Your brand vs identity, what is the difference? And, How does each help you boost your business?
Oftentimes, people confuse the brand concept with brand identity. In fact, there are distinct differences between the two concepts, which we will discuss in this article.
What is brand?
Before we talk about brand versus identity, we first need to get to know both in simple terms. A brand is a name, logo, term, design, or any other feature that distinguishes a good or service from another.
A brand expresses the name and logo of the commercial organization. It is also considered the property of the company that is legally registered in the name of its owners in its state.
What is identity?
Identity or brand identity is all the tangible elements that make up your brand appearance. It’s everything used to define and promote your brand. It’s logo design, colors, typography, and even the things you talk about and how you talk about it. The strong brand leaves nothing to chance.
Identity is everything you do to make a good customer impression, it is what your customers say about you in your absence. Even simple things you can do like packaging products and choosing the right colors can influence your customers’ impression of your brand.
Brand vs identity: what’s the difference?
1. Logos, colors, typefaces, visuals create an identity, but values, visions, and voice create a brand
As I said before, brand identity is the sensory element used to define your brand. It is everything that appears to your audience about your brands, such as the logo and the distinctive colors of your products or services.
As for the brand, it is the meaning that reaches your audience about your brands, such as the values that you seek to spread your current and future vision for your business and everything that is going on around you and pertaining to your labor market. And also your brand voice, which is related to the messages you send to your audience, the way in which your brand expresses itself, and also the carefully chosen words to communicate your message to your audience as you want.
2. Identity is a look that identifies you, but the brand is an idea you identify with
Identity is the process that you follow to shape the appearance of your brand in the eyes of your customers, to change their perception of it, or to try to influence how they feel about it.
While the brand is the ideas and plans that you use in identity to reach the goal you want. “Building brands is not about products but about reputation,” says Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Aviation.
3. Identity consists of a logo, mark, or slogan, but the brand expresses what you believe, how you behave, what you build
The logo, slogan, designs, standard typographic treatments, images, and corporate typefaces are all under the identity. And they’re sensual things that make up the audience’s perception of your brand. While the brand is the feeling of your company, its attitudes, its way of thinking, and all the values and beliefs it believes in and adopts.
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not there,” says Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
4. Identity is a symbol that sets you apart, but the brand is an action you are known for
“A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that take into account a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another,” says Soot Gooden.
Take Apple as an example: it is a strong corporate company known for community participation, volunteering, and support for good causes. They are clear values in everything the company does, from advertising to its products and customer service. She bonds with her audience emotionally which is her characteristic (this is its brand).
As for the identity, it is the symbols and visual objects that indicate the “Apple” company, such as its logo and brochures, the things in which its products are packed and wrapped with it, applications, messages, and all methods of communication with its customers.
5. Identity is a phrase that embodies you, but the brand is a culture you embody
The brand is the emotional relationship between you and the consumer, it is the culture that you believe and promote. It is an emotional way of communicating that makes you prefer one product over another because it reminds you of specific memories, for example. Here, we can take Coca-Cola as an example, many other companies competing with it have appeared; But Coca-Cola has its own consumers who are romantically linked with her, which makes them like it over another.
As for identity, it is the phrase that embodies you, the image that appears about you, and the colors that express you. For example, Kit Kat Company, its emblem, “Have a break,, have a Kit Kat” is the phrase it embodies in the minds of its customers; Its logo is the image it symbolizes, and the “red and white” logo colors in its design are the colors that it expresses. Identity is every visual that indicates your brand.
6. Identity is “how” people pick you out from the crowd, but the brand is “why” they pick you
Identity is the method you use to attract audiences to your products and services. How do you attract the audience to you? The answer is summarized in several steps, such as:
- Designing a distinctive logo for you.
- Choosing a name for your brand that is close to the audience.
- Choosing an easy and simple slogan that will remain in mind.
They are the mechanisms that help you define and engage your audience with your brand.
As for branding, it is the reason people are attracted to you. Why does the audience choose you without others? Because you offer products that benefit them, because you share their societal issues, care about their needs and requirements, and try to meet them.
7. Identity is a part of your brand, but the brand is a part of you
Identity is the visual part of your branding that expresses you like colors, patterns, and designs. The brand is a part of you; it is your beliefs, culture, and behavior in expressing yourself.
Summary
Identity is the look, symbol, phrase you are known for. But the brand is the idea, action, and culture you embody to your customers.
