Your brand is more than just your logo
A brand is much more than just a logo. Your colour palette, types of fonts, writing styles, and tone of voice all contribute to your brand.
Recognisable brands all utilise their brand identity systems. Look at your favourite brands and think about how you identify them without looking at their logo. Chances are you can identify them by just looking at photos or by thinking of what colors they use.
What goes into a brand identity?
Most well-developed brand identity systems will include at least these areas:
– A defined color palette.
– A font style that complements the personality of the brand for both heading and body text.
– Imagery styles that describe a particular photography (or illustration) style and how that style is treated.
– Different writing styles that can range from formal to friendly to playful or direct
When all of these pieces are used consistently, they provide a distinct identity for your business.
Why consistency is key
We can look at consistency as the difference between a business that feels trustworthy and put together, and one that feels a bit thrown together. If your website, social media, and printed materials look and sound different from each other, it creates a lack of trust with your customers.
Consistency doesn’t mean identical.
It means there is a clear, recognisable thread running through everything, so customers know it is you wherever they encounter your business.
What is a brand guidelines document?
A brand guidelines document is a simple reference guide that sets out exactly how your brand should be used. It typically covers your logo (and how not to use it), your colour codes, your fonts, and guidance on tone of voice.
Every business should have one, even a small business. It means that if you bring in a new designer, print supplier, or team member down the line, they have a clear reference to keep everything consistent, rather than guessing.
How a strong identity helps small businesses compete
Small businesses often cannot compete with larger competitors on marketing budget alone. A strong, consistent brand identity levels the playing field somewhat, making your business look just as professional and trustworthy, even if you are a team of one.
Do not be afraid of investing properly in this early on. It pays off in the long run through stronger recognition and customer trust, and it saves you from needing a full rebrand further down the line.
What Sunneo delivers
When we build a brand identity for a client, we deliver a complete package including your logo, colour palette, chosen fonts, and a brand guidelines document that ties it all together. This gives you everything you need to keep your business looking consistent, wherever it shows up.
Building your brand identity over time
You do not necessarily need to build your entire brand identity system in one go, particularly if budget is a consideration.
We advise starting with your logo design and core colors and adding more like a fully compiled brand style guide with voice and tone as the needs of your business grow.
The most important element is that whatever you add should be designed to feel connected to everything that has come before. It should not look like an afterthought.
The purpose of a brand is to present the essence of who you are, and this is where a good brand identity design that uniquely captures the personality and the values of the business goes beyond just aesthetics.
We take the time to put your brand identity together so that it is unique and not just another blank template that we fill in with your information.
If something feels “off” about a design concept, it is okay to vocalise that, even if you cannot explain why you feel that way, because this instinct often means that we should pursue this idea even further.
If you are interested and would like to learn more or to get a quote, please reach out to us. We want to help you bring your business to life.