6 steps to create brand identity

Step 1 is to thoroughly understand the brand, the business goals as well as the idea behind it. We also need to define the advantages and the unique features of the particular business whose brand identity we’re developing.

Step 2 is to conduct thorough research on the potential clients or brand audience This also includes researching and identifying competitors and pain points of the brand itself. At this stage we are going to identify our target group. Also in this stage we are going to study the strong and weak points of the competitors’ brand as well as the advantages and disadvantages of their brand identity

Step 3 is storytelling. Most successful brands tell compelling stories which highlight the  philosophies behind them and it's our job to create that story for our brands. The research in the second stage helps us develop a narrative that is unique to the brand in question. This is where the client’s input is crucial because it’s their idea after all!The most important point here is to be honest with your future audience and brand users. The story should be told uniquely and honestly through all the features and elements of the brand. At this stage, data previously gathered will provide useful input in developing the brand’s unique personality as well. 

Step 4 is designing the logo for the brand, as it's the most important element in the brand identity. At this stage also we are doing research but this time based on the visuals of the brand itself. It's worth mentioning that when designing a logo for a brand it's very important to understand and to consider the future usage of the logo. In other words, what message does your logo convey? is it a digital product or a packaging product? Do the users interact with the product or the brand in a digital world or on the billboard and on the posters mostly or even in the supermarket shelves.

Step 5 is to create a brand style: What  is a brand style? it's the characteristic of the brand, is it a bold or a friendly brand identity? At this stage we are creating a colour pallet, patterns that are going to be used in brand elements. In this stage the most important thing is to have a harmonic brand style.

Step 6: Once the logo gets approved by the client and we are moving to creating the brand visual elements, it's very important for all the elements of the brand to be cohesive and aligned with each other. That's the most important job of the designers: to keep all the brand elements aligned. Brand elements include: business cards, letterheads, envelopes, email signatures, billboards and banners, signs, booklets and flyers, vehicle and clothing design like t-shirts and also for digital products social media post designs and website promotional item design.

The final step is to prepare brand guidelines in which we include all the brand elements and all the guidelines that are needed when using the particular brand so the brand journey will be smooth and the brand identity will be intact :) We love the brands that we create and we don't like to see them messy and distorted.

And at the end we follow up with the journey of our created brand to make sure they are doing good with the brand visuals and help them if needed throughout their journey to have a cohesive brand identity.