6 Components Critical to Brand Identity

Ask someone on the street to name the essential components of brand identity design and they’ll probably start ticking off two or more items from a mental list: a logo, signage, a tagline, advertisements, brochures, maybe even a corporate mark on a T-shirt. But those aren’t components. Those are devices.

What I’m talking about are the six components – the must-have qualities – that are critical to a successful brand identity design.

Here’s what I believe a successful brand identity design needs to be:

TRUE
You have to know who you are and what you believe – your values, ideals, vision – before your brand identity has any chance of communicating it to the public. And when it does communicate it, it has to be honest. You can’t create buy-in if you present one image but believe something else. Trust is one of your most valuable assets. Lose it and it can be impossible to regain.

LOGICAL
Your brand identity has to make sense. Few people can compute complicated square roots in their heads but just about everyone can add two plus two. The same is true with your brand. If it doesn’t seem logical, the questioning begins. My pet peeve is the one particular erectile dysfunction tablet that depicts two people in separate bathtubs outdoors watching the sun . . . go . . . down. Nothing about that image in relation to the product makes sense to me.

COHERENT
Is your brand identity clear? Clarity has to be a component for any brand, from large corporations to the small business on the corner. You can’t convey down-to-earth values with loud music and sexy images. A mixed message creates confusion, and confusion doesn’t draw people in; it sends them away.

MIGHTY
Strength is an admired value; weakness is just that. Ever watch the television show, Shark Tank? The key question that kills dozens of deals is, “What are your sales this year?” So many hopeful inventors turn into boneless chickens when facing that question because they don’t have what it takes – and they can’t fake strength. Your brand identity has to present confidence and courage. People may root for an underdog, but they put their money on a proven winner.

THOUGHTFUL
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who care about others and those who couldn’t care less. I think more highly of those who care about others, because that means they care about me. The same is true with the brands I support. I look for brands that are thoughtful, those that are truly interested in making my life easier or making the world better. Being thoughtful makes your brand more desirable, even necessary and vital.

TIMELESS
We live in an increasingly disposable world. People don’t repair televisions anymore. They buy a new one. But even when they do, they most likely stick with a brand they trust. One that’s been around a while. One they know. Whether you have a product or a service or an organization, don’t discard your history. Consider it equity and incorporate it into your brand identity. Base your identity in a passing fad and that’s exactly what you’ll be.

Though there are common elements to the branding process, designing a brand identity is different every time for every client. Think about a Ford and a Ferrari. In an extremely general sense both are cars. And each one has several common components like an engine, tires, gas tank, steering wheel and windshield. Like the qualities I just described, these components are essential no matter the automobile brand.

But that’s where the similarities stop – and the individual identity has to begin. Because if you ever become fortunate enough to own a Ferrari, the last thing you’ll want is to have someone on the street confuse it with a Ford.