What is brand identity?

Just like your personal identity makes you uniquely you, your brand identity is the special sauce for your business that sets you apart from every other Tom, James and Harry, Inc. on the block. And your brand identity design? It’s what shapes your company.

Just like your personal identity makes you uniquely you, your brand identity is the special sauce for your business that sets you apart from every other Tom, James and Harry, Inc. on the block. And your brand identity design? It’s what shapes your company.

But what exactly is brand identity? What does it have to do with design? And how do you shape a strong brand identity that takes your business to the next level?

To dive deeper into what is brand identity—read on!

We’ll kick things off with a definition. What does the term brand identity mean?

Brand identity

is the collection of all elements that a company creates to portray the right image to its consumer. Brand identity is different from “brand image” and “branding,” even though these terms are sometimes treated as interchangeable.

The term branding refers to the marketing practice of actively shaping a distinctive brand. Brand is the perception of the company in the eyes of the world.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

Let’s say you are a middle school student. As an awkward pre-adolescent, you want to be perceived as cool and get invited to sit at the best table in the cafeteria. But you can’t just force other people to have that image of you. In order to develop this brand, you need to do some work.

So you make sure you watch the right YouTube channels so you always know the latest meme. Maybe you start working on your free throw. And cultivating on an impression of Mr. Archibald, your science teacher. These actions are the work you’re putting towards develop your desired image; they’re your branding.

Finally, you need to make sure you look the part. You save up your money to buy the new Adidas shoes everyone covets. You get a new haircut. You try out for (and join) the basketball team.

Those tangible elements—the shoes, the haircut, the team membership—that’s brand identity.

Your brand identity is what makes you instantly recognizable to your customers. Your audience will associate your brand identity with your product or service, and that identity is what forges the connection between you and your customers, builds customer loyalty, and determines how your customers will perceive your brand.