You’ve probably heard the terms “branding” and “identity” thrown around in the marketing world, but what exactly do they mean? There’s a lot of confusion about what branding, identity, and logo design are. Some think they are all the same thing, while others think they’re different aspects of one bigger concept. In this article we’ll explore how branding, identity, and logo design work together to help you build trust with your customers and make them want to buy from you—and only you.

What is a logo?

Let’s start with the basics. A logo design is just one piece of the branding puzzle, which is a larger part of your business identity. In the most simple terms, a logo is a symbol composed of text, images, and colors that visually represent your brand or product. A logo doesn’t necessarily need to tell the world everything you do, but it should be memorable and unique enough so that people remember it when they see it again (think Apple or Nike). 

Takeaway: A logo is a mark that identifies your brand.

What is brand identity?

Now that we are familiar with what a logo is, let’s dive into what a brand identity is. The keyword here is “identity”. A brand identity refers to the visual aspect of a brand—the colors, fonts, images and other elements that make up how people perceive your business visually. This can range from something simple like having a consistent color scheme for all internal communications or something more complex like brand patterns, illustration style, or messaging. 

Your company’s identity design consists of a series of visual elements usually assembled within a set of style guidelines. Your brand guidelines typically include:

Logos, colors, typography, taglines, photography style, patterns, icons, and any other visual elements that represent your brand.

These guidelines keep everyone on the same page in terms of using your brand’s visual elements and are used to create your website, business cards, brochures, signs, packaging, and more! All of these elements tie together to help communicate what sets you apart from others.

Takeaway: Your brand identity is how you want the world to see you. 

What is a brand?

A brand is a personality. It’s the way someone or something feels to us, and it’s the sum of our experiences with that person or thing—both good and bad. Although your customers ultimately decide how they feel about you, you can influence their perception about you by your values, your mission, your products, the way you market yourself, how you interact with your customers, and yes, your visual brand identity (which includes your logo design) – this is called “branding”.

All of these elements come together to create a brand that becomes part of the fabric of your customers’ lives and gives them a reason to feel good about buying from you. Since we’re big Apple fans here. We’ll be using them as an example again. Apple is famous for the way they design their products and how it’s sold in an effort to brand themselves as a premium brand. They focus on creating an experience – not just selling you a product. 

Takeaway: Your brand is what people think of when they think about your company, and branding is the effort to influence this perception.

How can we help you?

Metric Mane is a branding and web design agency that helps small businesses like yours create a brand identity. We use strategy to create visual and verbal elements of your brand, including your logo, color palette, typography, brand patterns, slogans, brand voice, and copywriting. We help you understand your target audience, develop an idea of how your brand should look, how it should be perceived by your customers, and what sets you apart from your competitors.

You may not be the only catering business in town, but you might be able to differentiate your brand by adding something unique that your customers love. That’s where branding comes in. It’s not just about making something look pretty – it’s about making sure people understand what makes your company different from others in your industry (and why they should care).

We hope this article helped resolve some confusion about what the difference between logo design, brand identity, and branding is, but if you still have some lingering questions, feel free to reach out!