Build a Good Brand Identity Within Minutes

The best Burgers aren’t from Mcdonalds

This is part two of the introduction series into personal branding.

In the last part, we dived into the articulation of our personal branding. in this part, we will create the bridge to transition our written words into the visual world.

Because in the end, we also want to take people by their imagination.

Branding works — because we branded a picture about a specific company or person into the minds of the people.

These branding rules can be taken very seriously.

A good example for this is a “Branding Guideline PDF”

— these are the rules every designer has to follow when they are working with visual assets about that specific brand.

“Brand guidelines, also known as a brand style guide, govern the composition, design, and general look-and-feel of a company's branding. Brand guidelines can dictate the content of a logo, blog, website, advertisement, and similar marketing collateral.”

— 21 Brand Style Guide Examples for Visual Inspiration

Every business must maintain a consistent brand. Branding clarifies your company's identity, activities, and profitability.

A unified brand presentation is crucial; it enables instant recognition by customers and potential clients — a key determinant in their decision to engage with your business.

And just using AI is not gonna cut it yet.

There is Rules to it

And there is a lot of things you can do wrong here.

This is a good example that is given by google. But here are also some examples I did myself, designing the logo of the berlin lifestyle brand “dasistberlinbitch”

the results of generally ignoring brand guidelines or having none at all can be critically sabotaging the brand.

Inconsistent Messaging: Without adhering to brand guidelines, your company's messaging can become disjointed, confusing customers about who you are and what you stand for.

Decreased Brand Recognition: Consistency in brand visuals and voice aids in brand recognition; without it, potential customers may fail to recognize or remember your brand.

Mixed Brand Perception: Inconsistent use of logos, colors, and fonts can lead to mixed perceptions of your brand, potentially conveying a lack of professionalism or reliability.

Lowered Trust and Credibility: Customers tend to trust brands that present themselves consistently.

So, in order to avoid this, lets start doing the right thing!

Let’s Start Branding!

The Importance of Brand Guidelines

— Brand Recognition

Adhering to consistent branding ensures your brand is easily identifiable both internally and externally.

While creating a distinctive brand identity might be a slow process, following your branding guidelines diligently sets you apart. A vague brand image can erode trust, leading customers to switch to competitors who present a more polished and attentive image.

— Employee Guidance

Brand guidelines serve as a roadmap for maintaining your company’s visual identity across the board. With these guidelines in place, employees, as well as external collaborators like designers or agencies, can apply your branding correctly without extensive briefings.

This streamlines processes, saving valuable time and ensuring brand consistency.

— Brand Value

A brand's consistency elevates its perceived value, enhancing its professionalism and reliability in the eyes of consumers.

By maintaining a clear alignment between how your brand is presented and perceived, you sidestep potential disparities that can dilute your brand's impact.

For both emerging and well-established businesses, adhering to brand guidelines is crucial for peak performance. Remember, ensuring brand consistency is a structured process that benefits greatly from clear guidelines.

Visualize Your Assets

Here we translate character-describing words into a visual style. You take one spectrum and prescribe a color to it.

Warmth↔Coolness

• Warm: Customers feel a sense of personal connection and care.
• Welcoming: Customers feel accepted and valued.
• Neutral: Customers feel a professional distance that is neither cold nor overly warm.
• Cool: Customers perceive a sense of sleek, professional detachment.
• Formal: Customers engage with a sense of respect and formality.

We already selected a brand tone for our brand, now we prescribe a temperature to it. If you now chose a warm tone, we would prefer chosing a warm color as a primary brand color.

And now we really do have a myriad of colors to chose from. We have the option to specify further.

— but maybe you also subjectively feel drawn to a specific tone. Maybe because you have worked with it in the past, and your feeling says it suits you.

You can listen to this voice.

But if you want to have further specification, let’s chose the next quality.

Excitement ↔ Serenity

• Thrilled: Customers are extremely excited and enthusiastic.
• Excited: Customers look forward to the prospects and offerings.
• Interested: Customers are mildly intrigued or curious.
• Neutral: Customers feel neither excitement nor calm.
• Content: Customers feel satisfied and at ease.
• Relaxed: Customers feel calm and stress-free.
• Peaceful: Customers feel complete tranquility and comfort.

With the second spectrum, we can give more dimensions to the discernment process.

We can be Warm and Thrilled, as well as Warm and Peaceful

We can also be Cool and Peaceful, but maybe less Cool and Thrilled?

The deeper you specify, the more you can use your feeling to chose. I can not possibly tell you what Warm and Thrilled looks like objectively,

— but if I would chose subjectibely, I would take my already chosen primäry personal Brand color of myself tarko.io

This is Warm and Thrilled;

you know where there is a similar tone and communication happening?

— yes, its Tinder.

the same warm and thrilled, reddish tone was also chosen for www.dasistberlinbitch.com

— but not as a primary color.

The other colours, like complimentary, contrast & neutral should be in harmony with eachother. In terms of dasistberlinbitch, the strong bloody red of the contrast colour is reflected in the extrem and raw lifestyle of Berlin.

Every design choice has a reason, chose with intention.

There is a way to compliment every color.

Below is a good example of a client who wanted to use every color on the spectrum.

Here it is important to state that even if you use every colour on the spectrum, it is still not possible to just combine every color with every other color.

— The contrast has to be high enough to be readable.

& the Hex codes are linked to be usable via copy & paste.

Asset Library

• Icons

This is the library of illustrations, design elements and icons that you use on a consistent bases to create visual communication

I think the text in the graphic explains it very well. In the context of a brand, you are not allowed to use just any icons. Be it an external designer, journalist publishing about google, or an internal google designer or freelancer working for google, all have to adhere to the stringence of visual appearance accross the platforms.

As you create your brand, of course it is not bad to change your icon style from time to time, but as your brand grows, it’s important to keep one style.

— Iterate, improve and recreate whenever you want — but do not change the “style” too much.

Design Elements/ Patterns:

These are specific illustrations that can be reused when designing communication graphics.

This can be a specific pattern, your logo integrated or simplified into a symbolic shape, an art piece that represents the brand in its essence, or a symbol that stand for something.

This is where the creativity flourishes.

Logo:

A logo isn't just a piece of art or a symbol; it's the face of your brand. It's the first thing people see, and often, it's what they remember.

Imagine walking into a room where everyone's face is blurred out except one. That one face becomes your anchor in the room, the point you might return to for familiarity or reference. That's what a logo does in the marketplace. It makes your brand recognizable in a sea of competitors.

Now, you might wonder why we can't cram the importance of a logo into just one section of a discussion.

Here's the thing: a logo touches on every aspect of your brand. It's not just about the design itself, but what it represents—your company's values, its mission, and its vision for the future. It's a shorthand for everything your brand stands for.

Discussing logos in a single section would be like trying to tell the story of an entire ocean by describing one wave.

That's why this topic deserves its own love letter.

We need to dive deep into why a good logo is crucial for your brand, how it influences marketing strategies, and the ways it connects with your audience.

A logo isn't just a necessity; it's a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can elevate your brand to new heights. Especially in creating trust through recognition.

So, let's give it the attention it deserves next time.

Fonts:

Fonts speak volumes.

They're carriers of your brand's personality, tone, and values. Understanding the classifications of fonts and how they influence your brand identity is crucial. Let's dive into the primary font categories and explore how each can impact your brand's perception.

Serif Fonts

Serif fonts are characterized by small lines or strokes attached to the end of larger strokes in letters. They're often seen as traditional, reliable, and respectable.

Brands looking to convey a sense of history, reliability, or authority often lean towards serif fonts. They're excellent for established companies wanting to emphasize their heritage or businesses in sectors like law, finance, and education.

Sans Serif Fonts

Sans serif, meaning "without serif," refers to fonts lacking the small lines at the end of strokes. Helvetica and Arial are prime examples. These fonts are seen as modern, clean, and accessible.

They work well for brands aiming to project simplicity, modernity, or innovation. Tech companies, startups, and fashion brands appreciate the sleek, contemporary feel sans serif fonts provide.

Script Fonts

Script fonts mimic cursive handwriting, ranging from elegant calligraphic styles to more casual, handwritten looks.

Fonts like Brush Script or Lucida Calligraphy fall into this category.

They add a personal, artistic touch and are often used by brands wanting to convey elegance, creativity, or intimacy. Perfect for boutique shops, luxury brands, or any business aiming for a personal connection with their audience.

Display Fonts

Display fonts are designed to grab attention. They're diverse, including styles from bold and impactful to quirky and whimsical.

Used in moderation, display fonts can make a strong statement and differentiate your brand in crowded markets. They suit creative industries, entertainment, or any brand wanting to stand out with a unique identity.

Choosing Your Font: Beyond Classification

Your choice of font should go beyond basic classification. Consider the traits and nuances of fonts within these categories, such as weight (light, regular, bold), width (narrow, regular, wide), and style (italic, condensed). These variations can further refine your brand's voice.

Tags and Strength: The 'feel' of a font—its emotional weight—is crucial. Is your brand's voice authoritative or friendly? Edgy or conservative? The right font can amplify this voice.

Width and Style: The practicality of your font choice matters, too. Narrow fonts can fit more text in tight spaces but might not be as readable. A bold, wide font can make a statement but could overwhelm if overused.

Matching Font with Brand Identity

Your brand's font choice should reflect its core identity. A tech startup aiming for a cutting-edge feel might choose a clean, minimal sans serif font. A luxury brand wanting to evoke timelessness and sophistication might opt for a refined serif or elegant script font.

Remember, consistency in font usage across all your brand communications solidifies your identity. Your website, marketing materials, and product packaging should all speak the same visual language. This consistency helps build recognition and trust with your audience.

In conclusion, fonts are a powerful tool in your branding arsenal. The right choice can align your visual identity with your brand values, personality, and goals, creating a cohesive and memorable brand experience.

Putting it all together

Now, its on to put all of these informations we talked about; Creating a Brand Guideline PDF to ensure consistency across all platforms.

— All the information stored in one PDF (even the one from the last loveletter);

• Your Purpose
• Your Brand Equity
• Your Narrative/Story
• Brand Character
• Colour Palette
• Asset Library: Icons, Design Elements
• Logo
• Fonts

Call to Action

As we wrap up this love letter, it's clear that the devil is in the details when it comes to branding. We've explored how every aspect, from your logo to your fonts, plays a pivotal role in how your brand is perceived. Your brand isn't just a name or a logo; it's the complete essence of who you are in the market. It's your voice, your style, and ultimately, your legacy.

And we are not even done yet.

— next episode in this trilogy, we will dive into Logo creation and marketing of your brand.

Crafting a brand that's true to your vision requires intention and consistency.

It's not about slapping together a logo or picking a font at random.

It's about deliberate choices that align with your brand's identity, values, and goals. Remember, a well-defined brand stands out in a crowded marketplace, builds trust with your audience, and paves the way for long-term success.

Now, it's your turn to take the reins.

Review your brand's current visual and verbal identity. Does it accurately reflect who you are and where you want to be? If not, it's time for a change.

Use the guidelines we've discussed to start shaping a brand that's not only recognizable but unforgettable.

If this conversation about branding has sparked new ideas or revealed gaps in your current strategy, don't let the momentum stop here.

Reach out for a consultation, or hire me for a service.

— Or just wait until I publish my Branding Product for a cohesive brand identity.

Kiss Kiss,

Tarkan