{"id":99,"date":"2019-10-04T12:22:32","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T19:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lieve.pat-martinez.com\/?p=99"},"modified":"2019-12-31T14:38:28","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T22:38:28","slug":"the-difference-between-a-brand-and-a-visual-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/the-difference-between-a-brand-and-a-visual-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between a Brand and a Visual Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ever noticed how easily people toss the word \u201cbrand\u201d around in conversations? \u201cYou must build your brand!\u201d \u201cI just re\u00adbranded my business!\u201d \u201cDo you do branding?\u201d It rolls off the tongue as a muddled, overarching word meant to describe everything about a business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But what does the word \u201cbrand\u201d actually mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3294\" src=\"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/featurepics-EC1DF307-E2D4-43B7-A547-807039506E6E-768x768-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"335\" height=\"335\" \/>What I\u2019ve noticed is that many people use \u201cbrand\u201d and \u201cvisual identity\u201d interchangeably. Maybe it has something to do with the images that come to mind when we think of the word \u201cbrand,\u201d such as a rancher searing a logo into the haunch of his cattle. At a glance, everyone knows whom it belongs to. It\u2019s extremely visual, right? But is that little symbol the epitome of what he\u2019s worked his entire life to build? Is the brand his \u201cbrand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the difference between brand and visual identity, anyways?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I wanted to get well\u00adrounded feedback on the question, so I turned to the wise corners of LinkedIn. Here\u2019s what people told me:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A brand is the \u201cbig picture.\u201d It\u2019s the personality, the voice, the character, the unity, and the visual identity of a company.<\/li>\n<li>Compare both \u201cbrand\u201d and \u201cvisual identity\u201d to a person. How is he or she presented to the world? What are the external identifying factors? This outside presentation is the visual identity. On the flip side, how is the person perceived and judged? What associations do we make with the person, with their \u201cessence?\u201d That is the brand.<\/li>\n<li>A brand is the personality and visual identity is the tangible expression of that personality.<\/li>\n<li>A brand incorporates the elements of a visual identity (website, logo, social media imagery, packaging, stationery, email headers, etc.) and uses it to express values, style and unique messaging.<\/li>\n<li>Visual imagery such as logo, letterhead, color, composition, and layout comprises the initial vibe of a business. The brand is more of an emotive concept. How does it make a person feel?<\/li>\n<li>A visual identity helps a brand create cohesion and consistency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>So we know the two terms are distinctly different, and yet one element is not complete without the other. Let\u2019s dig a bit further into what creates a brand.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A brand is the <strong>experience<\/strong> that a business conveys to its people. Coca\u00adCola does this masterfully. Their logo, instantly recognizable due to their longevity, only scratches the surface. Your personal encounters with their product is what makes their brand beloved.<\/li>\n<li>A brand is based on \u201ctouchpoints.\u201d Every interaction determines a feeling. People form a story inside their heads based on how you make them feel and the values they believe you have. They create it. They experience it. <strong>A brand is their perception of your company\u2019s soul.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>A brand is earned. Over time. Through a consistent presence and evolving story. Because of your promise and how you keep it. <strong>BOOM.<\/strong> Like my friend Dennis Conforto says, \u201cA brand is a promise kept. Whatever you say the brand is or what the brand will do, it must do.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Does your business need a compelling visual identity? Abso\u00adfreaking\u00adlutely. The look and feel of your business is what will initially attract people to you. They\u2019ll resonate with your colors or vibe or style or voice. <strong>Strong brands are built on a strong foundation of messaging and design.<\/strong> After that, the way you answer the phone to how you follow up after a business transaction (and everything in between) determines how your brand will show up in the world.<\/p>\n<p>What are your thoughts on brand vs. visual identity? Still confused about what you should focus on? We\u2019d love to lend a hand. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlightgraphics.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Contact us<\/strong><\/a> today for a complimentary chat about your business.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>The Art of Creation Coaching Program for business owners<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Redesigning your current website? Developing your brand voice? Publishing a book? Launching a marketing campaign?<\/p>\n<p>As an inspired and passionate business owner\u00a0you\u00a0<i>want<\/i>\u00a0to connect. You\u00a0<i>want<\/i>\u00a0to serve people. You\u00a0<i>want<\/i>\u00a0to stand out.<\/p>\n<p>But you have no idea how to make that all happen.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s why I created a new 35-day program called\u00a0<i>The Art of Creation<\/i>. I wanted to give business owners insights into their unique story, as well as the ability to wrap their brains around the brand creation process.<\/p>\n<p>To know more, click the cover image below&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artofcreationprogram.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-3396\" src=\"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/art-of-creation_small.png\" alt=\"art-of-creation_small\" width=\"250\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever noticed how easily people toss the word \u201cbrand\u201d around in conversations? \u201cYou must build your brand!\u201d \u201cI just re\u00adbranded my business!\u201d \u201cDo you do branding?\u201d It rolls off the tongue as a muddled, overarching word meant to describe everything about a business. But what does the word \u201cbrand\u201d actually mean? What I\u2019ve noticed is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,16],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}