30 Branding Terms You Should Know Before Hiring a Brand Designer
You’re probably already familiar with some branding terms. But have you ever wondered what the difference is between a brand and branding? Or what a brand identity is?
When I work with a client, I try to avoid using branding terms. Why? It tends to distract my clients and sometimes it even makes them anxious. At the same time, it’s quite challenging for me to talk with clients without using them.
When you start working with a brand designer, you may hear some branding terms that you are not familiar with. If this happens, you should ask your brand designer to explain the terms to you. You will feel more comfortable and confident making decisions for your brand once you understand the commonly-used brand terms.
While you don’t need to know every branding term, some awareness of the common terms will make communication with your brand designer easier and help to ensure that the branding process will flow smoothly.
Based on my experiences with clients, I put together a collection of common brand-related terms. The terms are arranged in the order they would be needed to build your brand. So before hiring a brand designer, make sure to familiarize yourself with these terms or keep this list handy as you begin the process of creating a brand identity.
1. Brand
Your brand is how people perceive your company. It’s both a representation of all of your values and how people view and experience your company. It’s the emotional connection between your company and your clients.
“Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind”
- Walter Landor
Starbucks Brand as example
2. Branding
Branding is the process of discovering and building the overall image of your company. It is a way of differentiating your product or service in a captivating way.
3. Brand Strategy
Your brand strategy is a formal plan used to create a particular image of your business in the minds of current and potential clients. It helps people better understand the value you provide to your clients.
Starbucks-purpose-vision-mission
4. Brand Purpose: Yourbrand purpose is the reason your brand exists beyond making money. Why does your company exist?
5. Brand Vision: Yourbrand vision is where you see your brand going in the future. It’s the direction and ideas that help guide your brand. What do you hope to achieve? Ultimately, what do you want your brand to become?
6. Brand Mission: Your brand mission tells your audience who you are, why you exist, and how you’re going to achieve your vision. It’s a concise, action-oriented statement.
7. Brand Core Values: Your brand core values tell you howyou need to behave to achieve your vision. Put simply, brand core values are what you believe in and stand for. Your brand vision and mission may change over time but your brand values will remain the same.
8. Brand Positioning: Your brand positioning tells people how you are different from your competition. Brand positioning is the process of deliberately placing your brand in a unique position in your client’s mind. It’s what you want your clients to think when they see your brand.
9. Brand Essence: Yourbrand essence is defined as the soul or DNA of your brand described in a few words.
10. Brand Promise: A brand promise is the value or experience that your clients can expect to receive every time they use your products or services.
11. Brand Personality: Your brand personality refers to the human characteristics associated with your brand.
For example, think of the Apple brand for a moment. Their brand personality is smart, creative, and sophisticated. These traits are conveyed to clients through direct interactions (in-person), as well as indirect interactions (packaging, advertising, etc).
12. Brand Voice & Tone: Your brand voice reflects your brand's personality; it’s the unique way you present yourself to your audience. Brand tone is how you differentiate your brand and communicate with your audience, which can include word choice, communication style, and emotional tone.
13. Target Audience: Your target audience is a specific group of people with shared characteristics who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.
14. Persona: A persona is a description of your ideal client as if he or she were a real person. This can include their attitudes, desires, or actions that may affect how they would interact with your brand.
15. Tagline: A tagline is a short, memorable description of the key benefits of your company. It should reflect your brand’s personality.
16. Brand Story: A brand story is a cohesive narrative that highlights the purpose of your business. The story helps to create an emotional bond with your audience.
17. Brand Assets: Your brand assets include all of your brand's resources that help potential clients notice and identify your brand. This can include anything from your tangibles, such as your logo or packaging, to your intangibles such as an aroma or music.
18. Brand Identity (and Visual Identity)
Your brand identity includes your brand personality and visual elements, such as your logo, typography, and color palette, which help to create the emotional connection between your business and your clients.
Your brand identity is what causes people to associate certain feelings with your brand. It includes everything from your mission statement and core values to your brand voice and visual elements.
Your visual identity only concerns the physical representation of your brand. It’s considered a part of your brand identity.
19. Brand Mood Board
A brand mood board is a collage of visual ideas and concepts that help you establish the creative direction of your project.
20. Brand Style Guide
Abrand style guide is a document that contains the details of your brand visuals. With a style guide, no matter who is working with your brand assets, you can rest assured that the result will be consistent because they will have the exact color specifications, fonts, scale, and imagery. Your style guide is the key to maintaining consistency throughout all of your brand’s printed and digital marketing materials.
21. Brand guideline: A brand guideline is also known as a brand style guide but a brand guideline goes more in depth and includes brand strategy. It clearly defines rules and standards that communicate how your brand should be represented.
22. Primary Logo: A primary logo is a mark that is a strong visual representation of your business. It helps your audience to recognize and remember you; it’s an important element in the branding of your business. Your primary logo is the main logo that you will use most of the time.
23. Secondary Logo: A Secondary logo is a modified version of the primary logo. This is the logo you would use when the primary logo doesn’t fit or feel right in a chosen format.
24. Submark logo: A submark logo is a simplified and smaller version of your logo.
25. Wordmark Logo: A wordmark logo is a type of logo design that includes only the company name — there are no symbols, mascots, or badges.
26. Favicon: A favicon is a small icon that represents your website. It is also called a browser icon.
27. Brand fonts / typography: Yourbrand fonts should reflect your company’s voice and personality; they should help to tell the story behind your brand. The fonts you use will help to unify your company’s communications from its website to its flyers. When used consistently, your fonts will become associated with your brand.
28. Color Palette: Acolor palette is the selection of colors that a company decides to have associated with its brand. The colors ensure that the brand is consistent and evokes a particular emotion for the brand.
29. Imagery: YourImagery includes all of the visuals that represent your brand’s identity (both in digital and print). Your imagery should help convey emotion and enhance your brand’s core message.
30. Brand Collateral
Your brandcollateral consists of the marketing materials created to represent and promote a brand. This includes brochures, online ads, email signatures, email templates, business cards, media kits, postcards, etc.
The process of branding - Starbucks as example
Conclusion
I hope you have found this article helpful to clarify the numerous and sometimes confusing branding terms. Having a basic understanding of these terms and the branding process will ensure better communications with your brand designer.
Familiarity with the branding terms will help to give you the confidence you need to start the branding process. As you work to create a strong brand, remember that the brand strategy always comes first. Once a clear strategy is established, the design work can begin.
I hope this brand term list has given you some clarity. Do you still find some terms confusing? Please let me know in the comments below.
Reference: https://cacpro.com/thinking/10-branding-terms-every-leader-should-know/