The 6 Brand Identity Pillars

THE 6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS.

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another – Seth Godin

Your company’s brand identity is the first chance you have to make the right impression on your potential clients. Branding also plays a significant role in developing a strong culture within your organization. There are many factors to consider before your company begins developing your brand identity. Starting with a business strategy outlining the key traits of your brand identity pillars.

Once you have established a clear vision for how your brand plays its role in the overarching business strategy. The next step is to start developing the individual aspects that make up brand identity.

Your icon, tagline & brand vernacular, font selection, color palette, all establish the foundation of a strong brand identity. The last piece of the puzzle is versatility, and the different ways you’ll need to present the pillars of brand identity to your stakeholders.

After extensive research on Fortune 500 companies and practical applications developing our methods, JaxonLabs has put together this article discussing the 6 brand identity pillars.

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS: 1. BRAND STRATEGY

The first step in developing a rock-solid brand identity is to map it out on paper. Otherwise, know as a brand strategy. A great brand strategy should begin with a promise.

The Brand Promise is an authentic statement made directly to your audience that states what your brand will do, and the principles or manner with which you will achieve these goals. When encountering the brand, what can our audience truly count on?

Outlining how you want your brand to be perceived by your customers and stakeholders, will give key insights into what elements are required to support this vision.

Check out JaxonLabs’ ultimate guide to brand development, which will walk you through the basics 

http://jaxonlabs.com/ultimate-guide-brand-development/

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS; 2. ICON

Your business’s icon typically becomes the most visible aspect of your brand identity pillars.

When you see the Apple icon from a distance, it automatically becomes recognizable for what brand it represents. Simplicity, sophistication and excellent customer service are triggered upon a quick glance.

Careful, as this reputation can quickly change depending on how your business engages with its audience; United Airlines is quickly understanding this, as they have experienced some media blowback in recent months, which begins to trigger negative emotions when people encounter the logo.

When developing your icon, make sure that it is quickly distinguishable and sparks the emotional reaction at first glance, as outlined in your brand strategy.

Take a look at these 50 most iconic brand logos of all time and see how they evolved.

http://www.complex.com/style/2013/03/the-50-most-iconic-brand-logos-of-all-time/mobil

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS: 3. TAGLINE’S & BRAND VERNACULAR

Choosing your business’s core message will play a critical role in establishing a strong first impression.

For example, the Lexus brand used “Experience Amazing” in their 2017 Super Bowl commercial Which is synonymous with their drive to continue developing vehicles and customer experience that pushes the limit of user experience forward. Lexus’ target customers find value in this, as they are willing to pay a premium for a brand that delivered results while providing an exceptional customer experience.

http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/lexus-super-bowl-ad/307643/

If you were standing on a stage with the opportunity to drive home four simple messages, what would they be?

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS: 4. FONT SELECTION

Font selection is one aspect of brand identity that many smaller brands overlook. Sure they find a suitable font for their logo, but true identity takes this one step further.

Businesses need to determine what fonts they are going to use for all the content on their website, and marketing material, as well as the documents they, pass around internally.

This plays a crucial role in establishing a brand culture and is not to be taken lightly.

Take a look at this resource of brand guidelines that showcases how some of the world’s biggest brands utilize typography in their branded material.

https://www.contentharmony.com/blog/great-brand-guidelines/

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS:5. COLOR PALETTE

Color establishes a tone of emotion. It’s no wonder why creating a color palette plays a key role in developing brand identity.

Does your business understand what emotions you are evoking from your audience as a result of the colors that are displayed in your branded material?

Below is a brilliant resource for understanding how color and your brand work together.

https://www.jenreviews.com/color-meaning/

6 BRAND IDENTITY PILLARS: 6. VERSATILITY

The last thing to consider when developing your brand identity is the different applications & ways of presenting it.

Locations such as your website header, your social media profiles and business cards come to mind easily. Have you thought about how it will look when embroidered onto apparel, pens or even scaled up on a billboard?

Overly complicated logo designs can become unrecognizable when scaled down for certain applications and should be considered in your design process. another consideration should be the different ways to present your logo depending on the application and space available.

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