What's Branding and How Important It Is?

There are so many buzzwords on some creative agency websites and in design magazines:

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Brand, Branding, Brand Identity, Logo, Logotype, Visual Identity, Corporate Identity, Brand Strategy, Building a Brand, etc.

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While it's good to have a wide spectrum of terminology, it's even more important to understand what is what.

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Let's start with the fundamentals:

What's a brand? Is it the same as a logo?

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First of all, it's not what most people think it is:

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A cool name... A fancy logo... Ads on TV... Ads on Instagram... Stock market shares...

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It's neither a product name, nor the company name.

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None of the above.

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A brand is, according to brand expert Marty Neumeier, a person's gut feeling about a product, service or organization.

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Yes! It's a FEELING.

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An emotion. A perceptional entity in the customers' minds. An invisible bond (or repellent) between them and the product, service, or company.

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Keeping that in mind, let's have a look at what Jeff Bezos says about brands:

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He says that a brand is something people talk about. Something they have feelings about.

Like, you might LOVE a brand, or you just don't care. Or maybe, you HATE a brand so much that you tell yourself never to buy anything with their logo on it!

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The brand is not the logo, it's the feeling when you think of that logo.

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It's not the ad on TV, but it's the feeling you get that ad gives you.

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You get the point.

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Second: What is branding?

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More and more solopreneurs quit their 9-5 corporate jobs and dive into the Ocean of Independence.

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Regardless of their industries or products, they all have the same goal: first, to survive in the Ocean, and then to grow which means turning a profit.

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There is a practically LIMITLESS amount of competition out there in the Ocean now, especially since the pandemic. So they HAVE TO differentiate their businesses for them to be noticed and to build reputation.

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Branding is the entire process of building a foundation for that reputation. It's a shortcut for you to get connected with the right audience.

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It's a set of verbal, visual and experiential systems that is founded on coherence and consistency.

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It's your first ever step. Your Point Zero. The moment of birth (especially when you consider the fact that successful brands live for decades, or even centuries).

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What are the steps of branding?

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The branding process begins with casting your net widely in order to discover what's needed. You should DEEPLY understand what you want to achieve with your brand. What "success" will look like. What impacts it will have on the market, on audiences, and on the world.

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After clear formulating the purposes of your brand (a desire statement or "vision"), you need to analyze your values and the culture of your brand. What kind things does your brand value the most? Is it hard work? Is it creating or producing? Or being fun and playful? Or, is sincerity and honesty what you look for?

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Positioning is another buzzword when you search for branding. You need to know where your brand is NOW, or where your brand needs to be IN THE FUTURE. It's all about mapping or positioning your brand correctly in order to differentiate it from the herd.

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The next part of the branding process is deciding on how your brand needs to look and feel. What will its character be? What is its archetype? How can you communicate your audience visually?

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Logo design is your next step. Many people start with a logo, but without a clear understanding of its capacities of communication. But now, since you're acquiring these insights, you won't be one of them.

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Will your brand's logo be minimalistic or detailed? Geometric or free-flowing? Will it be all type (just a wordmark), or will it also have a symbol or icon? Does it need to appeal to women from Gen-Z or to middle-aged men, for example?

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Colors, typefaces (fonts), patterns, alternative logo sizes and forms, messaging, iconography, photography, web design, social media posts, business cards and brochures... All these choices depend on the design of your logo.

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Remember: Your brand will be the gut feeling that you generate in your customers. So, the branding process has a crucial effect on your business' future success.

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Think about the brands you LOVE.

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What do you like about them?

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Why do you have such positive feelings for them?

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What do they do right to GET you?

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Most probably, the answer is: a well-thought, well-designed branding process is behind it all.

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You only get to do it once. Do it right.

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Imagery credits:

Engin Akyurt, pexel.com

‍Ray Piedra, pexel.com