What is a brand?
6 Aug 2024
Written by
Madeleine Baud
Copywriter / Brand Strategist
In the world of marketing and design, the term "brand" gets thrown around a lot, often without a clear understanding of what goes into one.
A strong identity is crucial to the success of any business, so those misunderstandings can end up being quite costly.
As your local Melbourne branding agency, we’re here to shed some light on the topic and answer some common questions about what makes a brand truly effective.
What's included in a brand, according to Liquorice?
If you work with us to develop your brand, you can expect a holistic approach that goes beyond the logo. Let’s break it down.
1. Brand strategy
This framework articulates your brand’s business objectives, its place in the marketplace, and what sets it apart from competitors. This typically includes your vision, mission and values and your brand’s personality. It also sometimes includes a brand narrative, value proposition, unique selling proposition and positioning statement.
2. Verbal identity
This defines your brand voice, and gives you the tools to craft engaging and consistent communications in verbal and written contexts. This usually includes your tone of voice and key messages.
3. Visual identity
Yep, you guessed it – THE LOGO (or brandmark, as we call it). The visual identity is how you express your brand using brandmarks, a colour palette, typography, illustrations, photography, icons, patterns, motifs and/or other graphic devices.
Glossary of terms: elements of a brand
Vision
Your ultimate long-term goal.
Mission
Your shorter term objectives, the steps you take to realise your vision.
Values
The beliefs that underpin your objectives and vision.
Value Proposition
Broad statement about your overall value to your audience. It answers the question, "Why should the audience buy this product/engage this service?"
Unique selling proposition
A statement that describes how your brand is uniquely better than your competitors. It answers the question, "What makes this product different?"
Positioning Statement
Strategic statement about how you want your brand to be perceived in the market relative to competitors. It answers the question, "Where does this product fit in the market?"
Brand narrative
A short story that paints a picture of your brand’s history, where you are and where you’re going.
Personality
The intangible qualities that influence your visual and verbal identity. Just like people, brands need to express a personality to carve out their place in the world. Is your brand rebellious? Sophisticated? Funny?
Tone of voice
A tone of voice defines your brand’s approach to communicating with its audiences, in verbal and written channels.
Key messages
These are the main points or ideas that you want your audience to take away every time they interact with your brand.
Brandmark
The primary distinctive symbol or design element that represents your brand.
Colour palette
A selection of colours that are used to represent your brand, consistently conveying its personality through visual communications.
Typography
A brand’s typographic style is defined by the fonts, sizes, spacing and other treatments used to build your overall look and personality.
Illustrations
In branding, Illustrations are used to visually convey messages, add personality and enhance the brand's aesthetic. Choosing the right illustration style can add a significant edge to your brand.
Photography
Like illustrations, a suite of photography is used to help communicate messages and brand personality, and the photographic style can make a huge impact on the direction of your brand.
Icons
Simplified graphical representations that convey specific meanings or functions.
Patterns
Repetitive designs or motifs that add visual interest and consistency to brand materials.
Graphic device
A specific graphic element or motif that is consistently used in branded materials.
Why create a holistic brand?
Creating a holistic brand, as opposed to focusing solely on individual design pieces, is crucial for establishing a consistent and memorable brand presence.
As a trusted branding agency Melbourne businesses rely on, we understand that cohesive branding helps you develop recognition, engagement, and trust over time. By aligning your values, mission, and target audience across all brand elements, you can foster a deeper connection with your audience and stand out in today’s competitive market.
How does Liquorice approach branding?
Our own approach to branding is rooted in human-centred design methodologies, in curiosity, collaboration and, of course, creativity.
We work closely with our clients to find clarity through research, shape the strategic direction and finally create a brand that effectively captures the essence of their brand.
By leveraging a combination of visual elements, storytelling techniques, and strategic design choices, we craft transformational brands that resonate with audiences and stand out in the market.
By understanding and incorporating these elements into your brand strategy, you can create a compelling brand identity that resonates with your audience and sets you apart in the competitive landscape.
Stock imagery via Unsplash thanks to:
- Museums Victoria
- Library of Congress
- Seb Cumberbirch
- Nagy Arnold
- JK Sloan
- Janko Ferlic
- Eduardo Soares
- Clem Onojeghuo
- Beto Galetto
- Balazs Ketyi
