Branding Essentials: DIY Guide to Building Powerful Brands

The Branding Blueprint

What is a brand? 

It's more than a logo or a tagline. It's the emotion that stirs within your customers when they think about your product or service. It's your business's personality and reputation.

Each of these brands aims to evoke specific emotions or feelings in their target audience through their branding and marketing efforts.

Disney:

Disney wants its audience to feel a sense of nostalgia, magic, and wonder, similar to the feelings of being a child again. It strives to create feelings of happiness, enchantment, and limitless imagination.

Nike:

Nike aims for its audience to feel inspired, motivated, and empowered. Their "Just Do It" mantra pushes individuals to surpass their limits, take action, and accomplish their goals, especially in the realm of athletics and personal fitness.

Coca-Cola:

Coca-Cola strives to evoke feelings of happiness, refreshment, and shared joy. Their branding often emphasizes positivity, fun, and celebration, with a touch of nostalgia.

Dove:

Dove wants its audience to feel confident, accepted, and comfortable in their own skin. Their campaigns often emphasize self-esteem, natural beauty, and body positivity, challenging traditional beauty standards.

Tesla:

Tesla seeks to inspire a sense of innovation, forward-thinking, and environmental responsibility. They want their customers to feel like they are part of a revolution in sustainable energy and cutting-edge technology.

McDonald's:

McDonald's aims to evoke feelings of comfort, convenience, and familiarity. They want their customers to associate their brand with quick service, consistent quality, and a fun, family-friendly environment. McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" slogan and the use of Ronald McDonald as a mascot aim to communicate positivity, joy, and a sense of community.

Download the worksheet and follow along

Now let’s talk about your brand (Do this on the Brand Worksheet)

1. Write three brands you admire and what makes them unique.

2. What emotional connection do you want to have with your target audience?

The Power of Unique Selling Proposition

Your USP is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's what your brand does better than anyone else. You need to figure out your brand's unique selling proposition.

Domino's Pizza once set itself apart with its USP: "You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less—or it's free."

Think about what makes your product unique and write this in the worksheet.

3. Write down what sets your brand apart from your competitors?

Charting Out Your Brand Vision and Mission

Your brand vision is a long-term goal related to your company's impact on the world, while the mission is what your company does every day towards that vision.

For instance, Tesla's mission is "to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," aligning with their vision of a world without reliance on fossil fuels.

Write your own mission and vision in the worksheet, aligning with your brand's goals.

4. What is your brand’s vision?

5. What is your brand’s mission?

Crafting Your Brand Personality

Brand personality is a set of human traits assigned to a brand.

David Aaker, a renowned marketing expert, proposed a framework known as Aaker's Five Dimensions of Brand Personality.

These dimensions provide a structured way to understand and define a brand's personality.

Here are Aaker's Five Personality Dimensions:

Sincerity:

Brands with a sincere personality are seen as honest, genuine, and down-to-earth. They are often associated with traits such as warmth, kindness, and family-oriented values. Examples of brands embodying sincerity include Dove and Coca-Cola.

Excitement:

Brands with an exciting personality are energetic, daring, and innovative. They are associated with traits such as excitement, thrill-seeking, and youthfulness. Red Bull and Nike are examples of brands that embody excitement.

Competence:

Brands with a competent personality are reliable, efficient, and dependable. They are seen as experts in their field and are associated with traits such as professionalism, intelligence, and expertise. Examples of brands embodying competence include Microsoft and IBM.

Sophistication:

Brands with a sophisticated personality are elegant, prestigious, and refined. They are associated with traits such as luxury, exclusivity, and high-class appeal. Examples of brands embodying sophistication include Rolex and Chanel.

Ruggedness:

Brands with a rugged personality are tough, outdoorsy, and adventurous. They are associated with traits such as durability, strength, and resilience. Brands like Jeep and The North Face embody ruggedness.

List the human traits that best describe your brand on the brand worksheet. Are you traditional, rebellious, nurturing, or sophisticated?

6. Your brand’s personality?

Crafting Your Brand Personality

Your brand voice is how you communicate with your customers. 

Innocent Drinks is known for its casual, humorous, and friendly brand voice.

The brand has a conversational tone that is light-hearted and full of charm, which helps to create a warm, approachable image.

Key characteristics of Innocent Drinks' brand voice include:

Playful:

Innocent Drinks uses playful language and often includes puns and jokes in its communications. They don't shy away from using emojis, colorful illustrations, and humorous comments.

Casual:

Their language is informal and sounds like a chat between friends. They avoid corporate jargon and instead opt for simplicity and clarity in their messaging.

Engaging:

Innocent actively engages with their audience on social media platforms, often responding to comments and queries with witty replies that maintain their playful tone.

Transparent and Honest:

Innocent Drinks prides itself on being transparent about its products, often openly discussing its ingredients and manufacturing processes.

Environmentally Conscious:

A core part of their brand voice is their commitment to sustainability. They regularly communicate their environmentally-friendly practices and their dedication to creating a positive impact.

In the brand worksheet, describe the tone of voice that best aligns with your brand personality. Is it professional, casual, humorous, or formal?

7. What's your brand’s voice?

Building a Captivating Visual Identity

Visual identity includes your logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and website.

Coca-Cola, for example, Coca-Cola has one of the most recognized and iconic brand visuals in the world. The key visual elements that make up Coca-Cola's brand identity include:

Logo

Coca-Cola's logo, known as the "Dynamic Ribbon," is simple yet distinctive, featuring a stylized, flowing script in white against a red background. The logo, which hasn't significantly changed since its creation in the late 19th century, is instantly recognizable.When creating a logo, there are several important factors you should consider to ensure it effectively represents your brand and resonates with your target audience.

Here are some key aspects to keep in mind:

Simplicity:

A good logo should be simple and clean, making it easily recognizable and memorable. Overly complicated designs can be confusing or forgettable.

Versatility:

Your logo should be adaptable for use across various mediums and applications. It should look good in different sizes (from tiny icons to large banners) and work well in both color and black and white.

Uniqueness:

In a world filled with logos, yours should stand out. Try to avoid clichés and aim for a design that is distinctive and not easily confused with other logos.

Consistency:

Your logo should be in line with your overall brand identity, including your brand's color palette, typefaces, and general style. This consistency will help strengthen your brand image and make it more recognizable.

Message:

A good logo communicates something about the company’s core values or mission. Whether it's a feeling or a literal representation, the message should be clear.

Color:

Red is the signature color of Coca-Cola. It stands for excitement, passion, and boldness, which are all attributes associated with the brand. The contrast between the red background and the white logo creates a striking visual impact. Brand colors can evoke specific emotions and associations, playing a crucial role in a brand's image. Here are some major brand colors and the psychology behind each:

Typography

The unique, script-like typography of the Coca-Cola logo is an important part of its brand image. This typeface, known as Spencerian script, gives the brand a classic and timeless appeal.

Choosing the right typography for a brand is a crucial part of the branding process. The font style can communicate the brand's personality, evoke emotion, and set the brand apart from its competitors.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing typography for a brand:

Brand Personality:

The typography should align with the brand's personality. For instance, a formal serif font might be suitable for a traditional, professional brand, while a casual script could work well for a creative, informal brand.

Legibility:

Regardless of style, the primary function of typography is to be read. Make sure the font you choose is legible across various mediums and sizes.

Compatibility:

Make sure your typography is compatible with various browsers and devices if it's going to be used online. Some fonts might not display correctly on different platforms.

Design:

The 'contour bottle' or 'hobble skirt' design of Coca-Cola is a key visual element that sets it apart from competitors. The unique shape is so distinctive that it can be recognized even when touched in the dark.

Imagery:

Coca-Cola often uses imagery that evokes happiness, togetherness, and refreshment in its advertising. This includes pictures of people enjoying their products, often in a group setting, emphasizing the brand's association with joy, community, and shared experiences.

Advertising:

Coca-Cola's advertisements often include visual elements like the logo, brand colors, and bottle design. Their holiday advertisements, featuring images like Santa Claus and polar bears, have become iconic and widely anticipated.

Together, these visual elements create a strong and cohesive brand image for Coca-Cola, one that is instantly recognizable and associated with positivity, refreshment, and community.

Describe your brand's visual elements, and ensure they align with your brand personality and voice.

The Power of Branding Touch Points

In the ever-evolving world of marketing and brand management, the concept of branding touch points has become increasingly important. Effective branding goes beyond a logo or a catchy tagline; it encompasses the entire ecosystem of interactions and channels through which a brand connects with its audience. These touch points play a pivotal role in shaping the perception, recognition, and loyalty towards a brand.

Website 

The unique, script-like typography of the Coca-Cola logo is an important part of its brand image. This typeface, known as Spencerian script, gives the brand a classic and timeless appeal.

A website serves as a digital home for your brand, playing a crucial role in brand promotion.

Here are some ways a website can promote your brand:

Brand Storytelling:

Your website can effectively communicate your brand's story, mission, and values. This helps to create an emotional connection with your audience, which can lead to increased loyalty and engagement.

Showcasing Products/Services:

You can present your products or services in the best possible light, providing detailed descriptions, high-quality images, video demos, and customer testimonials.

Establishing Credibility:

A professional, user-friendly website can help establish credibility and trust. This can be further enhanced by including elements like certifications, awards, press mentions, and positive customer reviews.

Providing Information:

Your website can provide valuable information to potential customers, like FAQs, blog posts, white papers, and case studies. This not only aids in decision-making but also positions your brand as an authority in your field.

Engaging Visitors:

Interactive features like chatbots, surveys, quizzes, and comments sections can engage visitors, increasing the time they spend on your site and their likelihood of converting.

Lead Generation:

Through various forms and landing pages, your website can collect contact information from visitors, allowing you to build a database of potential customers to engage in future marketing efforts.

SEO:

By optimizing your website for search engines, you can increase its visibility, driving more traffic to your site, and subsequently promoting your brand to a larger audience.

Consistent Branding:

Your website allows you to control your brand's image fully. Consistent use of your logo, color scheme, typography, and brand voice across the site can reinforce your brand identity.

E-commerce:

If applicable, your website can serve as a direct sales platform, allowing customers to purchase your products or services online.

Customer Service:

Providing excellent online customer service through your website (like live chat, email support, self-service knowledge bases) can significantly enhance your brand's reputation.

Designing Your Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are your brand's rulebook. They guide how your logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and voice should be used.

Here is KLwebco’s brand guidelines. You can get inspired seeing this:

Maintaining Consistency with Brand Strategy

1. Consistency builds trust, and brand strategy ensures that consistency. It's how you plan to communicate your brand to the world.

2. Nike, for instance, is consistent in promoting their "Just Do It" slogan, relating to personal achievement. In your worksheet, note how you will ensure consistency in your branding.

This guide is your starting point to creating a robust brand, complete with a personality, voice, and visual identity that stands out.

Remember to download the worksheet to ensure a comprehensive set of brand guidelines for your product.