Branding, Identity Design, and Logos: What’s the Difference?

  • What is a Brand?

    A brand is how people perceive your company. It’s the reputation you build through your values, products, services, and even customer interactions. Your brand encompasses everything from the impression left by your website and logo to what someone says about your business after an experience. In short, it’s the sum of all encounters that shape the way others think about your business.

    While you can’t control everything, such as what someone might say about you in passing, "branding" is about influencing that perception as much as possible.

  • What is a Brand Identity?

    Brand identity is the set of visual and verbal elements that define your brand. It’s what makes your business instantly recognisable. Think of it like your business’s ID—proving it's uniquely yours through consistent use of tangible elements like your logo, colour scheme, fonts, and messaging style.

    These components are typically documented in a brand style guide, which ensures everyone sticks to the right visuals and messaging across all mediums—from websites to packaging.

  • What is a Logo?

    A logo is a visual mark that symbolises your company. It’s often the most recognisable part of your brand identity, acting as a shorthand for everything your business stands for. It doesn’t need to explain everything you do; rather, it serves as an identifier that sparks recognition and evokes associations people have formed over time.

As a brand identity designer, my role is to create the strategic elements that make up your brand identity - your logo, colour palette, typography, imagery, and tone of voice, all tailored to be unique to your business. While I can't manage your operations or hire your team, I can influence how the public perceives your business by crafting a distinctive, cohesive visual presence.

What Do Brand Identity Designers Do?

Whether you’re launching a new business or looking to update an established brand, investing in professional identity design can be a game changer. While businesses that thrive purely on word-of-mouth may not need to focus heavily on visual branding, in competitive markets or industries where appearance matters, such as fashion, hospitality, or tech-strong branding can increase your impact and sales.

Benefits of Hiring a Brand Identity Designer

Identity Design Starts with Strategy

A successful brand identity doesn’t stop at just a logo. It’s a complete system, carefully designed to align with your business strategy. The style of your branding should reflect your values, your audience, and what makes your business unique. What’s the core message of your business? Who are your ideal customers? How will we reach them, and what will resonate with them?

By answering these questions, we create a brand identity that connects your business with your audience, encouraging them to engage, buy, and promote what you do.

I work with clients to translate their vision into a brand identity that moves people to action, helping them fall in love with your business and what you stand for.

Benefits of hiring a brand identity designer for your business

Perhaps you’re a small business starting from scratch, or you’ve been operating for years and are now questioning whether it’s time to update your brand identity. After all, your current identity has worked for you so far so is it really worth investing in a new design?

For businesses that rely purely on local referrals, and are content with that, it might not be necessary. Think of tradespeople like plumbers, mechanics, or dentists. If their service is excellent, few will care about their visual branding.

However, if you're in a competitive market, or in an industry where aesthetics and messaging can directly impact your revenue, like food and drink, hospitality, fashion, technology, financial services, or health and wellness, an identity designer could be invaluable. You may need a brand refresh if your mission has evolved, your target audience has changed, your products and services are different, you face new competition, or you’re looking to reshape your reputation. Or perhaps your brand identity is simply outdated, and it no longer resonates with your audience. In any case, a fresh look can signal the beginning of a new chapter for your business.

Stand Out

Add your pricing strategy. Be sure to include important details like value, length of service, and why it’s unique.

Ignite Desire

A visually appealing brand that speaks to your audience can attract attention and resonate with potential customers.

Build Loyalty

Add your pricing strategy. Be sure to include important details like value, length of service, and why it’s unique.

Appear Established

Even if you’re a new business, the right identity design can project a sense of longevity and reliability.