What is the Difference Between Branding and Brand?
The world of brand marketing can be confusing. Take a look at some of the world’s most successful companies and you can immediately tell that effective branding is one of the most essential elements of a business’ success. But while logo design like Nike’s swoosh and Starbucks’ twin-tailed mermaid are important elements of those companies’ brands, they do not tell the whole story.
Your company’s brand is the way the general public perceives your company. As Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, puts it:
“Branding is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”
This can be a scary concept for business owners who are working hard to establish their name in their respective industries. But while your reputation does, largely, depend upon what other people say about you, there is plenty that you can do as a business to influence that gossip.
Appearance is Key
Anything from your company’s logo to its website, to its products or services, can serve as an influencer of its brand. Above all else, the visual appearance of these aspects is most important in influencing how people perceive them.
While some animals, such as dogs, are scent or hearing based, humans are inherently sight-based creatures. If something is beautiful, people will gravitate towards it. One of the most efficient ways you can influence your brand is by investing in graphic design services and logo design services.
When people think of Apple, they think of the sleek, sexy, clean products that we have come to associate with the company. They also perceive the functionality of Apple products as streamlined and intuitive – but that perception is largely based upon how the user interface looks.
Although branding is about more than just appearance, looks can go a long way toward creating the reputation you want your company to have. Strong brands such as Apple’s do not just happen – they are the result of long-term strategies and calculated efforts to hold a consistent image.
How Graphic Design Can Help With Your Brand
To have a strong brand, a company needs to know who they are and what makes them stand out from the crowd, long before the public sees them that way. The best graphic designers not only produce quality visual content but also help companies who are in their early stages or who need a new image to express who they are to potential consumers. If you’re looking for graphic design services in Longmont, Evna Design can help you with this process.
What is Brand Identity?
Brand identity is also called visual identity. This term encompasses all the aspects that express ‘who’ your company is to the world. Your logo, colors, voice, and website design are all part of your brand identity. These different elements need to be both distinct – standing out from the crowd of competitors – and cohesive, working with one another to shape your brand into one that is both recognized and loved.
Let’s use Apple as an example again. Everything about this company’s brand identity is meant to communicate the values of minimalism, simplicity, and sleek functionality. Although the products that Apple produces are some of the most complex and capable pieces of machinery on the market, their brand identity makes these products approachable and attractive to all.
Every aspect of Apple’s image – from their logo to their product packaging, to their website design, even down to the font used on their website – is in line with a brand identity of simplicity and approachability.
You do not need to see the Apple logo to know that you are viewing an Apple ad, looking at one of their products, or scrolling through their website. This is largely the result of effective brand identity work.
Your company doesn’t need to be as big as Apple to achieve a similar effect. Through consistent and professional brand identity work, you can create an aesthetic for your company that is recognizable.
What if My Business is Based Online?
Online businesses can still create a strong brand identity, despite having fewer outlets to do so than companies that have storefronts and sell products. If you are a software company, for example, you can establish your brand by using consistent graphics, color schemes, and font choices across all of your platforms.
With this kind of brand identity work, you can eventually reach a point where consumers will recognize your company when they see your software, even if they have never used it before.
To Summarize What we Have Learned so Far…
If you’re still feeling a bit unclear, don’t worry. The differences between brand, branding, and brand identity are nuanced. Since many people use these terms incorrectly, it can be difficult to keep them straight. Whatever you take away from this article on branding, brand, and logo design, remember this :
Your brand is how people see your company. Your brand identity is how you influence your company’s brand. A brand is intangible, while brand identity is tangible.
Simple, right? Now, let’s dive into logo design – probably the single most important aspect of any brand identity strategy.
What is Logo Design?
A logo is the easiest way for a company to express who they are. Without a strong logo, your brand falls apart.
What Does Logo Design Do?
Logo design plays a key role. An effective logo:
A Good Logo Helps You Stand Out from the Competition
Without a strong logo, consumers have nothing to connect the rest of your brand identity back to. Rather than associating red cursive with Coca Cola, they just see red cursive – or worse yet, they associate it with another brand that has a stronger logo. Your logo design is the piece that ties your entire brand together.
Builds Trust and Recognition
Running a successful company is as much about longevity and consistency as it is about rapid growth. When a company puts their logo on something, they are stamping it with their approval and taking responsibility for that product or service.
If you are running a business, chances are good that you believe in your product. Having a strong logo to put on that product is a way of communicating to consumers that the product is trustworthy. If you believe in it, they can, too.
What Makes a Strong Logo?
Your logo design should check the following five boxes:
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Memorable
Your logo has to catch the eye. If consumers forget it the second they see it, your logo is ineffective. Memorability is the single most important trait of a logo. To be memorable, a logo must also be:
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Simple
The simpler, the better. Consumers will have an easier time remembering and recognizing your logo if its design is clean and simple. Your logo should represent the heart of your business. It should depict the core of your business in a way that is clear and free of unnecessary frills.
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Appropriate
Your logo needs to fit the market you are in. If you are selling party supplies, you should probably avoid a drab black and white logo. The one caveat to this rule is that your logo should also stand out from the crowd. Striking the balance between appropriate and impactful is a job that only a skilled logo design firm in Longmont like Evna Design can tackle.
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Versatile
Over time you’ll use your logo in many ways. It is important that it looks great no matter how it is displayed. The correct file formats and instructions make it easy to display your logo correctly across a wide range of platforms. Evna Design in Longmont Colorado knows that.
Whether you plaster a four by eight-foot logo on the side of a bus or paste a one-inch version in the corner of your website, your logo best represents your business when it is easily recognized and accurately reflects your business. Evna Design will provide everything you need for all your logo design applications.
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Timeless
When it comes to logo design, don’t get too caught up in current trends. The most memorable and iconic logos have stood the test of several decades and remain relevant and impactful. If your logo fits the criteria above, it will be relevant no matter what the current design trends are.
Evna Design Offers Graphic Design and Logo Design in Longmont, Colorado
If you are looking to build your brand, look no further than Evna Design in Longmont. Our services include comprehensive logo design and branding. These fundamental marketing tools build your businesses’ image and help you stand out amongst the competition.
Dylan Satterfield founded Evna Design, a graphic design firm in Longmont Colorado to help small businesses, start-ups, and established businesses worldwide with graphic design services. From logos to product packaging to website design to customized graphics – let Evna Design make your brand recognizable and prominent.
Check out Dylan’s MotoGP posters. Created in his spare time as fan art, they are a labor of love.