November 2023
Regardless of the nature of your business, without a strong and purposeful brand identity, things are going to get pretty messy, pretty quick.
From underbaked to completely unusable visual branding, we’ve seen and fixed many brand identity disasters.
In this article, we explore what brand identity is, what brand blunders we’ve encountered and how they might occur, and we give an overview of what a good brand identity should look like.
A brand identity is more than a logo. A brand identity is a complete system that encapsulates all aspects of your brand and the way it presents itself to the market.
A brand identity includes the logo, the visual language, brand guidelines, and the brand’s strategic intent and delivery, including the tone of voice, which is expressed through written, motion, and visual methods.
At BrandOps, we have encountered an alarming amount of brand identities that simply miss the mark. There have been many reasons for this.
Let’s explore how brand identity failures show up and how we might avoid them.
Ignorance is bliss
Failing to educate yourself on what to expect when procuring branding services can leave you exposed. We would advise caution if you are paying for a brand identity that doesn’t include the full breadth of brand expectations (explained below).
Not seeing the value in paying for design or strategy work
These are often the customers who need to redo their brand identity. Enough said.
Skimping on costs
You will definitely get what you pay for. And there are consequences for your brand with this approach.
Engaging inexperienced brand designers
Engaging the wrong type of designer often results in brand identity failures that inevitably require the work to be redone.
Logo, fonts, colours – that’s all I need, right?
WRONG. Read the section below.
A complete brand identity should include:
Brand strategy
Brand strategy should include the following:
Logos
Visual language
Brand guidelines
Brand guidelines are not a one- or two-page PDF; rather, they should be 10 to 50+ pages in length and capture all the rules and expectations of your visual brand.
Brand guidelines should include:
Brand identity creation is a process that takes time, care, and intent.
Having resuscitated many brand disasters in the past, we have seen firsthand what going down the wrong brand creation path has cost businesses.
Aside from taking a financial hit, you get one shot at launching a new brand to the market. And the damage that can occur when launching a sub-par brand, only to have to correct course within months, sends unfortunate messages to your clients and competitors.
Do your research.
Know what to expect.
And choose a reputable design firm with experience in brand identity.
Only then will you be steering your brand in the right direction.
November 2023
Regardless of the nature of your business, without a strong and purposeful brand identity, things are going to get pretty messy, pretty quick.
From underbaked to completely unusable visual branding, we’ve seen and fixed many brand identity disasters.
In this article, we explore what brand identity is, what brand blunders we’ve encountered and how they might occur, and we give an overview of what a good brand identity should look like.
A brand identity is more than a logo. A brand identity is a complete system that encapsulates all aspects of your brand and the way it presents itself to the market.
A brand identity includes the logo, the visual language, brand guidelines, and the brand’s strategic intent and delivery, including the tone of voice, which is expressed through written, motion, and visual methods.
At BrandOps, we have encountered an alarming amount of brand identities that simply miss the mark. There have been many reasons for this.
Let’s explore how brand identity failures show up and how we might avoid them.
Ignorance is bliss
Failing to educate yourself on what to expect when procuring branding services can leave you exposed. We would advise caution if you are paying for a brand identity that doesn’t include the full breadth of brand expectations (explained below).
Not seeing the value in paying for design or strategy work
These are often the customers who need to redo their brand identity. Enough said.
Skimping on costs
You will definitely get what you pay for. And there are consequences for your brand with this approach.
Engaging inexperienced brand designers
Engaging the wrong type of designer often results in brand identity failures that inevitably require the work to be redone.
Logo, fonts, colours – that’s all I need, right?
WRONG. Read the section below.
A complete brand identity should include:
Brand strategy
Brand strategy should include the following:
Logos
Visual language
Brand guidelines
Brand guidelines are not a one- or two-page PDF; rather, they should be 10 to 50+ pages in length and capture all the rules and expectations of your visual brand.
Brand guidelines should include:
Brand identity creation is a process that takes time, care, and intent.
Having resuscitated many brand disasters in the past, we have seen firsthand what going down the wrong brand creation path has cost businesses.
Aside from taking a financial hit, you get one shot at launching a new brand to the market. And the damage that can occur when launching a sub-par brand, only to have to correct course within months, sends unfortunate messages to your clients and competitors.
Do your research.
Know what to expect.
And choose a reputable design firm with experience in brand identity.
Only then will you be steering your brand in the right direction.