4 Elements of Branding You Should Know

Some are intimidated of the word “Brand” as it usually refers to large companies. In reality, every business, product, service or even you have it. Although technically, branding a product, service or business is different than personal branding. You can delve into that topic more in our blog about personal branding. Branding, according to Elizabeth Smithson, is a marketing practice in which a company creates a name, symbol or design that is easily identifiable as belonging to the company. This helps to identify a product and distinguish it from other products and services.

Branding is more than the visual aspects, but it’s important. Here are branding elements that are crucial to convey the right message to your target market.

Name

Naming is the most important element in branding. The name you will attach to your brand should be what your company stands for. But how do people come up with a good name? Some hire linguists, some are inspired by experiences.Some are too abstract while others are descriptive. There are eponyms and there are those which originated from ancient languages. But some things you should keep in mind in naming your brand is to keep it short, concise and meaningful. It should be unique enough to stand out but not too exaggerated and hard to spell.

The hard part is to find something special. Try searching on the internet to see if the name you’ve thought of already exist or check domains to avoid duplicates. To help you start in naming your brand, we listed the four basic categories brand names fall under:

Literal Names

Most names fall into literal or descriptive name types. Literal names describe a company or product with key words or terms common to the category or an acronym based on key words or terms. Another type of literal name is when companies use the founder’s name or geographic reference.

Synthesized Names

These are made up words that are most often a combination of two keywords. These words can also be derived from Greek or Latin roots or it could also be based on alliteration and rhyming.

Metaphorical Names

Metaphorical names creates an association or an emotional response that relates to the company or a product. Unlike literal names, metaphorical names relates to the desired positioning.

Hybrid Names

Hybrid names are a combination of any of the aforementioned name types.

Logo

People relate faster to images than texts, that’s why a complementing logo should always go with your brand name. It’s the face of your business that’s why every details count, it should represent your business in a creative way. There are different types of logos as there are in names, generally there are brandmarks, word marks, letter marks and combination marks.

Brandmark

A brandmark is a symbol or icon that represents the company by association and relies on the design’s ability to evoke emotions. A brand mark is a good way to transcend language and making sure your brand is recognizable across the globe. All of these will work well if the company is a big, well-known enterprise, but for smaller companies or startup, it’s a bad idea. If nobody knows who it belongs to then it’s useless.

Wordmark

A wordmark is a type of logo that relies on text, typeface, and unique typographic treatments to express the brand’s identity. If your brand name is really long then wordmark isn’t for you. This type of logo is often the simplest approach that’s why well-known companies have opted for this one. If you’re also an upcoming or startup brand this type of logo is a good choice for you.

Lettermark

A lettermark is entirely text, but rather than the entire name of a business the logo relies on initials to represent the brand. If your brand name is mouthful or hard to spell, you should really consider using this type of logo. They are always clear and legible even to the smallest screen or print.

Combination Mark

Probably one of the most used type, this logo is a combination of a brandmark with either a wordmark or lettermark. This logo offers both the clarity of texts and the visual appeal of a symbol. This is the most ideal type of logo to use whether you’re a startup or an established brand.

Colors

The first thing a consumer notices about your logo would be the color. Most importantly, 67% of the purchasing process is dominated by colors recognized in first impressions. That’s why companies use the psychology of colors, because people are more likely to try things in their favorite color. The color you choose should reflect the message you want to relay to your target market. Take this time to think about what “feeling” you want your target market to experience when they use your product or services.

Application

Now that you have your name, logo and color, the last and most crucial step is to apply it in your print and digital media. Basically the brand strategy that will tell you the what, where, when and how to communicate your brand to your target market. Whether you want to have activities, events, promotions, blogs, you should always be consistent and creative.

Branding is one of the most crucial step when creating or refreshing a business or company. It gives birth to the identity your company and defines the values it stands for. It also sets the image of what your target market sees in your company. If you’re finding trouble deciding on a name or color, or you just don’t know where to start, email us or check out our branding and graphic design services!