Brand Identity: How a brand is created

It all starts with a business idea. Ideally, a good one! You want to sell a product the world desperately needs or offer a service that makes people’s lives easier. You have the idea – but how do you bring it to market? The answer is brand identity.

When you start a startup, the most important thing—besides having a good business idea—is to become visible to your potential customers. After all, what good is the best product if no one knows it exists? Most people will now think: Sure, I need a logo! That’s true—but what you really need is a brand!

What is a brand?

A brand is more than just a logo or a name. A brand is the identity of your company, product, or service—your brand identity. Its purpose is to create a certain impression in the minds of consumers. Your brand should differentiate you from your competitors, creating trust, emotion, and recognition.

In the legal sense, a trademark is a (protected) mark that distinguishes goods and services. According to Section 3 of the German Trademark Act, trademarks can be words, letters, numbers, images, colors, three-dimensional shapes, or sounds.

A brand consists of various components – these can be visual elements like a logo, a color scheme, or a specific typography, but also verbal elements such as the brand name or a slogan. Many companies also use sounds as part of their brand. A brand also includes emotional and symbolic values: your brand personality (e.g., innovative, sustainable, luxurious), your brand values and messages (e.g., fairness in Fairtrade products), or the image you want to convey. Your image determines how your brand is perceived by the public.

Functions of a Brand

Your brand – or your brand – should have a clear brand design. This facilitates identification and ensures high recognition. Brands convey messages and values and enable a consistent presence across all communication channels. They create an emotional connection by building trust and facilitating identification. This is the purpose of brand identity. It defines who or what your brand actually is.

Branding: How is a brand created?

The creation of a new brand or a new brand identity is a multi-stage process. Strategic thinking, careful planning, and creativity play a key role. The key steps in developing a new brand are:

• Definition of a brand strategy: What do you want to achieve with your brand? To do this, you need to analyze your target audience. Who should the brand appeal to? What is your vision? What values and objectives does your brand pursue? How does your brand differ from the competition? And what is your brand personality? What characteristics should the brand radiate? (e.g., innovative, sustainable, luxurious)
• Developing a Brand Name: Your brand name should be simple, memorable, easy to pronounce, and aligned with the brand’s values. Of course, you should also check whether the desired name already exists—in the same or a very similar form—and whether the name can be legally protected (trademark law, domain availability).
• Designing the brand identity: This step includes creating a recognizable logo, as well as defining a consistent, individual color scheme and appropriate typography. Your brand style guide (or corporate style guide) establishes the design guidelines for a consistent appearance.
• Creating a brand message and a brand experience: Storytelling involves telling a compelling brand story that appeals to the emotions of your potential customers. It’s important to define an appropriate tone, how your brand “speaks”—e.g., formally, humorously, or inspiringly.
• Protecting your brand and legal protection: To protect your brand or your new trademark, you must register it with the relevant patent and trademark office. In Germany, this is the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) or the EUIPO for the EU. You can also protect your trademark worldwide, which makes sense if you want to establish an international presence right from the start. Equally important today is domain security, i.e., registering all relevant internet domains for your digital presence.
• Brand building and market launch: Once you’ve defined your brand identity and the individual elements of your new brand, develop your marketing strategy. Now you determine which channels you want to use to communicate—e.g., online, offline, or social media. And you define the measures for your communication—i.e., campaigns or influencer marketing.
• Brand Maintenance and Development: The market is vibrant. Everything evolves and changes. New brands, products, and ideas are emerging, and the market is in flux. This makes it necessary to continuously maintain your brand and adapt it to changing circumstances. High brand consistency, i.e., a consistent presence across all channels, is crucial. Equally important is gathering feedback and adapting your brand accordingly. To do this, you need to evaluate your target audience’s reactions and further develop your brand. Measuring success using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) helps you continuously monitor the success of your brand.

Conclusion:

A good brand includes:

• Brand Story
• Brand Strategy
• Brand Vision
• Brand Values
• Target Audience
• Positioning
• Brand Name
• Brand Personality
• Tone of Communication

Visual identity includes:

• Logo Design
• Color Palette
• Typography / Font Design
• Iconography and Imagery
• Patterns and Shapes

Brand visualization includes:

• Imagery / Photographic Style
• Illustrations
• Videos
• Social Media Templates

Business equipment includes:

• Business cards
• Stationery and letterhead
• Packaging design
• Marketing materials (e.g., flyers and brochures)

Digital presence includes:

• Web design
• Social media branding
• Email templates

The brand guidelines include:

• Logo Usage Rules
• Typography Usage Rules
• Color Usage Rules
• Image and Photo Usage Rules
• Definition of Rules and Prohibitions

Branding for your company

Would you like to have professional branding created for your brand or company? Or revise your existing branding to appeal to new target groups? Get a free, no-obligation consultation and turn your brand into a love brand!

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