What Is Branding and Why I Don’t Just Design a Logo?
One thing I have noticed is that many people are confused about what branding is and believe it is just a logo. Well, some terms get thrown around, which just adds more to the confusion. Let’s dive closer and get some clarity.
The vegan industry is rapidly growing and to create a successful vegan business you need to make sure you have an effective vegan brand. You need to be able to stand out and create a memorable experience for your ideal customers/clients.
Brand, Branding, and Brand Identity: Understanding the Distinction
Before exploring more into what branding is you should understand some fundamental aspects. Some terms that get thrown around interchangeably are brand, branding, and brand identity. There are slight differences between these, but it’s important to fully understand what branding is and what it entails.
Brand:
This is what your audience, including the world, thinks and feels about your business. It’s how they perceive you.
Branding:
The process taken to create, grow, and nurture your brand.
Brand Identity:
All the elements that are created during the branding process, such as logos, a color palette, business cards, menus, and product packaging. These elements help convey what your brand is all about.
What is Branding?: A More Detailed View.
Branding is a way of storytelling. It is an effective way to communicate a vegan business’s mission, values, and establish a connection with your ideal customer/client. Your branding needs to be recognizable in every aspect. I’m talking about your website, emails, marketing materials, menus, package design, etc.
Branding consists of a variety of things: business name, logo design, mission statement, values, brand voice, brand personality, fonts/typefaces, a color palette, brand style guide, imagery, and more.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the above:
Logo Design:
A logo acts as the face of your business and helps your ideal customer/client recognize you. An effective logo says everything without even saying a word. It reveals your identity, builds trust with your audience, distinguishes you from your competition, and helps invite customers/clients to get to know your business.
Brand Voice:
Your brand voice is the way you speak to your audience. This will help to connect to the right audience, your ideal customer/client. Nowadays, customers want to make an emotional connection with the brands that they choose to give their business to and follow. Speak to them, not at them. Finding the right voice is not as easy as it seems.
Some brand voice examples are:
Uplifting and empowering
Professional, simple, and confident
Friendly and down-to-earth
Whimsical, humorous
Brand Personality:
This is a set of human characteristics that show how your business expresses itself. A brand personality that is defined well helps to humanize a brand. Is your brand personality down-to-earth, daring, reliable, charming, sophisticated, or outdoorsy?
You want your brand personality to appear authentic, not forced.
Brand Mission and Values:
Your mission statement is an expression of your brand’s objectives, beliefs, and values. It sets the tone for your business culture and work environment.
Fonts:
Choosing the right fonts for your brand can lead your ideal customer/client to feel exactly how you want them to feel about your brand. This is another element that reinforces the tone and values of your brand.
Color Palette:
Your color palette is one of the first things people notice. Different colors evoke different emotions and meanings and as you know emotions are powerful. They can influence your audience’s decision-making.
Using the same colors throughout all areas of your business helps strengthen your vegan and sustainable brand's connection with those colors, which will strengthen the awareness of your brand. Carefully selecting the right colors for your vegan brand has a strong effect on how your brand is perceived by the world.
Brand Imagery:
This is not to be mixed up with the brand image. There is a difference between a brand image and brand imagery.
Brand image is the way people perceive your brand.
Brand imagery refers to the tangible and intangible elements customers associate with your brand. It can come from any of the five senses. Anything you can see, hear, touch, smell, or even taste can fall into this category.
Brand Style Guide:
A brand style guide is what it sounds like, a guideline for your brand. It’s a document that has all the important rules to follow to make sure you stay consistent across all platforms and mediums over time.
For instance, it can have details about your brand mission and values and tell you the proper usage and placement of your brand identity: logo, color palette, fonts, photos, and graphics. This is very helpful if you forget how to use each brand identity element correctly. You can refer to this if that happens.
It takes the guessing game away!
What is the Importance of Branding?
A cohesive brand that truly represents your values is recognizable in every aspect and speaks to your ideal customer/client. Effective branding helps businesses stand out from their competitors, connect with their ideal customers/clients, build trust, and build a loyal customer base. Customers/clients need to be able to recognize you in every aspect.
Think about what you will gain by getting the right branding for your environmentally friendly, sustainable, and vegan business and getting it right now.
You risk having missed opportunities and lost time when you don’t have a clear brand strategy. Take the time to understand who your ideal customers/clients are, their interests, emotions, challenges, and struggles in life.
Plus, having a strong and effective brand helps even potential employees connect with what you are about, feel better about working with you, and stay around longer. Employees also want to understand what they do and why they do it.
They also want to feel good about the company they work for. If you think about it employees give so much of their time and life into working for a company. Make them excited and look forward to coming to work every day.
The Reason Why I Don’t Just Design a Logo.
You may have thought or have heard someone ask, “Is a logo a brand?” Well, I’m here to tell you even though a logo is a crucial element in your brand identity, it’s not your brand.
As you read the information above, you can see how there are so many aspects that truly make a brand. A logo is only a small piece. There are so many layers that lie underneath. A brand consists of emotions, values, and experiences.
Your logo can be great, so beautiful, but it can only take you so far. You need all the pieces to create “the big picture”. Remember a logo is what you see and a brand is about experiences.
If you create just a logo you will be missing out on opportunities and the benefits of what a strong brand can do. To create an effective logo you need to have your business values and personality in mind.
Take the Next Step.
To ensure your potential customers don’t get mixed messages, make sure you have a consistent brand in all areas of your business. Also, it’s great when your brand can stand the test of time and if you need to adjust as you learn more about your target audience, then you can make adaptations to stay relevant and flexible.
Take the time now to ask yourself some key questions to make the branding process easier and more effective, so your business can grow and be successful.
Who are you as a brand?
What makes your vegan business unique?
Who is your target audience?
What are your mission and values for your brand?
What do you want people to think and feel when they come across your business?
Why were you motivated to create your business?
Now, are you ready to create a strong and memorable brand?
If you are interested in showcasing your unique story and vegan business please review my services and then book a free discovery call.
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