If you are in the process of developing your brand, thinking about it, or already have one, this article is for you. Understanding the differences between a brand, branding, and a visual identity is crucial when creating a brand for your business! But why is it so crucial?

Take McDonald’s for example. The well-known fast food chain has over 38,000 stores worldwide with a net worth of $36.53 billion. In comparison, their brand is worth a staggering $154 billion. That means the value of their brand is far greater than their net worth. Who would have ever thought that a simple yellow “M” would generate such a massive return on investment? This is the perfect example of how your brand has the power to either propel you up or drag you down. Keep this in mind as you create your brand.

What is a brand?

Even marketing and design experts struggle to understand what a brand is. Some people mistakenly believe that a brand is just a logo design or a product. Others would argue that a brand is the sum of all customer perceptions. The truth is it’s so much more. According to brand expert Marty Neumeier, a brand is the result of a customer’s gut feeling about a product, service or company. Your brand is, by and large, your reputation.

When it comes to your brand, almost every aspect of your business contributes to its reputation. In other words, branding is not limited to marketing or advertising, although they do play a role. Building a brand involves customer care, community engagement, packaging, media platforms, and virtually every aspect your customer interacts with when they experience your product or service. This means that in order to have a quality brand, you need to define what your brand stands for and highlight its greatest qualities.

Brand experiences that are impactful, memorable, unique, engaging, and most importantly, consistent are the best. When a brand is successful, it becomes easily recognizable and evokes the emotions the company wants to portray. For example, when we think of Chanel, we think of luxury and decadence. This perception is shaped in our minds by more than just the quality of their products. Advertising campaigns, high-profile celebrities, product launches and in-store interior design are just some of the factors that contribute to the overall perception of this luxury brand. Creating the perfect perception of your brand can be a challenge. This is where branding comes into play.

What is branding?

If your brand is your reputation, Branding is the process of building that reputation. It is the sum of actions that contribute to the development of an emotional bond between a customer and a company. Simply put, branding is the process of building an image that represents your company’s voice and personality. So, to create an effective branding strategy, you must first understand your goals, vision, and values.

Building a successful brand is virtually impossible without a solid branding strategy. You have to think about how, when, where and with whom you want to present your company. However, it is more than just defining the image of your company. Branding is a continuous, ever-changing activity. You market your business when you choose a retail location, employee, partnerships, color palette, advertising campaigns, or social media strategy. Remember that branding can shape reality. It determines how your customers interact with your product or service.

The cornerstone of a successful branding strategy is determining your brand’s market position. What sets you apart from your competition? Do you consider your business to be luxurious or economical? Which adjectives best represent your company? Are your products handmade or mass-produced? These are all questions to consider when branding your business. These factors contribute to the formation of a Brand experience, or how people perceive and interact with your brand.

A well executed one Branding strategy will help you attract new customers, increase the effectiveness of your marketing budget and even allow you to market your products or services at higher prices. Take these water bottles for example…

All four companies sell the same product: water. Why is Nestle water $0.50 while Perrier water is $2.50 when they sell the same product? As a result of their branding. Nestle is a low cost brand while Perrier is high quality mineralized water. Just looking at the picture shows that Perrier and Pellegrino are the most expensive brands. This is due to the effectiveness of their branding strategies in establishing the desired perception in the minds of their customers: that Perrier and Pellegrino are better curated and more “sleek” than the market’s mainstream water brands. But why do they feel this way?

What is visual identity?

The term “Visual identity” refers to a set of tangible elements that together form the brand’s image. Logos, fonts, photography, iconography, color schemes, commercials, and media platforms are some examples of these elements. Your brand identity would be the face of your company if it had one. It’s what customers see and experience when they engage with your product or service. Remember that Brand recognition is determined by visual identityor “face” of your company.

To be a true representation of your brand, your visual identity needs to be clear and consistent. While your visual identity needs to be adaptable and change as your business expands, it needs to stay true to your company’s values. Switching from one style to another can confuse or even put off your customers. Make sure your visual aesthetic is easy to understand and that all of your graphic elements complement each other. An excellent strategy to achieve this is to start with a logo design that is timeless and durable. For example, consider how timeless the Coca-Cola logo is. It is as relevant today as it was in 1892 when it was first published.

While we can see a clear evolution in the Coca-Cola logo, not much has changed and it has stayed true to its brand image over the years. The goal of your visual identity is to elicit an emotional response from those who come into contact with your product or service. It also informs potential consumers about the products or services you offer. In short, a strong visual identity should express what your brand stands for and the experience you want to offer your customers. Although ‘brand’, ‘branding’ and ‘visual identity’ are different concepts, they must work in unison to produce an eye-catching result.

Here are some examples…

Rihanna launched her cosmetics line in 2017 and currently has a net worth of $2 billion. Fenty Beauty is a semi-luxury company known for its all-inclusive beauty products. The competitive advantage of this company is that it sells cosmetics for all skin types and tones. This principle of inclusivity runs through all graphic elements of the company.

What does the above picture scream if not all inclusive? Not only do they represent different skin tones and textures, but also all types of women. While inclusion is a major competitive advantage for this beauty empire, that’s not why their four-year endeavor has a net worth in the billions. Because the Fenty brand embodies female empowerment and self-love. Something that’s lacking in many other makeup companies that sell an unrealistic representation of what a woman looks like in the twenty-first century. These nude and candid pics make you feel like you, which makes you want to buy their goods.

Meow Wolf is another wonderful example of a company that has taken their branding and visual identity to new heights. Founded in 2008, this immersive experiences company has raised a phenomenal $158 million from investors. Meow Wolf stakeholders understand that the creatives driving their brand strategy are not fooling around. Meow Wolf’s goal is to create otherworldly interactive art installations that take you to whimsical and imaginative invented realities. They have established themselves as museum curatorial pioneers, removing the “do not touch” policy and allowing visitors to explore the space as if they were children in a playground.

Convergence Station, one of Meow Wolf’s Instagram accounts, posted this photo. The whimsical colors and mysterious shapes of the object we are observing create a sense of unfamiliarity and consequently arouse your interest. This is an effective approach for a company that wants tourists to visit their museum. However, the impact of this Instagram post is based on much more than just the picture.

This is the description of the post: “Such unstable constructs are prohibited in carry-on luggage and must be checked. Please familiarize yourself with the dimensional laws as constructs are illegal in some time periods.” This creates the impression that you are boarding a train to another realm, prompting viewers to wonder what the Meow- wolf experience is all about. As if that wasn’t enough, they also paid people to invent extraterrestrial languages ​​and symbols, and you can find a wide range of people commenting on the posts as if they were from other worlds. This allows them to connect and interact with loyal consumers, convert new visitors into longtime Meow Wolf fans, and keep investors happy.

Branding and visual identity are critical to achieving your company’s mission. Whether you’re a beauty brand, an interactive museum, or anything in between, it’s important to note that many factors go into developing a brand. It’s never a bad idea to invest in some helping hands with the skills and knowledge to make your brand stand out! Whether your business is small or large, inexpensive or opulent, remember that while your branding, branding and visual identity are different concepts, when you work together, you can create magic!

Author bio

Alejandra Huerta is a cultural manager with extensive teaching experience and a broad profile in writing, from content creation to ghostwriting. She studied fine arts and has been an author ever since, her first publication appeared in 2017.