about what brand awareness is and how it’s measured, let’s discuss why it’s so important for your business.

There are a few key reasons why brand awareness is essential for any business.

• First, it helps customers remember your company. In a world where there are thousands of businesses competing for attention, this is more important than ever.
• Second, brand awareness helps build trust with your target audience. If consumers know and recognize your brand, they’re more likely to trust your company and be more likely to do business with you.
• Third, brand awareness can help you attract new customers. If your target audience is familiar with your brand, they’re more likely to do business with you when they need the products or services you offer.
• Fourth, brand awareness can also help increase sales and revenue. Studies have shown that companies with high levels of brand awareness tend to have higher sales and revenues than those with lower levels of brand awareness.

What Does a Brand Identity Include?

A brand identity is made up of three different elements: the name, the logo, and the overall look and feel of your company (this may include a mission statement).

The name of your company is obviously a key part of your brand identity. It’s how customers will remember and recognize your business.

Your logo is also a very important part of your brand identity. It’s the visual representation of your company, and it should be memorable, recognizable, and simple.

The last element of your brand identity is the overall look and feel of your company. This includes things like the colors you use, the fonts you use, and the overall tone and voice of your company.

All of these elements should work together to create a cohesive brand identity that accurately represents your business.

What is a Mission Statement? How is it Related to Brand Identity?

A mission statement is a short, concise statement that describes the overall goal or purpose of your company.

Your mission statement should be closely related to your brand identity. It should accurately reflect what your company is all about and what you want to achieve.

Your mission statement should be clear, concise, and easy to remember. It should also be something that you can easily communicate to your target audience.

This is a great example of a mission statement because it is clear, concise, and easy to remember. It also accurately reflects the brand identity of the company.

What Makes a Strong Brand Identity?

There are a few key things that make up a strong brand identity.

• First, your brand identity should be unique and memorable. It should be something that sets you apart from your competitors and makes you easily recognizable.

• Second, your brand identity should be consistent. This means using the same colors, fonts, logos, and overall look and feel across all of your marketing materials.

• Third, your brand identity should reflect the values of your company. Your target audience should be able to tell what your company is all about just by looking at your branding.

• Fourth, your brand identity should be flexible. As your business grows and changes over time, so too should your brand identity. It’s important to keep up with the times and make sure your branding is still relevant.

But there’s a catch!

While it’s important to have a strong brand identity, you also don’t want to be too rigid with it. You should always be open to making changes and adjustments as needed.

The bottom line is that your brand identity is an important part of your business. It should be unique, consistent, reflective of your company’s values, and flexible.

In other words, having a brand image on paper doesn’t mean much if it’s not backed up by the reality of your company. Even if you establish everything we’ve talked about so far, there’s one more thing you need to do to make sure your brand identity is strong: live up to it. Else, you may not achieve your long-term goals. 

It’s one thing to say that you’re the best at what you do, but it’s another thing entirely to actually be the best at what you do.

The same goes for your brand identity. Your branding should accurately reflect who you are as a company. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to make some changes.

To truly succeed, you need to create a brand personality that is:

• Easy to apply: You should be able to use your brand identity across all of your marketing materials, from your website to your social media channels to your physical product packaging.
• Memorable: Your target audience should be able to remember who you are and what you do. Consider Apple’s logo. Apple makes a visual impact with its simple yet recognizable logo.
• Cohesive: All of the elements of your brand identity should work together to create a cohesive whole. Your logo, colors, fonts, and overall look and feel should all be consistent with each other.
• Flexible: As your company grows and changes over time, so too should your brand identity. It’s important to keep up with the times and make sure your branding is still relevant.
• Scalable: Your brand identity should be able to scale with your company. As you add new products and services, your branding should be able to accommodate them. For example, Nike’s “swoosh” logo works just as well on a pair of shoes as it does on a Nike t-shirt.
• Distinct: Your brand identity should be unique and easily recognizable. It should be something that sets you apart from your competitors and makes you easily identifiable.
• Reflective of your company’s values: Your target audience should be able to tell what your company is all about just by looking at your branding.

Failing to design a brand image that your target audience doesn’t resonate with is one of the quickest ways to lose them. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if your brand identity doesn’t reflect that, then you’re not going to succeed.

How to Build a Brand Identity?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to build a brand identity, let’s first answer the question: what is branding?

Your brand is the sum total of how your target audience perceives you. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.

In other words, your brand is more than just your logo or the colors you use on your website. Your brand is the emotion that people feel when they interact with you.

Creating a brand identity requires a strategic and deliberate approach. This involves the use of the right tools and resources to ensure that your target audience will perceive you in the way that you want them to.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to build a brand identity:

Assess Your Current Identity

The first step in creating a strong brand identity is to take a good, hard look at your current identity. This includes everything from your logo and website design to the way you interact with your target audience.

Think about what you’re doing well and what you could improve. Are there any inconsistencies that need to be addressed?

You should also think about how your target audience perceives you. Do they see you as professional? Innovative? Creative? Fun? It’s important to know how they perceive you so that you can align your branding with their expectations.

Once you’ve taken a close look at your current identity, it’s time to start thinking about what you want your brand to be.

For example, if you want to be seen as a fun and creative company, then your branding should reflect that. Use bright colors, playful fonts, and an overall light-hearted approach.

On the other hand, if you want to be seen as a professional and trustworthy company, then your branding should reflect that. Use conservative colors, classic fonts, and an overall serious tone.

The most important thing is to be intentional about the image you want to project. Once you know what that is, you can start working on creating a brand identity that reflects it.

Know Your Foundation

Now that you know what image you want to project, it’s time to start thinking about the foundation of your brand identity. This includes things like your brand name, brand heart, brand message, and brand essence.

1. Your brand name is what people will see first, so it’s important to choose something that is memorable and easy to spell.
2. Your brand heart is the emotional core of your brand. It’s what you want people to feel when they interact with you.
3. Your brand message is the statement that you want to communicate to your target audience. It should be clear, concise, and easy to understand.
4. And finally, your brand essence is the one word that sums up the heart and soul of your brand.

All of these elements should work together to create a strong foundation for your brand identity.

Take Apple, for example. Their brand name is simple and easy to remember. Their brand heart is all about innovation and simplicity. Their brand message is “Think different.” And their brand essence is “innovative.”

When you put all of these elements together, you can see how they create a strong foundation for Apple’s brand identity.

Once you have a solid foundation in place, you can start working on identifying your competition followed by creating visuals that reflect your desired image.

Research Your Competition

The next step in creating a strong brand identity is to audit your competition. This will help you see what they’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement.

Start by making a list of your top three competitors. Then, take a close look at their branding. What do you like about it? What don’t you like?

In case you don’t know who your competitors are, we recommend using SEO software like Semrush or Ahrefs to find out. Just enter one or two of your keywords into its competitor analysis tool and it will give you a list of companies that rank for those keywords.

Once you have a good understanding of your competition, you can start thinking about ways to differentiate yourself. This could be anything from your brand message to your visual identity.

For example, if all of your competitors are using traditional fonts in their branding, then you could use a more modern font to stand out. Or if they’re all using bright colors, then you could use more subdued colors to set yourself apart.

The most important thing is to find a way to differentiate yourself from the competition while still staying true to your desired image.

Now that you know how to set up a strong brand image, it’s time to put these tips into action.

Once you have a good understanding of your competition, you can start thinking about ways to differentiate yourself. This could be anything from your brand message or tone to your visuals or overall approach.

For example, if all of your competitors are using the same colors in their branding, try something different. Or if they’re all using a formal tone, try a more informal one.

The key is to find ways to stand out from the crowd so that people will remember you.

Create a Visual Feast

The next step is to start creating visuals that reflect your desired image. This includes things like your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery.

However, before you proceed to hone in on your visual direction, it is important that you ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the key brand traits you want to convey through your visuals?
• What does my ideal customer look like?
• Where do they hang out online and offline?
• What kind of images do they respond to?
• What do you want the customers to feel when they “see” your brand?
• What type of visuals communicate the traits of your brand? 

Asking yourself these questions will help you better understand the type of visuals that will resonate with your target audience.

In this case, design is subjective and it’s important to consider what will work best for your brand.

There are no right or wrong answers, but we do recommend conducting some research before making any decisions. Try looking at other brands in your industry and see what they’re doing. Take note of what you like and don’t like about their visuals.

You can also look outside of your industry for inspiration. For example, if you’re in the healthcare industry, you might take inspiration from fashion brands or vice versa. The key is to find sources of inspiration that will help you hone in on your desired image.

Once you have a good understanding of the direction you want to go in, it’s time to start creating! If you’re not a designer, we recommend working with a professional to help you bring your vision to life.

At SaaSGenius, we have reviewed some of the best design software for you to look at. These programs will help you create high-quality visuals without the need for a professional designer.

Now you can start thinking about your overall visual direction. This includes things like choosing a color scheme and typography that reflects your brand identity.

Pen Down Your Branding Brief

After you’ve gone through the process of brainstorming and research, it’s time to start putting your thoughts into a more concrete format. This is where having a branding brief comes in handy.

A branding brief is essentially a document that outlines your brand strategy. It should include things like your brand values, target audience, differentiating factors, and visual direction.

Think of it as a roadmap that will guide all of your future marketing efforts. Having a clear and concise branding brief will help ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page and working towards the same goal.

Please note that your branding brief should be a living document that you can refer back to and update as needed.

Establish Your Brand Guidelines

Once you have your branding brief, it’s time to start putting together your brand guidelines. This document should include everything from your logo usage to your color scheme and typography.

Basically, it should be a reference point for anyone who is creating visuals for your brand. By having a clear brand strategy, you can ensure that all of your marketing materials are consistent with your desired image.

Design Your Logo

Your logo is one of the most important aspects of your brand identity. It’s often the first thing people will see when they come across your business, so it’s important that it makes a good impression.

When designing a logo, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it should be simple and easy to remember. Second, it should be scalable so that it can be used across different mediums. And lastly, it should be unique to your brand.

If you’re not a designer, we recommend working with a professional to create your logo. However, if you’re on a tight budget, here are some great DIY options out there for you to try.

Once you have your logo finalized, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to use it. This includes things like your website, merchandise, and marketing materials.

Make sure that you’re using it consistently across all of your channels and that it’s easily recognizable. The last thing you want is for people to see your logo and not be able to connect it back to your brand.

Choose Your Typography

Your typography is another important aspect of your brand identity. It’s often one of the first things people will notice about your visuals, so it’s important to choose a font that reflects your desired image.

When choosing a font, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it should be legible and easy to read. Second, it should be appropriate for your industry. And lastly, it should match the tone of your brand.

Once you’ve chosen a font, stick with it! Using multiple fonts can be confusing and make your visuals look cluttered. Stick to one or two fonts at most and use them consistently across all of your channels.

If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend checking out Google Fonts. They have a great selection of both free and premium fonts that you can use for your brand.

When deciding on typography, make sure that wherever you use it – be it on your website, social media, or marketing materials – there are no white spaces or broken lines. This can make your visuals look unfinished and unprofessional.

Figure Out Your Color Palette

Your color palette is another important aspect of your brand identity. It can help set the tone of your visuals and make them more memorable.

When choosing a color palette, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it should be appropriate for your industry. Second, it should match the tone of your brand. And lastly, it should be consistent with your other marketing materials.

To pick the desired color palette:

• Research your competition and see what colors they’re using.
• Use a color wheel to find complementary colors.
• Look for inspiration in nature or everyday objects.

Once you’ve chosen your color palette, make sure that you’re using it consistently across all of your channels. This includes things like your website, social media, and marketing materials.

Design Additional Elements

Now that you have your logo, typography, and color palette finalized, it’s time to start thinking about additional design elements. This includes things like patterns, textures, illustrations, taglines, and more.

These elements should be used sparingly and only when they add value to your visuals. Overusing them can make your brand look cluttered and unprofessional.

Patterns are perfect for adding interest to your visuals without being too overwhelming. They can be used on things like your website, social media, and marketing materials.

Textures can also be a great way to add interest to your visuals. They work well on websites and marketing materials.

Illustrations are another great way to make your visuals more interesting. They can be used on things like landing pages.

Taglines are a great way to sum up your brand in a few short words. They should be used on all of your marketing materials- from websites and social media posts to business cards and flyers.

To find the right tagline, start by brainstorming a list of adjectives that describe your brand. Once you have a few options, run them by friends, family, and colleagues to see which ones resonate the most.

Using your New Identity

Now that you have your new brand identity, it’s time to start using it! This means incorporating it into all of your marketing materials, from your website and social media to business cards and flyers.

If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend creating a style guide. This is a document that outlines all of the elements of your brand identity- from your logo and color palette to your typography and tagline. Having everything in one place will make it easy for you (or anyone else working on your branding) to reference when creating new visuals.

Conclusion

Creating a strong brand image is essential for any business- no matter what size or industry. By following the tips in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to developing a cohesive and professional brand identity that will help you stand out from the competition.

It is important to note that it will take time and effort to develop a strong brand image. But, if you’re consistent with your branding, it will pay off in the long run!