11 Essential Brand Elements to Build a Strong Identity

Building a memorable brand goes far beyond having a beautiful logo or a catchy slogan. It involves creating a cohesive and consistent experience that resonates emotionally with your audience.

Your brand identity serves as a powerful foundation that defines who you are differentiates you from competitors, and establishes why customers should remain loyal over the long term.

Each carefully considered brand element, from your name and visuals to your voice and digital presence, acts as a piece of the larger puzzle. When these pieces come together seamlessly, they forge an unforgettable brand experience that drives consumer loyalty and market recognition.

Without these branded elements, your customers have nothing to remember you by. If consumers can’t remember your brand or why they should choose you over the others, they won’t purchase your offerings, which guarantees a short lifespan in the market you're in.

Before you bring any product or service to market, nail these elements down first. If you do, your brand will stand out and blow all your competitors away who haven't thought as comprehensively as you have. Be creative and make it memorable.

Let’s get started.

1. Name

Perhaps the most important element of them all. Your brand name defines everything in one (or a few) words. It gives consumers the perception of who you are and is likely their first impression of your brand.

Creating a perfect brand name is no simple feat. Multiple variables must be considered, such as the identity you wish to portray, availability on the market, and proper alignment with your brand strategy.

But if you nail it, your brand could become a household name, like Band-Aid or Kleenex.

Who even says, “Can you please hand me an adhesive bandage”?

Nobody.

A brand name for the product became more popular than the generic product name itself! That is how iconic the Band-Aid name is.

Source: Band-Aid

2. Logo

A logo is a visual trademark that is arguably the second most important element. It should be just as (or more) recognizable as the brand name since images are often remembered more easily than words.

This can even mean creating a wordmark. A wordmark is the brand name skillfully designed with branded fonts and colors to be used in place of a designed logo, thus making the brand name the actual logo.

Brands like Google and FedEx are great examples of creative wordmarks.

Source: The Google

Source: FedEx

It is also important to design different logo lockups that uphold your brand standard. This means creating different sizes and colors of your logo when the primary logo doesn't fit well on different types of promotional collateral.

Think of Apple. The brand name is simple, and the logo is just as simple. Both elements portray sleekness and simplicity, something the brand embodies well. Apple is a great example of why less is usually more for logos. It is iconic and one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Source: Apple

Picking out and designing the perfect logo is a fun and creative step during the brand-building process. In the end, it doesn’t matter which type of logo you decide on; what matters most is that your brand has a dynamic and clever visual representation that the world will recognize.

3. Brand colors

Color is powerful.

Feeling a certain way when associating with a specific color is a universal trait. Certain colors mean certain things. That's just how it is.

Think of the color red. The words that typically come to mind are error, danger, stop, help, urgency, etc. Why is this? A lot goes into color psychology in business, but let’s focus on what that means for your brand.

Choosing the proper color for your business means thoroughly understanding what your brand portrays and what audience you appeal to. Once you understand that, choosing a color that fits that profile should be easy.

To fully understand how iconic colors can become for a brand, think about Tiffany & Co.’s Robin Egg Blue, which was trademarked by the company in 1998.

When I think of branding, that little Robin egg-colored box immediately comes to mind. The color is synonymous with luxury and power. If another jewelry brand used that color, the same associations would be made, which is exactly why Tiffany’s trademarked it. It is uniquely theirs.

Source: Tiffany & Co.

4. Slogan

This catchy phrase quickly defines your brand’s position in a handful of words. It should be memorable, easy to say, and match your brand’s personality.

You wouldn't want to create a funny catchphrase if your business deals with money. Doing so would relay a lackadaisical and carefree message to your customers, who expect you to be nothing but professional when handling their most important assets. 

Slogans like “Tastes So Good, Cat’s Ask for it By Name” from Meow Mix are clever and state why their brand is considered the best, while Coca-Cola’s slogan “Open Happiness” portrays the feelings they want you to have when you purchase and drink their beverage.

The slogan you choose should be able to withstand your brand’s evolution throughout the years, but within reason. You shouldn’t change your slogan every year because that would confuse your customers, but you still need to refresh your image and ensure the slogan matches what you stand for and how your customers perceive you.

Source: Business 2 Community 

5. Image

Whether you're using stock images or shooting your photos in-house, the images you choose for your marketing and advertising efforts should be consistent and possess similar qualities.

The editing style must be uniformed if you’re shooting your photos in-house. Creating branded filters and presets is a fantastic way to ensure comparable photos.

Madewell's clothing brand does an excellent job at creating eye-catching and engaging photos while impressively sticking to brown and orange hues.

Source: Madewell's Instagram page

6. Shape

This is where product design comes into play. In a heavily saturated market, an easy way to distinguish your product from the rest is by creating a design that’s different from the standard, generic shape.

By innovative thinking and creating something unlike anyone has ever seen, your brand creates a “gotta have it” feeling in consumers, thus making your product highly coveted.

Although this is old news now, we saw it when Apple reinvented the mobile phone by making it one screen with no fold. The frenzy that ensued when the first iPhone was released was nothing short of a phenomenon. To this day, Apple continues to innovate within its product categories, shocking consumers every single time. 

This can also be as simple as Health-Ade’s kombucha bottle design, which takes inspiration from an old-time medicinal bottle rather than the standard long and skinny glass bottle design commonly used by all beverage brands. Health-Ade is the only bottle shaped that way in the kombucha aisle, or possibly any beverage aisle, creating intense intrigue with kombucha customers because it’s so different.

Source: Cooking Light

7. Graphics

This next element is not another logo. Branded graphics supplement the primary logo, and if done correctly, consumers may recognize them just as much as they do the logo.

Graphics typically showcase the entirety of your branded assets. This can be done by utilizing the full-color palette or modeling the designs of a specific logo element. These graphics are used on every type of marketing or advertising collateral to enhance the appearance and allow the abundant creation of new material without looking redundant and excessively using the logo.

For example, the G2 logo has an arrow, so the graphics display multiple arrows. They are shaped differently, point in different directions, and bear a myriad of colors, but the graphics clearly represent the overall brand and reinforce the primary logo.

Source: G2 

8. Typography

The typeface and brand font you use can be inspired by the style of your logo, or it can be something completely different but still complementary. Ensure that the typography chosen meshes well with the other elements of your brand because, just like color, fonts can be associated with a specific feeling or essence that must match your brand’s personality.

Once the font is selected, ensure it is used on every collateral and material your brand produces. This can be a small detail, like the font used to send company emails, or as big as the billboard design next to the highway. 

9. Brand voice

Your brand voice conveys personality through written and spoken communications. Consistency in your voice (professional, conversational, humorous, inspirational, or formal) creates familiarity and builds trust with your audience. Clearly define your brand voice guidelines, specifying the language style, word choices, and tone to be used across all platforms. Regularly train your team to maintain brand voice consistency during customer interactions, marketing campaigns, content creation, and social media engagement.

Brands like Wendy’s and Mailchimp exemplify effective voice strategies by consistently aligning their unique voice and tone with brand identity, increasing audience engagement, and creating memorable interactions.

10. Customer service and interaction

Your brand is more than just its visual identity. It’s the experience customers have at every touchpoint. A strong brand ensures that every interaction, from website navigation to customer service, aligns with its values and identity. Personalized experiences, like Spotify’s curated playlists or Amazon’s tailored recommendations, reinforce consumer engagement and brand loyalty.

Customer service also plays a critical role; brands like Zappos and Ritz-Carlton have built their reputation on exceptional service that turns casual buyers into lifelong advocates. Every customer touchpoint should enhance trust, satisfaction, and consistency, ensuring a seamless and memorable brand experience.

11. Sensory element

Expand beyond visuals by engaging multiple senses to deepen brand memorability. Sensory branding leverages smell, sound, touch, and taste to create a holistic consumer experience. For example, Starbucks' signature aroma instantly evokes warmth, familiarity, and comfort, welcoming customers into its stores. Likewise, auditory brandings like Netflix’s instantly recognizable startup sound or Intel’s iconic five-note jingle provide immediate brand recognition through sound alone.

Tactile experiences, such as the luxurious texture of Apple's packaging or the distinctive embossed feel of Coca-Cola’s glass bottles, reinforce brand identity by providing memorable, physical interactions. Sensory elements strategically enhance emotional connections, increase customer loyalty, and set your brand apart in the marketplace.

Start branding!

When considering the success of the companies shown in this article, it’s simple to understand how crucial these eight elements are to a brand’s identity.

Sure, their products are great, but their branded elements, produced throughout the years, have been the catalyst for their success and iconic reputations. 

Each element makes up one piece of the brand identity puzzle, and it’s imperative to execute them correctly to have a solid identity and positive customer perception.

 Think outside the box, be creative, and find what’s uniquely yours. Trust me, it's worth it.

Are you ready to get started on building your brand? Check out these graphic design skills to get you started.

This article was originally written in 2019. It has been updated with new information.