Category Archives: Branding

Branding & Brand Identities – the two faces of the same coin

Branding & Brand Identities

Your identity makes you unique; in the same way, brand identity is the special sauce that can make your business stand out – in other words, it becomes your USP. On many occasions, branding and brand identity is considered different from each other. But in reality, that is far from the truth; they are just the two faces of the same coin. To start a new business, you need to grow your branding and build a consistent brand identity. Just the design of your logo is not enough to create a good image for people to perceive. Entrepreneurs are visiting crowd-sourcing sites for designs. Everyone is on the hunt for a good design – if your design is not visually appealing then you might as well shut down your business.

If you are on a mission of building a great brand, instead of just a brand, you need to understand the thin line between branding and brand identity. Learn about each one of them to understand how the whole thing works. If you want to see your startup grow, you should know the exact purpose of each one.

What is branding?

Branding is a set of assets that creates goodwill for the company – your image depends on the quality of your branding, and so is your marketing. It is the definition of an emotional as well as a psychological relationship   between your client and your business. It is an experience. It consists of goals, values, visions, and the company’s voice. Rather, it’s your client’s experience with your brand. It is a way of sharing your brand with the audience. The services, products, logo, and business cards of your company can create a good impression. They will remember these things when they think about your brand later. This psychological relationship between your company and the client, to simply put it, is known as branding.

Branding is also the personality and style of your business. Your customers will see and feel your style while using your products. This will give shape to your business, and it will make you different from your competitors. There is no denying that your Logo and other visual elements play an important role in this. Big companies are outsourcing logo designs even more because of the constantly increasing demand for innovative designs.

A great branding strategy will portray your values and your brand in the right light to your target audience. Once people are falling in love with your brand, they will start trusting you. They will believe in your superiority. When people believe in your brand, they will keep buying your products, even if they aren’t the best in the   market.

What is a brand identity?

Your brand identity is what you can see about your company, much like your social media profile. Some call them visual identity because customers mostly see pictures. These pictures include color palettes, fonts, logos, and other graphical elements. The branding goes hand in hand with the brand identity, and sometimes, it is hard to distinguish between the two.

It will be easier to explain this with the help of an example. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc projects an image of an exclusive and elegant brand. They are a perfect example of a brand identity pack. Their style is unique, and they have a simple website for all their movies. They use their iconic logo along with colors such as black, white, and other neutral colors. They also feature famous people in their ads. They have the perfect combination of brand, branding, brand identity, and brand design. All of these help in creating a special experience for their users. And that is their main objective behind the branding and brand identity.

How does branding and brand identity works?

If you want to understand how this works, you have to go a bit deeper. For a moment, let’s assume that you are a middle school student. And like any other awkward per-adolescent, you also want to be perceived as cool. So, you don’t build that image in a day – it takes time, and not to mention efforts. A lot of it, actually.

You need to make sure that you’re watching the right YouTube channels to stay updated on the latest memes. You will start working on your free throw. You will also start cultivating an impression of your science and art teacher. These actions will work actively in developing your desired image. In simpler words, they are your branding. As a brand, you have to be updated with the latest trends and know what works for your brand, and well, what doesn’t.

And finally, you will also have to be original and unique, to stand out – how else do you plan to beat competition? You immediately start saving up money to buy new shoes. You end up getting a new haircut for the same. You also try for that coveted gym membership. These tangible elements- the shoes, the haircut, and the gym membership- they’re your brand identity. It will make you ‘cool’. Your brand is just like you trying to be cool in their per-adolescent years – give it some time and effort, and see how it make waves!

Differences

Branding is not tangible; it is something that people see and have in their minds when they think of your business. It is an experience; in this way, people associate with your brand – it’s very much psychological.

But your brand identity is tangible. It is more like the brand’s face, the visual representation of the business. Everyone can see this. This promotes the recognition of your brand, making it different from the rest. People are crowd-sourcing graphic design from different websites to improve their visual identity. All the visual aspects of the brand can be seen as a brand identity.

How can branding and brand identity work together?

You create the foundation of branding while defining your missions, values, objectives, and target audience. And the brand identity is the visible face of your brand. That’s why you have to make sure that your brand represents everything in a very distinctive and professional way.

Brand identity is the set of characteristics that will define the values and missions of your business. The product, company logos, and ethics of your business are a part of your brand. Some logo design bidding sites have emerged as businesses to fulfill the visual demands of other brands. The main objective of these visual and physical elements is to create a positive impression on your prospective clients.

Conclusion

We hope that we have clarified how branding and brand identity is different yet similar at the same time. They are just like the two faces of the same coin. Before designing your brand identity, you should take some time to think about how you want to incorporate that into your brand. Once you have a strong foundation, you can create a good branding and brand identity.

Here in Dream Logo Design, we help our clients in developing a good branding and brand identity. We design their logos, business cards, brochures, etc., to enhance their visual identity, thereby creating a positive impression on their target audience and prospective clients.

6 Branding Tips to Help Create A Rock-Solid Brand

Branding tips

Let’s get real! 2020 is the age of tremendous digitization, and it is only your online presence that makes a helluva difference in the minds of your onlookers. The whole idea revolves around how secure is your brand, and what steps are you taking to build your brand shine out.

Sadly, not many of us aware of the small Personal Branding Tips that go out to make a lot of difference when it comes to creating that massive impact in the minds of your audience. While everyone wants to go out there and make it big, not many know the tips and tricks of survival and standing out right there.

What is your version of you to the world?

It won’t be wrong to accept that all of us have probably Googled ourselves sometime or the other to see what does it exactly look like? Have you too done that? What did you find? Well, if not Google, look around and see what do your social media posts, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram speak about you?

Do you have a website for your business? Do you share the moments of your life with the world? Are you sharing unique stories and moments with the world, or are you acting like some World Leader of your industry?

The Biggest Question: What mark are you making for yourself in the industry?

Online presence makes a significant impact in creating a buzz for you in the industry. It is not every day that you get to develop impactful impressions in the minds of your potential employers, employees, clients, and associates.

A strong personal brand goes a long way in improving career prospects for everyone, despite the size of your business. And, this is, by far, the first of the many branding tips for a small business which experts suggest.

You can be a strong brand

The most significant notion that we have while speaking about brands is that maybe only Apple Inc. Or McDonald’s is a brand, and the rest are not. However, every entity running across the different industries is a brand, and can equally make its presence felt if they follow the right personal branding strategies tips and examples.

Branding is a vast concept. If you look at it in the right direction, you will understand that just like any other business branding, personal branding also plays a significant role in making a substantial impact on your personal growth. It is, actually, quite easy to get there for you if you follow the right tips on branding your business.

Watch Out for the Trends

When we talk about the different branding strategies and trends, what we mostly forget is that there is no shortcut to success. However, it is the right combination of the different calculated steps and techniques that go a long way in building that strong impact and brand value. So, as market experts, we bring to you some of the proven methods to watch out for a while you look ahead to create a rock-solid brand for your business.

  • Personalization Of Your Brand

It will not be incorrect to state that more than the products, people relate to the faces representing the same. The whole idea of Logo and branding is based on this concept of personalization. To build authentic relationships with your clients, you need first to create a sense of trust and personal touch. So, if your clients can relate to your brand alongside having a personalized bit, they will be interested in your products and services. Always remember, you need to focus on building strong relationships with your customers rather than trying to sell your offerings for the first, and maybe, the last time.

Creating a strong brand personality is something that you need to focus on. Make sure that you have a unique voice that represents the core of your values. This will allow all your clients and associates to make a secure connection through human interaction of the sorts.

Today, businesses have already automated their process to incorporate chatbots. However, this chatbot automation cannot be predominant in the industry. Some amount of human interaction is exceptionally essential.

  • Using immersive technology such as chatbots

Chatbots are the modes of technology that are redefining the ways businesses work and interact with the customers. Even though it will be wrong to say that this trend is entirely new for the world, however, the fact that it is one of the most pivotal tools of marketing cannot be denied altogether.

Just like the use of various physical corporate stationery items that enhance the visibility of your brand, these immersive technological aspects also make sure that your brand and trademark get a massive recognition on the digital platform. Conversational marketing is the talk of the time. You need to know its use well.

  • The Strategies of Other Online Communities

Pay close attention to what other online communities are following in terms of creating the best-in-class strategies of your own. These forums are incredibly crucial in paving ways for you to make a mark for your brand across different communities. Here, as the consumers from different sectors involved in discussions of various brands, a well-designed logo of your brand will certainly get noticed. This strategy will not only fuel your branding strategies but also ensure that you emerge on top of your game.

Irrespective of what discussion you involve in, always make sure that you do not go over-board with your considerations in these communities. Your customers should feel valued at every stage and should not feel intimidated by your ideas. This way, they will quickly get inclined and connected to your brand.

  • Enhancing Brand Loyalty Through Customer Engagement

Make it a point to keep your customers on loop every second. Fantastic customer care services go a long way. This is by far the best strategy that anyone can adopt. Irrespective of the time the customer calls you for a particular help, make it a point to reach out to their assistance immediately.

When your customers get the required assistance from you at their time of need, they will surely show signs of loyalty. Exceptional customer experience goes a longer way than giving gifts and perks from time to time. That has to be something that you differentiate you from your fellow rivals, and 2020 is undoubtedly going to be the year that will change the entire ball-game of businesses with this strategy.

  • Having a Social Conscience

One aspect that you need to keep in mind is that the market is extraordinarily temporal and volatile. As fast as strategies are formulated and come into existence, they also get abandoned in no time at all. However, one aspect that remains significantly constant is your social conscience.

A lot has already been spoken to about the corporate social responsibilities of companies. Consumers also play a pivotal part in fueling these emotions as they rightfully believe in connecting with organizations that have the same values as the ones they follow. They want to get involved with the companies that care about the ongoing inclusions, opportunities, diversities, intentions, and environment.

These brands always demonstrate how much they value people as profits to enhance their loyalty and trust factors. If you follow this strategy of the multinational brand, you will not only solve the most significant issues of the society but also connect with the maximum number of potential customers.

  • Enhance Your Mobile User Interaction

Mobile user interaction is in trend for quite some time now. If you do not embrace this technology, you will fall behind in competition in no time at all. It is a high possibility that even this article is being read on mobile devices by the readers. So, if your website is not mobile-friendly, or can synchronize well will a cellular phone, there are high chances that you will lose out in the competition.

As the future would most likely depend on email marketing for targeting the prospective client base, it becomes extremely crucial for you to create content that can easily fit into the smaller size of a mobile phone. Try to curate quality content, rather than bombarding your audience with quantity. This way, you will be able to hold on to a more substantial customer base without much difficulty.

The Parting Note

Today, branding and Rebranding is a different ball-game altogether. It requires a complete overhaul of the strategies which are no longer similar to the traditional methods. So, whenever you curate an approach that is more appealing and engaging to your consumers in the modern-day scenario, they will surely find interest in connecting with you at different levels.

It would be best if you learned most about these branding trends to make sure that you are hitting the right chord. It is only then that you will be able to get the much-required boost to your brand marketing strategies and give you the much-required recognition in no time at all.