{"id":37321,"date":"2025-04-08T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=37321"},"modified":"2025-04-08T09:51:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T13:51:36","slug":"understanding-brand-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/understanding-brand-identity","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Brand Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brand identity is a frequently misunderstood concept. Much of this confusion comes from the loose and inconsistent use of brand terminology in the popular press\u2014and even in the marketing industry itself. But \u201cbrand identity\u201d not only has a very specific meaning, it is a powerful tool you can use to influence the way people think about your firm. The sooner you understand brand identity and what it can (and can\u2019t) do, the sooner you can start improving <\/span>your<\/span><\/i> identity and changing how people perceive your firm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a definition.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Brand Identity?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your brand identity is the visual\u2014and to a lesser extent, verbal\u2014expression of your brand. It comprises eight components:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Company name<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Logo<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Tagline<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Color Palette<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Typography<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Graphical Elements<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Imagery<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Voice<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When used to support a <\/span>brand strategy<\/span><\/a>, your brand identity provides important visual cues that convey positive qualities and help allay concerns people may have about your brand. These qualities can be difficult to put into words, but they can be psychologically persuasive. For instance, a clean and modern identity can communicate a firm\u2019s attention to detail and credibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    When your audience combines these cues with other information\u2014say, the messaging on your firm\u2019s website or a presentation given by one of your principals\u2014they begin to develop positive feelings about your brand. They start to trust you and associate your firm with particular things, such as specific expertise, a service offering or successful outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Each of a brand identity\u2019s components should contribute incrementally to these associations and positive feelings. When thoughtfully designed, these elements build upon each other and communicate a coherent visual message. (We\u2019ll explore each of these components a bit later in this article.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    Another critical role brand identity plays in a brand strategy is differentiation<\/a>. Professional services firms have a hard enough time separating themselves from similar competitors\u2014a distinctive identity can compel prospective buyers to notice you and perhaps take a second look.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Download the Rebranding Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    How is Brand Identity Different from a Brand?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    If brand identity is the <\/span>visual part<\/span><\/i> of your brand, your <\/span>brand<\/span><\/i> is the way people perceive and experience your firm. Think of your brand identity as an input and your brand as the output. Brand identity is not the only input, however. It works in concert with your <\/span>differentiators<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>brand positioning<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>brand personality<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>brand messaging<\/span><\/a> to influence the way the brand is perceived in the marketplace. Other influences on your brand include your customer service, online reviews, positive or negative press and how well the experience you produce matches the one you promise (your <\/span>brand promise<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Jeff Bezos may have been the first to describe a brand like this: \u201cA brand is what other people say about you when you aren\u2019t in the room.\u201d This is a useful way to think about your brand\u2014and what it will take to shape what those people say about your firm. Brand identity is one of the best tools you have to sculpt those perceptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Elements of Brand Identity<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Now, let\u2019s examine the components of brand identity. Each plays a different role, but they deliver their greatest impact when deployed together. When they are conceived as part of a system that supports a firm\u2019s brand positioning, the resulting brand identity speaks more loudly and with greater authority.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Of course, many firms develop their visual brand with little regard to strategy. They either cobble together a dog\u2019s breakfast of mismatched components over time, or they copy the firms around them, choosing the false comfort of blending into the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But you can do better. Each component of your identity is an opportunity to influence the way people perceive your firm. And if you understand how these elements can deliver a unified experience, you can build an extraordinary, persuasive brand identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Name<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Nothing is more essential to a brand than its <\/span>name<\/span><\/a>. Without a name, you can\u2019t do marketing, and without marketing you can\u2019t do business. Your name is your chief identifier and proxy for your firm. When someone thinks of your business, they express it first as your name. So it pays to choose your name carefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Naming has become a complicated process in which you navigate an archipelago of hazards\u2014including trademark conflicts, originality, pronunciation, spelling, URL availability, and semantics\u2014to arrive at a moniker that perfectly represents your firm. It\u2019s a bewildering but rewarding journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Strong names tend to be short, memorable and easy to say and spell. They look and sound different from your competitors. Usually they are abstract or evocative, rather than literal descriptions of what you do.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Weak names are often long, prone to abbreviation, confusing or generic. In the professional services, for instance, firms are fond of stringing together partners\u2019 names. What stokes their egos, however, chokes their brand. Clients, who have little patience for complexity, inevitably drop all but the initial name or, worse, collapse the whole kit and kaboodle into a sterile, impossible-to-protect acronym.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you are considering renaming your business, hire a professional or agency with the experience, tools and good taste to steer you toward a powerful, differentiated name. It will put a sharper tip on your marketing strategy and stick more readily in the minds of prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/h3>\n

    2. Logo<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Your <\/span>logo<\/span><\/a> is one of the most visible and instantly recognizable components of your brand. And because it incorporates your name, your logo can, on occasion, stand on its own (for example, on the side of your building or on a sponsor board).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    A logo has three jobs: 1) identify you; 2) differentiate you; and 3) help people remember you. That means it has to represent your firm visually, set you apart from competitors’ logos and do all this in a way that is interesting and easy to recall.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Most logos consist of two parts: a logotype (the name) and a symbol (the mark). Some logos don\u2019t have a symbol at all. And at least a couple of brands have had success using a symbol alone (hint: think <\/span>swoosh<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>partly eaten fruit<\/span><\/i><\/a>). But unless you have millions to dump into advertising, don\u2019t try that last one at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Many firms are reluctant to change their logos, even when they know they aren\u2019t great. They believe that replacing it now would erase all the brand equity they\u2019ve built over the years. But what they fail to realize is that their brand identity is much weaker without an inspiring admiral at its helm. An otherwise wonderful identity with a lousy logo is dragging an anchor: it will never get up to speed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    These firms also don\u2019t understand what a wonderful opportunity a rebrand provides. It is one of the few times you can do something and people will actually take notice! This window of caring is brief, but it\u2019s real. If you promote your new brand properly, prospects will look at you with fresh eyes\u2014and perhaps with renewed interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Tagline<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Not every firm has a <\/span>tagline<\/span><\/a>, and to be honest not every firm needs one. In fact, many firms use taglines that provide no value at all. But in many circumstances, a tagline can be a helpful tool, especially if serves one of these four functions:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Clarifying what you do<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Expressing an important brand attribute<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Articulating your positioning<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Helping people remember you<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Rarely, however, does a tagline achieve more than one of these functions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Most often, a clarifying tagline is what we call a descriptor\u2014a straightforward description of the services you provide. Accounting firms are particularly fond of descriptors (\u201cCPAs & Advisors\u201d and its variants is a common one). Descriptors can be particularly useful when a firm is trying to break into a new market where they aren\u2019t yet known.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Some firms want to call out a salient attribute of their brand, and a tagline can be an excellent place to do that. Here are two examples that take this approach:<\/span><\/p>\n