Brand Development vs Identity vs Strategy - Explained

Introduction

Launch Kit provides marketing services which include "branding." We hear all sorts of different definitions of "branding" when working with clients, so we wanted to take our own shot at explaining how we define a few different branding elements.

At Launch Kit, we created two distinct Brand Development offerings, Logo Kit and Brand Design.

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The Shortlist

Brand Development - The initial establishment of who you are, why you exist, how you make decisions, and what vision you have for the road ahead.

Brand Identity - The components that identify your business, such as a logo, color palette, and font selection.

Brand Strategy - The ongoing brand maintenance and growth efforts to create a positive association in your target customers' minds.

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Brand Development

The road begins here. Brand development is like laying the foundation for a new house. Some key things to explore at this stage are the following:

• Values - These guide how your business will make decisions.
• Vision - The version of the future you are looking to achieve. Do you want to be a one-person company that grants you a flexible schedule and steady income, or do you want to build a hundred-person company with a nationwide impact?
• Target Market Customer Persona - With an understanding of the future business you are looking to build, who is your ideal customer for that business? We need to identify that person so that we can craft brand identity and brand strategy material that resonates with them. Understanding your ideal customer demographics like age, likes, dislikes, profession, and interests can help you hone in your language to speak directly to them.

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Brand Identity

If brand development was the foundation of the house to be built, brand identity is the house itself. What does the house look like? What colors are the walls? What furniture was selected? Brand identity is the way in which a brand identifies itself. Identity components can include the following:

• Logo (full lockup) - The primary logo used to identify the business.
• Logo Mark - The icon used in the full lockup. For example, the Nike swoosh or the Apple apple.
• Color Palette - The colors used by the brand across all company material. These colors are documented via hex code or Pantone color so that designers can easily use the colors when creating material.
• Font Selection - Selecting fonts to be used when creating company material. When we’re creating brand identity for clients, we like to select a heading font and a body font. Sometimes we make these fonts complementary and sometimes we make them contrast each other. We select fonts that are available on Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, or we purchase licensing to a private font.
• Supporting Assets - With a core identity established, you unlock the opportunity to create additional elements such as icons and patterns. These elements create a cohesive feel when your brand identity is used in marketing collateral.

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Brand Strategy

The foundation was set with brand development. The house was built with brand identity. Now it’s time to share our brand with the community. Brand strategy is like the events you host at the house and how you maintain the landscaping.

"Brand strategy is an ongoing effort to create a positive association in our target audience's mind." - Kevin Kamis.

Some specific activities that fall under the brand strategy umbrella are web design, photo and video content, organic social media, advertising, packaging, store design, partnerships, collaborations, and events.

These tactics create a gut feeling when you hear the brand name mentioned. For example, when I say Lululemon, what feeling and image pop into your head? That’s the result of brand strategy. Brand strategy allows you to differentiate your business from others in the same industry. Create a strong brand and you'll earn loyal customers.

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Conclusion

There you have it, three components of the overall branding umbrella and how they connect - brand development, brand identity, and brand strategy. Lay the foundation, build the house, craft your reputation.

We hope you found this article insightful. One of our core values here at Launch Kit is clarity, so our intention here is to educate our target customer on the various topics within the marketing world. We believe that sharing knowledge can lead to a better version of the small business community.