Brand Identity Checklist for 2022

Did you know that successful brands not only work well with their marketing strategy but also describe both their business goals and their customers? Here, I will try to cover some important brand identity checklist for 2022

In other words, “Brand Identity is at the heart of every organization.“

So, in this article, we will define as what are the essential things required to create a strong brand identity.

1. Business goals & Personality



There are two factors to consider here;

• Consider your business goals – To become an industry leader / Best customer experience / As an NPO want to change the world?
• What kind of things would your business be known for, make a list of those. And, if you’re designing for a client, we would like to recommend that you ask your clients these brand discovery questions to better understand their brand goals and personality:
  • Describe your company’s mission and vision in detail.
  • Where do you see yourself and your company in the coming future?
  • What is your company’s biggest challenge?
  • Describe your company in five adjectives
  • Are you solving any problems?
  • What tangible and intangible benefits do you offer to your customers?
  • Who is your target audience?
  • Who are your competitors? What are their strengths? What are your advantages?

Without these factors, one cannot define a brand image. Think well and write it down as it becomes the foundation of your brand.

2. Target Audience



Business goals can be easily defined if you know your ideal customers and how to attract them?

We would recommend, that you do some research work – like start interacting with your ideal customer or dear ones. By doing so, you will get some insights into the most common questions that are stated here;

• Why do they like your brand?
• What are they looking for in your brand?
• How willing are they to recommend your business to others?

Also do listen to the language they are using.

Moreover, try researching your competitors; it will give you a different aspect of the business and how to approach a similar case that they have faced already.

Bonus:

While doing research work on your audience persona. Have a look at your competitors’ insights that will help you attract more customers. ( Colors, fonts, etc.)

It’s like doing audit work. In the long run, it will help you shape your business strategy and establish your niche.

3. Visual brand Component

   

   Once, all your research work is done. And a well-written business goal is set. It’s time to visualize your brand in such a way that it appeals to your audiences.

   Let’s discuss some important ones here:

   1. Brand Color Palette

   Firstly, the most important part of your brand visuals is the “Color Pallet”. So, choose your colors properly. A color that doesn’t resonate with your brand values might turn your customers away. While using the right one, make them stay and get to know you better.

   The best way is to choose two colors – primary and secondary; this will help you to influence the brand palette across the different mediums.

   2. Typography

   After, choosing the right color palette, you need to consider the fonts. The fonts need to be chosen in such a way that it looks good across devices and should go along with other visual elements.

   One could argue – how many fonts to use? The standard recommendation that you might come across is “2 fonts” one for the heading and the second for the general body. The same principle applies to business cards and other elements. You can use a maximum of three fonts; otherwise, your audience will just move away from your brand.

   3. Logo

      Things to keep in mind while designing your logo are the fonts that you want to use. Remember, the typography that you chose in the previous step. Also, it’s one of those things that business rarely changes.

   You can choose between the different types of logos for your business.

   Never, overcomplicate your logo.

   Your logo can be on your website, product, banners of all sizes, even as small as an app icon on your mobile device.

   So, no need to add all the ideas into your logo as your logo could be a favicon of dimensions as low as 16 x 16 px.

So far,we have covered 3 points under brand identity checklist for 2022

Now, Let’s consider other brand elements to use for your business that are often neglected.

1. Photography

Photos are a great way to connect with your audience. A simple way to give your photos a consistent look and feel is to apply the same filter across all photos or enhance photos using photo-editing techniques.

2. Not every brand uses illustration

If you determine that it’s the right choice for your brand then you’ll need to create an illustration system that’s unique to your brand.

3. Iconography

It is always good to use simple shapes and pictograms that people can instantly identify. It is similar to the logo design process.

4. Social Media Assets

Use editable social media design templates that will help keep your brand visuals consistent long after the brand identity project is complete.

Bonus : Brand Guidelines

Lastly, you can share the following guidelines with the designer; whenever there is a need.

• Share hex codes for each variation of your logo.
• If, you have used a custom font. Then share the same with your designer. Else, let them know the font name.
• In the instructions – you need to specify the padding, logo format – horizontal, vertical, or center-aligned, different sizes to use across devices, and if any other visuals are required.

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