Visual identity is the graphic representation of a brand, its objectives, and its values. This construction reflects the positioning within the market to address your target audience. Some of the elements that compose it are the name, logo, and packaging.

In this article, we are going to dedicate ourselves to a very important topic for all businesses and entrepreneurship. They are even for cultural and artistic projects. The brand identity consists of several elements. In addition, it has many points of contact with branding, but it is not the same.

If you have read or heard the words “brand,” “logo,” “brand image,” or “corporate image” many times, keep reading! You are in the right place to clarify and distinguish all these concepts.

Visual identity is a parameter that influences all types of companies

What is visual identity?

Just as people have a set of characteristics that define and differentiate us, brands need a representation that distinguishes them from the rest.

Visual identity is the set of attributes that defines brands. It must be clear and precise in order to be recognized by others. In other words, it is about defining features that communicate why that brand is unique worldwide.

Why do brands need to represent themselves in such a unique way? It is ultimately about generating more sales. A good visual identity strategy draws the attention of potential customers and paves the way for conversion.

Defining the qualities you want to transmit and highlighting them in an original way is necessary.

When talking about communicating and transmitting the values and mission of a brand, you may think that we are talking about branding. In truth, this is not the same as visual identity, and we are going to see why.

Visual identity and branding: what is the difference?

Although they are close terms within marketing, they are not exactly the same.

We have already mentioned that visual identity refers to the image perceived by people and the emotional response they have towards a company, its products, or services.

It is a set of ideas, values, expectations, stories, and interpersonal relationships of a company that influences people’s decision to choose one brand over another.

The name and logo of a business, for example, should be a synthesis of everything that brand means. Mainly the last one is a graphical representation of “who is” the brand and what it does.

If we think about the products we have at home (from furniture or decoration to cleaning products or the food we buy), many ideas are represented in the brands we choose.

Every company has a story to tell, and visual identity makes it possible.

For its part, branding is the complete process of building a brand. It is in this task that its identity, values, and purposes are defined. In addition, it includes everything related to brand management, such as creating a marketing strategy to promote recognition.

5 benefits of a good design

• Awareness:  The more developed your identity is, the more recognizable it will be. And more consumers will be aware of your brand’s presence.
• Positioning:  All the symbols, values, culture, and projects linked to your brand will add value so that it progresses in the market.
• Reputation:  A strong identity will generate a sense of belonging and reliability in people, making your brand gain reputation and recognition.
• Permanence:  An effective design will allow you to respond quickly and effectively to unexpected changes to maintain the permanence of your brand.
• Savings: a well-designed base identity will save you money since you will avoid reinventing the graphic pieces over and over again.

Graphic components of a visual identity

A company’s visual identity is based on explicit and graphic components. These will influence the visual style, such as the color palette, typography or font types, shapes, and symbols. These will serve to represent your brand.

The logo is a key component of the visual identity. It is the main image that will identify your brand so that it is different from your competitors. That is why making a good logo is crucial.

Most of the time, creating the logo is the first step in designing the visual identity. Because rich information is from it in relation to the design and messages to be communicated so that they can be used in future graphic pieces.