Brand, Brand Identity and Branding… What’s The Difference?
Previously, we’ve talked about the branding sessions that we offer here at Beamounde Originals. Now, let’s take a deep dive into exactly what branding and brand identity is. But first, I hope you remember grammar lessons of nouns, adjectives, and verbs… it will come in handy.
Let’s start off with the youngest child, Brand.
Your brand is how people see you. It is the lesson of “who, what, when, where, and why” that we all learned in grade school… the 5 golden questions that make up an identity. Brand is the noun.
- Who are we?
- What do we offer?
- When is it useful?
- Where is it used or needed most?
- Why do we offer it? (What solution do we bring)
Commercial Photography of the Art in the Age based in Philadelphia selling specialized & handcrafted goods like organic spirits & designer apparel.
Your brand is your core identity and reputation. It is what makes you special and stand out from the rest.
Remember the first thing I said about Brand… it’s how people see you and how are you received. In the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the fifth habit is to “seek first to understand, then to be understood”. What the heck does that have to do with branding you ask? A lot! Start by researching your market and how you are perceived. From there you can answer those 5 golden questions to understand your core identity.
Ok, now let’s move onto the middle child, Brand Identity.
We all know the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Brand Identity is exactly that. The overall picture. It is your logo, color scheme, fonts, and imagery. It is the elements used to say what your brand is at a glance.
Commercial Photography od the Under Armour Store, Tannersville PA
Think of Under Armour for example. Take a look at their logo design… notice anything? It is actually a U and an A combined into a single image. It is very recognizable, simple, and straight to the point. We associate this brand with performance-based activities such as sports. Words like endurance and skill might come to mind when you think of Under Armour. Their logo is typically seen in bold colors such as black, red, white or gray. These colors are usually associated with energy, strength, and power… things that Under Armour is identified with. Check out our blog about How To Use Colors For Your Branding blog.
Strong, bold, and powerful fonts are used along with dynamic imagery to add the icing on the cake. Color, font, and imagery combined are all used to convey a brand’s identity. We know what the Under Armour brand is, who it is for, and what it has to offer all within seconds. You know and recognize a brand without much of any words needing to be said. Brand Identity is the brand’s description or the adjective.
Finally, we have the oldest child, Branding.
Going back to our fifth habit, it says “then to be understood”, right? Well that’s where branding comes into play. Does public perception of your company match the message you are trying to convey? If so, great! However, if not you might want to dive deeper and consider rebranding.
You don’t want confusion between how you are perceived and the message you are trying to say and that’s Branding’s job. Branding is the action of vocalizing an image of yourself. Branding is the verb.
To sum it all up…
Brand, Brand Identity, and Branding are all necessary parts of how you or your company is viewed in the world.
Are you ready to take those steps, but don’t know where to start? We have all your branding needs covered! Here at Beaumonde Originals, we offer services such as logos, web design, advertising packages, branding photography and videography sessions, and more!
