Woah… loaded question, right? But something that is so important to consider when building a business is its brand. How should it interact with the world around it? With its customers? How should it make people feel.

Some may think a logo makes a brand but in reality, there is so much that goes into a brand. So much more than just a logo. Brand identity consists of multiple visuals that all share a mutual feeling to personify a business. Personifying a business makes it relatable to your customers, making it easier for them to form a deep connection with your business… ultimately resulting in more conversions.

Brand identity is more than just aesthetics. Although design is a huge part of branding, understanding the strategy (or the why) behind each brand design is what makes it successful. That’s where a professional brand designer comes in.

As a brand designer, being creative is my passion. But I also absolutely love to study the psychology behind business and consumer actions. That’s what drives every design decision I make here at Poised Avenue Design Studio and I pride my client work in the same way.

So now that we have a better understanding of what a brand identity is, let’s take a look at exactly what makes a brand identity:

Brand Archetype and Strategy: Your brand’s archetype and strategy is based in our initial discovery phase. It’s the basis of who your brand will be and acts as a solid foundation for all visual decisions moving forward.

Moodboard: Your moodboard is a collection of already existing inspiration images, typography, textures, etc. that helps summarize your brand’s identity visually before we hop on to the next step – creating custom visuals.

Color: Your color palette is pulled from the initial strategy and moodboard phase. It’s based in psychology but also based in the overall position of your brand amongst your competition and others in your niche. A lot goes into your color palette and it’s probably one of my favorite parts of the design process!

Logo: Typography holds personality in and of itself, which is why choosing a font that personifies and represents the emotion of your business is crucial. A logo should be simple yet meaningful.

Logo mark/ Submark: A submark is a condensed version of your logo. It’s a graphic you can use to represent your brand without having to use your logo. It’s great for the footer of your website, hangtags, stickers, favicons, etc.

Pattern/ Texture: A branded pattern or texture is used in web design or as backgrounds you can overlay your logo on, amongst other things. It’s a great way to display your branding, again, without having to use your logo.

Okay, so it’s clear that branding goes far beyond just a logo, right?

Branding is simply the overall personality of a business and its purpose is to subconsciously attract the right audience, creating a connection between customer and business that leads to brand loyalty.

Feel lost and don’t know where to start? Check out my ideal audience workbook here. I explain what an ideal audience is in more detail and lay out more of my process and how I help my clients find their ideal audience, so you can do the same for yourself. Use what you find in the workbook as a basis for any DIY branding you do for your business until you’re ready to invest in profession brand design.

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Ready to invest in a professional brand identity for your business? Contact me here.