Brand identity is not a single entity. It's a combination of many elements: your logo, brand colors, voice, values, and more. Most importantly, a brand identity is how you communicate with the world, both verbally and visually. Building a strong brand is about building authentic relationships with people, and that relies on good communication. If you can't communicate effectively, you can't connect effectively. (In our experience, this is one of the biggest problems brands face.) However, if you can create a brand identity that accurately reflects who you are and who you are, you can build stronger relationships and attract people who want to work with you. So, how do you build this identity? Fortunately, scientific research can help. How to build a better brand image While you can't control what people think of your brand, there are subtle things you can do to create a better brand experience. Creating a stronger visual identity and using better brand messaging can positively influence how people perceive your brand – if you do it the right way. The good news is that researchers are learning more about how certain elements affect brand perception (or if they do).
Whether you're starting a brand identity from scratch or doing a rebrand, these interesting insights can give you the upper hand in things like writing a strong tagline or choosing a better font. To help you build your best brand identity, we've rounded up some of the most engaging research on how brands can present themselves more effectively. You'll find tips for everything from choosing the right brand name to testing fonts, as well as conventional wisdom to follow and myths to forget once and for all. We've also broken down everything by category, so you can easily reference (or bookmark it for later). We hope it helps. brand name There are many myths about what makes a good name. We've all heard it: it should rhyme! Should be weird! It should be less than industry mailing list While these are well-intentioned, they're not a prescription for the perfect name. In terms of naming, the most interesting insight came from a 2010 University of Alberta study that found that people responded more positively to brands with repetitive structural names, such as Coca-Cola, Kit Kat, and Jelly Belly. But it's not a hard and fast rule. When it comes to finding a memorable and catchy name, you want something that resonates with people (not just pleases them with repetition). The most effective names help you communicate about your brand by: Meaningful: It communicates the essence of your brand, evokes an image, and fosters a positive emotional connection. Unique: It is unique, memorable, and stands out from your competitors. (Simple names aren't very interesting, but combining two known words, like FaceBook or JetBlue, can make them more novel and therefore more impactful.) Accessibility:
People can easily explain, say, spell or Google. (Even if you have an unusual or strange name, it has to be understandable.) Protectable: You can trademark it, acquire a domain name, and "own" it legally and in the general sense. Future-proof: It can grow and remain relevant with the company - and works with different products and brand extensions. Visual: You can translate/communicate through the design, including icons, logos, colors, etc. slogan Your brand tagline is a short statement that communicates your brand essence, positioning, and sets you apart from your competitors. Yes, it's a tough task. But there are some helpful rules you can use to create an effective tagline. As with brand names, there are many theories about what makes a great tagline. While people often focus on what makes a memorable slogan, a 2014 study by researchers from Texas Tech University, Cal State Fullerton, and the University of Georgia found some interesting insights: What makes a slogan not only memorable but flattering. The researchers asked study participants to identify their favorite catchphrases, and then analyzed catchphrases based on 14 characteristics typically associated with strong catchphrases (e.g., rhyme, length, etc.). They found that repeated media exposure might affect recall (meaning the more people saw the tagline, the more they remembered the tagline), but exposure did not affect how they felt about the brand. If they don't like the slogan, they don't like it either - no matter how often they see it. When it comes to likability, only three traditional traits matter: clarity of message creative wording Include benefits When crafting your tagline, put these three elements front and center. As lead researcher Piyush Kumar says,
"If recall becomes an issue, you can always invest more money to increase the memory of a slogan. But once it's already made, you can't put more money in and make Something more flattering." (For a little inspiration, check out these 13 examples of brands that create great taglines.) logo design It is crucial to design a logo that properly reflects and communicates your brand identity. To do this, it is important to understand how people visually process and give meaning to images. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research sheds interesting light on this topic. During the study, the researchers conducted five experiments that tested how people understood different logo shapes by having participants watch ads with circular or angular logos. Round: Curved and without sharp angles (for example, oval or circle) Angles: straight lines and sharp corners (such as triangles or squares) how to build a brand identity The researchers found that logo shape influenced participants' perceptions of the brand, conjuring specific associations. Roundness is associated with softness —not just physical softness, but softer attributes like being more caring, warmer, and kinder. The angular shape is related to characteristics such as hardness and durability. A study by branding company Siegel+Gale revealed similar results. After asking 3,000 respondents to evaluate the logos of more than 100 top brands, the company analyzed and divided the most memorable logos into nine different categories, including organic and geometric.