Brand Identity

Bringing the Brand Strategy to Life

Once the brand strategy is established, all visual and verbal customer touchpoints must be aligned with the new brand. As with all things visual, there are many signals between the lines that communicate to your customer. Color palette, typography, graphic and photographic style all contribute to the net personality of the brand — however without a core concept to drive the way, the parts can only amount to mere decoration.

The Importance of Concept in Logo Design and Brand Identity

When we speak of the concept, we are talking about the central idea. In logo design, there must be one (and only one) central idea that connects with customers. Further, all energies must be staged so that the idea is immediate and apparent. If the viewer has to work to “get it”, then the logo is not doing it’s job – being the symbol for the brand.

Simplicity as the Path to Clarity and Immediacy

Simplicity is the only way of making sure the logo concept is immediate. Complexity adds confusion and thus a barrier between the brand and the viewer. The thing about simplicity however (the pairing down to the essentials only) is that the elements that are left must be of the utmost quality and craftsmanship.

Simplicity and Production Values

Simplicity also greatly effects the ease, or difficulty (think $) in producing the logo in the vast variety of required sizes and media. Complex logos are difficult to reproduce when they are small – in addition to being unreadable. Complex logos are always more expensive to a company as well, since additional production processes are required to make them readable.

Brand Standards Should Be More Than a Set of Rules.

They Should Promote the Brand Strategy and Personality. When done correctly, Brand Standards help an organization reinforce the brand with energy and guidance. Examples with rationales go much farther than direct commands. Brand Standards should also address a brand’s language and messaging in order to make all parts work together in concert towards a dynamic brand impression.

In these brand logo and identity examples created by Stealing Share®, notice how simplicity helps promote each brand’s strategy.

Stealing Share creates comprehensive visual and verbal systems. It’s one thing to create a system that works together. It’s quite another when the brand standards help create a personality and messaging system that reinforces the brand strategy.