The Difference Between Branding and Visual Identity
Let me be upfront with you – when I kicked off my journey as a graphic designer, the distinction between branding and visual identity was pretty fuzzy.
Since the late 80s, when the term "brand" first made its debut, its meaning has taken a wild ride. Nowadays, its elusive concept has stirred up a bit of chaos in the design realm, making it a challenge to neatly categorize services.
Fast forward to today, and those old labels? Out the window. Designers are crafting bespoke packages to cater to people's desires. Sounds great, right? Well, yes and no. It's made shopping around for design services a real head-scratcher. I'm all about clients being in the know, so let's dig into one of the trickiest terms – branding. We'll see how it sets itself apart from what most folks commonly know as Visual Identity.
The definition that resonates with me the most comes from Marty Neumeier, an authority on all things brand. He defines it as:
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization.”
In simpler terms, the concept of a brand is shaped in your audience's mind, varying from person to person based on their unique experiences with your product, service, or organization.
What is “Branding,” then?
(MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK)
Branding is our attempt to steer those perceptions. It's not just about a logo, colors, or fonts – it goes way beyond that. With this definition, we can encompass product, service, customer experience, copywriting, design, photography, positioning, internal culture, sales, and any touchpoint that molds the perception of your brand in your client’s minds.
Yes, we're constantly branding. It's not a one-and-done process but an ongoing effort to construct a reputation that, hopefully, evolves into loyalty.
Now, what often gets mixed up with Branding is what we designers refer to as…
Visual Identity
(OR BRAND IDENTITY)
Visual identity is the stylistic representation of your brand. This category includes logos, brand marks, illustrations, primary and secondary color palettes, font hierarchy – all elements working in harmony to give the message a visual form that aligns with the core of your brand.
Your visual identity is a part of your branding, but they're not interchangeable. It's just a small piece of the puzzle.
So, what do I need?
If you are starting, I would always recommend brand strategy before visual identity. Brand strategy is the best way to kickstart the conception of a brand. It's where you and your strategist discuss the soul of your business, what you want to do, how, and why. It's where the personality of your brand starts to take shape with core beliefs, and you make decisions on how you want to position your organization in the market and the basis of your brand culture.
Once that is established, then visuals become the next step. A trained designer knows how to take a strategy and pick the best visual routes to communicate what your brand is all about in visual form.
I hope this helps clarify the mayhem of labels the design industry has and gives you a better idea of what you need.
As always, if you have any questions, reach out!
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IF YOU FOUND SOMETHING HELPFUL IN THIS JOURNAL ENTRY—
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW!
Send me a message in the DMs or contact me to inquire about working together. I can’t wait to keep the conversation going.
