Branding, brand, brand identity - what’s the difference?
Have you ever been left wondering what is the difference between branding, a brand, a brand identity and brand identity guidelines? Is branding the same as brand identity? Are all of these the same thing?
You might also be wondering if branding is something that is even suited or necessary for you? Do all businesses need branding? Do new or small businesses need branding? Do you want to know what branding should look like in practice?
In this post we cover the terminology and the practical side of branding. Learn what is branding, a brand, a brand identity and brand identity guidelines. These terms are not all the same things but they are closely related so let’s make sure you never mix these up. From the practical point of view we get into why all businesses need branding no matter their size and how it’s not a one-size-fits-all exercise. Hint - this is good news for new and small businesses. Lastly, we cover the practical steps of the branding process.
TERMINOLOGY
Branding
Branding is a process that involves thorough research and strategy development to shape a clear understanding of who you are, how you want to be perceived by your clients and what you promise to your clients (your brand). It’s an umbrella term to describe all activities that form part of the process - strategy, visual brand identity and resources and guidance.
Brand
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or business. It’s not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is. ” Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap
A brand is something invisible yet palpable, intangible yet notable, immeasurable yet valuable - that's where all the confusion comes from. It also serves a very strategic and versatile goal so it becomes hard to define it as one single thing. Due to this you will likely stumble upon many different definitions that are all trying to say the same thing while expressing it a bit differently.
I won’t pretend like I can magically explain it in a few sentences while there are books on the subject covering this at length. But let me give you the short version. Essentially, a brand is an emotional connection with your clients and it shapes how you are being perceived by every single person that interacts with your business. It's how you stand out from the crowd. It's the message you communicate. People fall in love or hate brands, people trust or distrust brands, and form loyalties towards them. Your brand is the promise you make to your clients and your success depends on how well you keep that promise.
Brand identity
A brand identity, on the other hand, is tangible. It’s the unified visual elements that are typically thought of when talking about brands - think logo, fonts, colors, graphic elements etc. But it’s also all building blocks that create your visual presence including product design, packaging design, advertising, marketing etc. While strong and distinctive brand elements are essential, that's only the tip of the iceberg, the tangible outcome of all the background work that led to the development of these elements. Brand identity is documented in your brand identity guidelines with the appropriate resources and guidance to apply your branding in practice.
FREE RESOURCE
WEBSITE DESIGN & BRANDING CHECKLIST
In case you’re wondering… What are key elements of a strategic website design & branding? How to ensure your website & brand identity tick all the boxes? Does your current website & branding (still) suit your needs?
Brand identity guidelines
If branding is a process then a brand identity is the outcome of the process that is documented in the brand identity guidelines. I know I said the word ‘brand’ many times now, are you still with me? 😀
Your brand identity guidelines is a document that combines all your efforts in one place and includes strategy, brand visual elements and rules and guidance that help you bring your branding to life. You can think of it as your golden source of truth for all things branding. The goal of the brand identity guidelines is to ensure that you are equipped with all the necessary information and resources to use your brand identity in practice the way it was intended.
Firstly, your brand identity guidelines summarizes the outcomes of the branding exercise and include information around your brand strategy, target audience and your brand promise. Secondly, brand identity guidelines include guidance and information on all the visual elements of your brand identity. There are many visual elements that go into the creation of good brand identity guidelines the most obvious ones being your logo variations, color palette, typography guidance and similar but also product design, packaging, marketing etc. Thirdly, brand identity guidelines provide you with all the necessary guidance to ensure that you can apply your brand identity correctly and consistently also after the designer's work is done. You can expect to see the DOs and DON’TS of your branding and any guidance that specifically applies to you.
PRACTICAL SIDE
Branding is not a one-size-fits-all exercise
I completely understand that having an extensive brand identity guidelines document might seem too much when you're just starting out or when you’re running a small business. Moreover, it might be something that you feel like you can't afford at this moment or it might seem like something that is exclusively reserved for larger businesses. I completely get that it can all get a bit overwhelming and stressful, and that’s ok.
I want to make it very clear - branding is something that all businesses need no matter the size of the business. There are three primary functions of branding that support your business goals no matter what stage your business is in. These functions are at the heart of every successful business and getting them right is the difference between struggling to survive and thriving as a business. So in short - if you have a business, you need branding.
All businesses need branding no matter the size for building your visual presence. BUT your brand identity guidelines can be as short or as extensive as necessary for your specific business needs.
What about the level of detail of your branding process and your brand identity guidelines? This is good news for new and small businesses - branding is and should be completely dependent on your unique business needs. The level of detail and the elements that go into the creation of your brand identity guidelines are determined by what stage is your business in (new business vs an established business), what your offering is (product/service offerings will have different needs) and any other unique needs you might have.
Starting or small businesses can greatly benefit from a “mini-branding exercise” that creates the foundations of your branding while still filling the primary functions of branding that support your business goals. This sets you up for success from the start and can always be expanded upon as your business grows and changes.
The main principle to keep in mind is that your brand identity guidelines need to work for you. There's no point in inflating the process if you will not end up using the outcomes that it generates. Your brand identity guidelines can and should be altered to suit your specific business needs.
What does branding look like in practice?
So you know that you need branding and that it should suit your unique needs - but how do you do that?
Let me address the elephant in the room - ready-made tools or templates won’t cut it when it comes to branding. Branding is supposed to be unique and it is supposed to fill the three primary functions of branding that support your business goals. For this reason, a brand identity needs to be designed for you and with your unique strategic goals in mind. The only way to do that is through custom branding services that place your strategic goals at the center of attention. Notice I’m not saying how extensive your brand identity guidelines need to be, I’m simply saying you need to have brand identity guidelines that work for you.
Using ready-made website templates, ready-made brand packages or logo generators will come with built-in visual elements (color palettes, fonts, graphic elements etc.) that are clearly not unique and not specific to your business. Therefore, you can't rely on ready-made tools and templates to satisfy your branding needs.
When it comes to custom-made branding, the process consists of three steps: firstly the strategic branding process, secondly developing a visual brand identity and thirdly developing the necessary resources and guidance for applying all of this work in practice. To ensure you are not missing anything make sure to grab a copy of our Website Design & Branding Checklist, it’s free!
The first step is conducting thorough research and shaping a clear strategy by understanding who you are, how you want to be perceived by your clients and what you promise to your clients (your brand). The second step is creating a visual brand identity that allows you to show up and communicate with your audience in a consistent and memorable way. This involves the creation of all of the tangible visual elements of your brand identity. And lastly, the third step is creating your brand identity guidelines and other resources to ensure that you can apply your brand identity consistently after the designer's work is done.
I hope that this post was helpful on your branding journey and I'm so excited to see how you apply these in practice!
You might also be interested in:
Why is branding so important for your business? Discover the three primary functions of branding that support your business goals. These functions are at the heart of every successful branding project and getting them right is the difference between struggling to survive and thriving as a business.
Why website design matters more than you think - Get into the details of why website design matters and what are the benefits of having a website. But don’t just take my word for it, I also provide some helpful prompts to consider from your own perspective.
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