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When you think about your business, do you think about how you want your customers or potential customers to see you? What kind of authority are you trying to build in your industry, and how are you accomplishing this? Your company’s brand identity is what will set you apart from your competitors, and it’s how your customers recognize your work, product, or services.
If you’re looking for a new element to add to your brand identity or are in the process of building your identity, let the team at Davant Indy equip you with all you need, including any printed materials.
Brand Identity Defined
When we break it down, brand identity refers to collecting assets and elements that a company creates to portray a particular image to the public. Brand identity is what people recognize or remember about your business. When you think about this, consider some of the biggest names in the world. McDonald’s, for example, is easily recognized by those golden arches and friendly clown. Nike is identifiable to the world with just the swoosh mark. Apple can’t be confused with any other phones or laptops on the market thanks to the simple logo design. These are all the things that create brand identity. Additionally, the tone used in marketing material, words selected, and price points all play a role in your brand’s identity.
How to Build a Brand Identity
Before you can develop any tangible elements that will represent your business, you must first understand who you are as a company, your goals, and the types of elements you want to employ for your brand. Your entire brand includes crucial elements such as:
- Your company’s mission
- Your company’s values and beliefs
- Your brand personality
- Your unique selling points
- Your brand’s voice
Before you can begin to develop an identity, you must first have these answered. You can accomplish this through a series of brainstorming sessions with your marketing team.
Essential Brand Identity Elements
Typography
When pairing fonts for both your logo and your printed materials, getting the right pairing is crucial. There are four major types of typography:
- Serif Fonts: This type of font tends to be seen as trustworthy, traditional, and a little old school. You see it mostly used as Times New Roman or Garamond.
- Sans Serif Fonts: These fonts have smooth edges and lack an anchor or “feet.” These feel sleek and modern and are best represented in Helvetica or Franklin Gothic fonts.
- Script: This type of font includes everything from fancy cursive (Allura) to less intense handwriting styles (Yellowtail).
- Display Fonts: This family of fonts usually involves a specialized element such as outlining or shadows in the letters. This is a great font choice for logos if you want your brand to make a statement.
Color Palette
The colors you choose for your brand have a significant impact on how people respond to your business. Some people have emotional ties to specific colors. Being strategic with your brand identity colors is essential, especially if you have a very specific tone and attitude you want people to remember about your brand. For example, you might use red if you’re going to inspire passion or excitement. You could use orange to indicate high-energy and friendliness. Yellow is excellent for spreading happiness, and green can make people associate your brand with either money or nature. So, take some time to develop your color palette so that it reflects your brand identity.
Product Packaging
If you’re in the retail or commerce industry, then you know how essential it is to get the packaging right for your products. This includes everything from the printed image to the extra swag you include in each package. The way you stand out on the shelves is to package your products in a way that differentiates you from the rest of the competition. If you’re strictly e-commerce, the materials you use to ship things or mail materials can also significantly impact your brand’s identity.
Business Cards
A well-designed business card is the easiest and most effective way to make a first impression, especially if you’re still in the business development stages. A well-designed card that displays your entire brand identity is a great way to reinforce the positive image of your business that you want people to have. By handing out well-crafted business cards, you’re also ensuring that you stay top of mind when people need your services or products. This brand element is perhaps one of the first you’ll want to arm your teams with.
Let’s Develop Your Brand
So, you’ve done all the hard work of developing your brand identity – now what? You need a reliable printing company to turn your files into printed materials you can use to start marketing your company. Here at Davant Indy, we specialize in printed signage, mailers, flyers, and promotional products: anything you need to develop your brand’s identity. You can either upload your files online or give us a call at (317) 849-6565.
