How to Create the Perfect Brand Identity for Your New Product
As a visual designer, creating a solid brand identity for a new product is one of your most essential tasks. A well-designed brand identity can help differentiate your product from competitors and make a lasting appearance on your target audience. In this post, we'll go over the steps you should follow to create the perfect brand identity for your new product.
1 - Understand the product and its target market: Before you start working on the brand identity, it's crucial to have a thorough understanding of the product and its target market. This will help you create a brand identity that resonates with the product and its intended audience.
2 - Research the competition: It's also a good idea to research and see what other brands in the same market are doing. This will give you an idea of common branding strategies and techniques and help you identify gaps or opportunities in the market.
3 - Define the brand's personality and tone: The next step is to define the brand's personality and style. This will help you create a consistent brand voice and ensure that all of the brand's communications have a cohesive feel.
4 - Create a mood board: A mood board visualizes the brand's aesthetic and style. It's a valuable tool for exploring different design ideas and creating a visual direction for the brand.
5 - Develop the brand's visual elements: Once you have a clear idea of the brand's personality and aesthetic, you can start developing the visual aspects of the brand, such as the logo, color palette, typography, and imagery.
6 - Create a brand style guide: A brand style guide is a document that outlines the brand's visual elements and provides guidelines for how they should be used. This will ensure that the brand's visual elements are used consistently across all communications.
7 - Test and refine the brand identity: Finally, it's essential to test and refine the brand identity to ensure that it effectively communicates the brand's message and resonates with its target audience. This may involve conducting focus groups, surveys, or other types of research to gather feedback and make any necessary adjustments to the brand identity.
Here is an example for each of the steps. I'm using a vegan protein powder product as an example.
1- Understand the product and its target market: If it is a vegan protein powder aimed at health-conscious millennials, the brand identity should reflect its values and appeal to its target audience.
2 - Research the competition: You could research other vegan protein powders on the market and see how they position themselves, what types of packaging and branding they use, and how they differentiate themselves from competitors.
3 - Define the brand's personality and tone: The brand's character could be energetic and vibrant, with a friendly and approachable manner.
4 - Create a mood board: The mood board could include images of vibrant fruits and vegetables, fitness models, and modern packaging designs to reflect the brand's energetic and health-focused personality.
5 - Develop the brand's visual elements: The logo could be a stylized letter V with a leaf incorporated into the design. The color palette could include shades of green and purple, and the typography could be modern and clean.
6 - Create a brand style guide: The style guide could outline the proper use of the logo, color palette, and typography, as well as provide examples of how the brand's visual elements should be used in different marketing materials.
7 - Test and refine the brand identity: You could conduct focus groups or surveys with the product's target audience to gather feedback on the brand identity and make any necessary adjustments based on their feedback.
Creating the perfect brand identity for a new product is a complex and challenging task. Still, by following these steps, you can create a brand identity that effectively communicates the product's message and resonates with its target audience. With a strong brand identity, your product will be well-positioned to succeed in a competitive market.
A well-researched and prepared brand identity document accurately reflects the values and personality of the company it represents. It should also be visually appealing and consistent across all touchpoints, including the company's website, packaging, and marketing materials.
As an example, a mobile application that provides its users with financial advice may include the following elements:
An introduction to the company and its mission: "XYZ Financial is a mobile app that provides users with personalized financial advice and tools to help them achieve their financial goals. Our mission is to empower people to take control of their finances and make smart, informed decisions."
A description of the target audience: "Our target audience is young professionals in their 20s and 30s looking for easy-to-use, accessible financial advice. Many users are just starting their careers and want to make the most of their money."
An overview of the app's features and benefits: "XYZ Financial offers a range of tools to help users track their spending, create budgets, and set financial goals. Our app also connects users with financial experts who can provide personalized advice and guidance. With XYZ Financial, users can take control of their finances and make progress towards their financial goals."
A review of the competitive landscape: "XYZ Financial is one of many financial advice apps on the market, but we believe we offer unique value to our users. Our app is easy to use and provides personalized advice, which sets us apart from competitors who offer generic, one-size-fits-all advice. We also have a strong focus on user experience and customer support, which differentiates us from competitors who may prioritize profits over their users' needs."
A proposed brand identity: "For XYZ Financial's brand identity, we propose a logo with a modern, clean design. The color scheme should be professional and trustworthy, with shades of blue and green. Our messaging should emphasize the personalized, accessible nature of our app and the importance of taking control of one's finances."
