What is the difference between Brand & Visual Identity?

Written By Julia Hanley

At the 2013 MTV Movie Music Awards, Justin Bieber began his acceptance speech saying, “Thank you so much – not only to God, but to Jesus”.

IT CAUSED AN ONSLAUGHT OF HILARIOUS REACTIONS IN THE COMMENTS, MY FAVOURITE BEING: “I’D LIKE TO THANK NOT ONLY CUTLERY, BUT FORKS.”

WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNICATING WHO ARE YOU ARE, THAT’S NOT ONLY THANKS TO YOUR BRAND, BUT YOUR VISUAL IDENTITY.

your visual identity is an important element of your brand, but there is so much more to your brand than the visuals.

to break it down further…

BRAND

Jeff Bezos famously said:

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Your brand is the complete, holistic expression of who you are and how you are experienced. It’s how your business looks, feels, and communicates — visually, verbally, and experientially.

It encompasses:

  • Brand Strategy – mission, values, positioning, audience, tone of voice

  • Visual Identity – logos, colours, typography, imagery style

  • Verbal Identity – taglines, messaging, brand voice

  • Brand Experience – how your brand is applied across mediums, interactions, and environments

if you are wanting to launch a new brand or rebrand an already existing one, that means you’re overhauling in a couple or all of these places. AND, integrating all four of these elements IS THE SUREFIRE WAY OF EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WHO YOU ARE, AND ATTRACTING YOUR DREAM COMMUNITY.

Contrary to what WE MIGHT encourage, you can have a strong brand without a strong logo.

But thoughtful, well-executed design communicates your quality and value before a single word is spoken — and that first impression is invaluable.

THIS LEADS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF AN AUTHENTIC VISUAL IDENTITy –

VISUAL IDENTITY DESIGN

Paul Rand said:

“Design is the silent ambassador for your brand.”

Visual identity design is the VISUAL expression of your brand. It works EFFECTIVELY when ITS BEEN built upon aN AUTHENTIC brand, AND focuses solely on the visual ELEMENT, IN ORDER TO INTENTIONALLY ATTRACT NEW PEOPLE.

  • Think:

    • Logo and logo variations

    • Colour palette

    • Typography system

    • Iconography or graphic elements

    • Imagery style and art direction

    • Photography

    • BRAND environmenT (ONLINE / IN-STORE)

In short:

  • Brand design = big picture — strategy + visuals + messaging + experience.

  • Visual identity design = the visual COMMUNICATOR of that bigger brand system.

If you’re wondering whether your business needs a full brand build or just a visual identity refresh, WE can help you find clarity.

OUR process is collaborative, strategic, and rooted in nearly 10 years of experience helping organizations communicate their value with confidence.

Julia Hanley https://juliahanley.ca