Creating A Unique Brand Identity in 7 Steps

When David woke up, he discovered that he was now the owner of a billion-dollar company, complete with a brand that had instantly captured the public's attention. It seemed like a dream come true, and it all appeared to unfold effortlessly after he had brainstormed some ideas the previous night. But, as he soon realized, success wasn't just handed to him on a silver platter.

In reality, building a successful company takes more than just a stroke of luck. It requires careful planning, a solid strategy, and hard work. The journey to success consists of well-structured steps, which may vary depending on the products and services your brand offers.

But in general, here is how to build a unique brand identity in 7 steps.

To build a unique brand identity in 7 steps, you need to

1. Conduct market research 
2. Audit competitor 
3. Define the brand’s mission and vision
4. Establish unique value proposition and messaging statements
5. Design a brand with appropriate elements
6. Ensure customer experience reflects the brand promise
7. Keep improving products and services according to the feedback 

Before going to the brief discussion of these steps, you must be clear about the purpose of a unique brand identity. 

What is The Purpose of Unique Brand Identity Design?

A brand identity, as the expression of practically everything your organization is and does, may inspire customers and increase brand loyalty. Therefore, brand identity is essential to the success of your organization.

So, if your brand is more than just its logo, how can you make it unique like Coca-Cola? Here's why you should create distinctive features for your company's identity.

The “Face” of Your Organization

Your brand’s logo is, for all intents and purposes, the “face” of your brand. The contribution of a logo to a brand’s identity is also associative. It informs the public what it represents. 

Credibility and Reliability

The presence of a brand identity not only improves the recall of your products but also increases the market authority of your brand. A brand that creates a face and continuously maintains it throughout time gains credibility among its competitors and customer trust.

Advertising Impression

A brand identity is a blueprint for everything you would include in a business advertisement, whether it is printed, online, or a pre roll video on YouTube. A company with a face and industry credibility is well-equipped to advertise itself and leave a lasting impression on potential customers.

Acquiring New Clients and Pleasing Existing Customers

A brand identity — one with a face, trustworthiness, and a mission — attracts individuals who agree with what your brand offers. However, once these individuals become consumers, the brand identity provides them with a sense of belonging. A good product attracts consumers, whereas a good brand attracts advocates.

We can move on to the unique brand-building process now that you know what it's all about.

Follow these 7 steps to build your unique brand identity. 

Step 1: Conduct Comprehensive Market Research

Understanding your customer or audience is the crucial first step in product development. This is where the significance of conducting user research comes into play. You gain valuable insights into your customer's needs and pain points by getting into user research. With this understanding, you can create a more effective solution that caters to their requirements.

A case in point is Glossier, a brand specializing in women's beauty products. During its initial phase, the brand faced challenges in gaining traction in the market. However, a pivotal turning point came when they recognized the necessity of in-depth user research. This realization prompted them to begin an extensive journey of understanding their users.

Following their comprehensive research, Glossier undertook a rebranding effort. This strategic shift yielded remarkable results, propelling Glossier to become one of the foremost women's beauty product brands worldwide.

Step 2: Audit Competitors Strategically

One of the most important rules in any game, whether it's race or otherwise, involves analyzing your customers before jumping in. You gain insights into your competitors' strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities by doing so. This practice is equally applicable to the business realm. When you scrutinize your competitors, you identify areas for your growth and better understand the industry landscape.

Subsequently, armed with this knowledge, you're better prepared when you introduce your product to the market. This preparation enables you to formulate a strategy that outshines existing offerings. You position yourself ahead of the competition by providing better services and products.

This proactive approach creates a lasting impression of your brand in the minds of your target audience. Consequently, it significantly contributes to the establishment of your brand's identity.

Step 3: Define Clear Brand Mission And Vision

Every brand has its own personality, mission, and vision, and it’s completely up to you how you want to present your brand. You can choose to make it sophisticated, funky, charming, or luxurious. The possibilities are endless when it comes to portraying your brand's identity.

For example, the brand personality of Coca-Cola is friendly, festive, and excited, whereas the brand personality of Mountain Dew is adventurous. Their advertisement often shows athletes and risk-takers who are encouraged to drink before taking any major action. 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to decide what kind of personality you want: 

You can’t skip this step, and if you do, there will be inconsistency in your design. All the decisions you make in the future also have to align with your personality. For instance, promotional content, visual elements, campaigns, etc. 

Also, you can’t enhance visitors’ experience if you don’t know what will elevate their experience. 

For a better understanding, visit this website, “Mubasic.” I insist! You need to know two things about them: they provide high-quality children’s music, and their target audience is children. Their design is so well matched with the vision and the service they provide it made them win the award in 2022 by Awards!

Step 4: Establish A Distinctive Value Proposition And Messaging

To craft a compelling brand identity, focus on a distinct value proposition. Ensure your communication is crystal clear for users to grasp who you are and what your brand represents. When precision and clarity prevail, consumers respond positively, often referring your brand to others – an organic, unpaid promotion for your business. This is where messaging profoundly impacts your business trajectory.

Consider the Subway Sandwich as an example. Their commitment to serving fresh food is encapsulated in their message: "Eat fresh."

A precise message and proposition magnify brand loyalty and consumer retention, which are vital for business success.  Failing to establish your value proposition becomes a growth barrier.

Step 5: Designing A Brand With Relevant Elements

It’s a common misunderstanding that people think you have established the brand if you just create these elements. These are just the tools that help you reach your goal. In order to make a memorable order, you need unique content that you can make with these elements. 

The summation of the visual elements is what people can see about your brand. These are the elements that will help people remember you. Your iconic visual element can be your typography, your imagery, or your catchy slogan; who knows!  So be as creative and as original as you can! Just like Spotify.

Spotify has done a marvelous job while showcasing how unique they are with its designs.  Notice their buttons; it’s like they are from music player apps.  Also, you can swipe these cases if you want to read them.  Not all this part, the animation they used, was on point! This will draw your attention exactly where they want. 

Visit their website; you will understand what I am talking about. 

Now pen down all the visual elements you need for your website something extraordinary:

Note:  You really need to make sure you are being consistent with all the visual elements. If you are not, you may suffer from an identity crisis. 

The complete impression made on a user by a website is the result of many elements coming together. Customers’ impressions of your company strongly relate to how they feel while using your website.

You can build a solid brand identity that can be used in other parts of your company’s message if you ensure that all of these pieces are consistent and create a cohesive whole.

Step 6: Ensuring Consistent Users Experience

Building a standout brand identity begins by ensuring a seamless user experience. When your brand image is polished and consistent, it resonates better with customers. This improved user experience has the power to engage visitors longer on your website or app and is a vital driver of customer loyalty.

To achieve this, maintaining consistency in delivering an exceptional user experience is essential. Brand identity isn't just about offering a product or service; it's centered around purposefully catering to your customers. Every interaction with your product or service should leave the customer feeling enriched.

Consider the example of Netflix, a globally recognized brand. Its success is built on the foundation of a steady, effortless user experience. People can effortlessly accomplish tasks with minimal hassle.

Sadly, many startups and small businesses stumble in establishing a unique brand identity due to neglecting user experience.

Step 7: Iterative Improvement Based On Feedback

Creating a distinctive brand identity relies significantly on iterative improvement. It's impossible to hit the mark perfectly on the first try and fulfill all user needs. Instead, it involves an ongoing process to achieve your desired position.

Once your product is in the market, genuine users inevitably spot areas for enhancement and share their valuable feedback. Ignoring this input can lead to user frustration, ultimately tarnishing your brand's reputation.

To foster a unique brand, consistent iteration is essential. This approach not only addresses user concerns but also ensures alignment with trends, enabling you to keep in stride with competitors and maintain forward momentum.

In summary,

Branding looks easy until you try it. Huge corporations often spend millions of dollars to ensure that their message is conveyed accurately. Even if very few companies have access to those resources, you can examine your product, competitors, and ideal customers. 

Be methodical in your approach to whatever you decide to do, and before you publicly share what you want to say, make sure you are content with what you want to represent. This is important regardless of what you decide to do.

Remember,  branding is so much for more than just aesthetics and visual elements. When you try to convey what you stand for in a meaningful way over and over again, only then do customers start seeing you as an identity they like.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)