corporate identity, branding and brand – what should you order at a branding agency?

So, you've decided to create or update your company's brand identity. You go to Google, type in "order brand identity," and thousands of results come crashing down on you: "turnkey brand," "design from market leaders," "brand identity from an experienced agency." Whoa, take it easy.

At least two questions arise:

• 1. What does my company need—branding, design, identity, brand identity, or just a logo?
• 2. How do you know if you can trust the agency? How do you know if it's not a fly-by-night company that ordered the right SEO promotion?

You can read about this in our next article.

Let's figure it out

Often we are asked to "draw a logo," assuming that this is the development of a brand identity, or to create a design, assuming that a full-fledged brand will appear as a result. Without understanding the differences, you can lose money, time, and not get what you really need.

Logo / What is it

The logo is the face of the company or product, a graphic image that sets you apart from others.

Who needs it and why

Almost everyone who wants to attract the attention of a potential consumer and stand out from the crowd of competitors.

A small grocery store located on the corner of your house, for example, does not need a logo at all because its existence is unlikely to increase attendance.

Only a logo (without a brand and brand identity), for example, is suitable for a small craft Instagram store that does not plan to create a network offline.

Brand identity / What is it

Brand identity is a visual set of elements reproduced on various media.

What it includes:

• — logo
• — font used on the website and in printed products
• — brand colors
• — design of forms, envelopes, pens, packaging, signs, and other souvenir or printed products

Who needs it and why

A holistic brand identity will not allow your company to be confused with any other. It forms the first impression of the brand, sets it apart from competitors, and increases the company's status in the eyes of consumers.

Creating only a brand identity is suitable for small and medium-sized companies or networks that exist both online and offline. It is especially important in services where the product cannot be touched—such as service or IT companies, education or consulting services.

Or it may be needed by established brands (which you can find below) that do not change their essence, but want to update themselves, show that they are modern and evolving along with their audience.

Identity / What it is

Identity is the brand identifiers, a "visual" language that helps create the necessary brand image. Its task is to make the shell reflect the essence of the brand.

If we talk globally, then the brand identity includes:

• - name, descriptor (caption to the name) and slogan
• - logo and corporate identity
• - packaging, merchandise, corporate documents and social media design
• - even unique sounds and smells
• - other elements that can be seen, touched, and interacted with.

Thanks to a well-developed identity, we not only understand what this brand is, but also certain associations arise in our heads.

Who needs it and why

Identity is especially important for large and medium-sized companies striving to become recognizable, so that the consumer can easily identify them among others. Brands that need to differentiate themselves from competitors and emotionally hook the audience, convey their values to the consumer.

Brand and branding / What it is

Brand is the image in the mind and heart of the consumer about your company or product, the essence of the brand.

Branding is the work of creating this image, a positive image, associations, emotions that arise in the minds of the audience when mentioning your company.

Regular coffee warms and energizes, while Starbucks coffee gives daily moments of pleasure. It offers its customers a unique experience. It is this that makes the drink significant for people.

The Starbucks experience is always the same: you can go to two coffee shops in different parts of the world and experience the same thing.

Branding answers the questions:

• - who are you
• - what is your mission
• - what values do you share
• - what emotional and rational advantages does the company or product provide
• - how do you communicate with the audience
• - what does the brand identity look like and how to use it correctly
• - who is your audience and what are their pains
• - convey all this magnificence to the consumer
• And other nuances that allow you to create...

Who needs it and why?

Ideally - every modern business. Mostly for large companies that want to gain additional value in the minds of their audience. People pay not only for the product, but also for the emotion it allows them to experience.

So, a logo, corporate identity, branding, and brand are not synonyms. Although they are often mistakenly put in the same category. The most fundamental and long-lasting of them is the branding process. Identity is part of branding, corporate identity is part of identity, and the logo is part of corporate identity.