How to Build a Strategic Brand Identity That Resonate
- Antonello Livrano
- Apr 13
- 6 min read
“A brand is the sum of all the feelings, perceptions, and experiences that a person has with a company, product, or service.” — Karl Heiselman
How to Build a Strategic Brand Identity That Resonates
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving market, building an authentic brand identity is crucial for long-term success. As Paul Rand states, “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand” — a truth that emphasizes how every visual element communicates your company’s values. Marty Neumeier, in “The Brand Gap,” adds an enlightening perspective: “A brand is not what you say it is. It’s what others say it is.” This reminds us that brand identity goes far beyond the logo or company colors — it is the sum of the perceptions, experiences, and emotions that your audience associates with your brand.
Jeff Bezos perfectly captures this essence when he says, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” This reflection highlights the critical importance of building an authentic and memorable brand identity that continues to resonate with the audience even when you’re not actively communicating.
In this article, we will explore how to build a strategic brand identity that resonates with your target audience and creates lasting connections.
1. Understand Your Core Values and Purpose
Before diving into visual aspects and messaging, it’s essential to define your brand’s core values and purpose. As Fabian Geyrhalter states, “A brand is nothing but an emotional connection with a product or service. If you can’t establish that emotional connection, you don’t have a brand.” Why does your brand exist? What does it represent? Understanding the “why” is the foundation of your brand identity.
Ask yourself these questions:
What problem does your brand solve for customers?
What makes your brand unique in a crowded market?
What are the values and principles that your brand considers fundamental?
The answers to these questions will serve as your guiding principles and should be reflected in every communication from your brand. A brand identity that resonates with people comes from a place of authenticity and clarity.
2. Know Your Target Audience
A strategic brand identity must resonate with your target audience. The key is to develop a deep understanding of your ideal customers that goes beyond simple demographics — you need to know their aspirations, behaviors, and deeper motivations.
By creating detailed profiles that capture these aspects, you will be able to shape every element of your brand — from messaging to tone of voice, to visual elements — to establish an authentic connection. As with personal relationships, the more you know your audience, the more effective your communication will be.
3. Create a Consistent Brand Message
Your brand message is the story you tell about your company. It must be clear, persuasive, and consistent across all touchpoints — from your website to social media, to in-store experience. In the age of multiple communication channels, it is crucial to leverage the unique features of each medium while maintaining a consistent message in tone of voice and a positive reputation for the brand.
Here are some elements to consider when creating your brand message:
Tone of voice: Are you formal, friendly, humorous, or professional? Your tone should reflect the personality and values of your brand.
Brand story: Share the narrative of how your brand was born, your journey, and how it connects to the needs of your audience.
Value proposition: What benefits do you offer your customers that others don’t? This should be clear and easily understandable.
Brand archetypes, a concept developed by Carl Jung and applied to marketing, provide a valuable framework for defining the brand’s tone of voice. By using archetypes like the Hero, the Sage, the Creator, or the Rebel, companies can quickly align their communication with universally recognized models that resonate emotionally with the audience.
Each archetype comes with a set of distinctive characteristics, values, and predefined ways of communicating. For example, a brand identifying with the Sage archetype will naturally use an authoritative and educational tone, while a Jester brand will adopt a lighter, more humorous tone. This approach simplifies initial decisions on tone of voice, providing a solid foundation to build a consistent brand identity.
4. Design Visual Elements That Reflect Your Brand
Visual identity is the first point of contact between the audience and your brand, playing a crucial role in shaping the overall perception. Every element — from the logo to the color palette, from typography to imagery — must accurately reflect the values and message of the brand.
As Massimo Vignelli, a master of Italian design, once said: “If you can design one thing, you can design anything.” This maxim underscores how design, particularly visual identity, is a universal language that requires consistency and meticulous care in every aspect. It’s important to remember that the visual elements of a strategic brand should emerge only after clearly defining, through careful textual and research analysis, the boundaries, objectives, audience, personality, and distinctive features of the brand.
Here are the essential visual elements of a brand:
Logo: The logo must be simple, memorable, and versatile. It should reflect the essence of your brand and be recognizable across all media.
Color palette: Choose colors that evoke the right emotions. Since colors have specific psychological associations, select shades that align with your brand’s personality.
Typography: The fonts should be legible, consistent, and convey the appropriate tone for your brand. A well-chosen typography can define a brand’s identity on its own.
Imagery: Images and graphics should be high quality and effectively support the brand’s narrative, maintaining visual consistency with the brand’s color and typography elements.
Today, another important visual element is added to the list, especially in the development of flexible and multi-channel brand visuals: motion design.
5. Create Emotional Connections Through Storytelling
Brand storytelling is a powerful tool for connecting with the audience on a deep level. People relate more easily to stories than to facts and statistics. An engaging narrative allows the audience to see your brand not just as a company, but as part of their personal journey.
A shining example of strategic storytelling comes from the Divine Comedy, where Dante created a universal narrative that embodies the fundamental principles of modern storytelling:
• The ability to weave together different stories (from the damned to the blessed) while maintaining a clear and coherent overarching vision
• The art of giving voice to different characters while preserving the integrity of the central message
• Mastery in creating deep emotional connections through authentic personal stories
• The ability to generate empathy in the audience through narratives that touch universal chords
This approach perfectly illustrates what a brand should do today: maintain a coherent narrative across different touchpoints, reinforcing the central message without ever betraying its core values.
Your brand story should:
Highlight challenges: Share the obstacles you’ve faced and how you overcame them.
Show human elements: People relate to other people. Share the story of your team, the founders, and give voice to your customers and their feedback.
Be authentic: Authenticity builds trust. Be honest and transparent in your storytelling, including moments of difficulty.
A brand identity that resonates is one that creates an authentic emotional connection with the audience, and storytelling is the tool that makes this connection possible.
6. Be Consistent Across All Channels
A strategic brand identity is only effective if it is consistent across all platforms. Whether your audience is interacting with your brand via your website, social media, packaging, or in-store experience, there should be a seamless experience.
Consistency builds trust. If your brand identity changes from one platform to another, it can confuse potential customers and damage your reputation. Ensure that visual elements and messages are unified across all touchpoints.
A shining example of brand consistency across channels comes from the Catholic Church, which can be considered one of the first modern brands in history. Its central message, codified in the Bible, maintains remarkable consistency while adapting over time through different interpretations. The strength of this consistency is manifested at every touchpoint:
• Official places (churches and places of worship): consistent architecture, symbols, and rituals
• Affiliated institutions (monasteries, religious schools): uniform transmission of core values
• Training (catechism): standardized messages for educating the faithful
• Word of mouth from the faithful: “satisfied customers” naturally become brand ambassadors, sharing personal testimonials that reinforce the central message
• Even detractors and critics: opposing voices generate debate and keep the brand at the center of attention, fueling discussions that increase visibility and social relevance
This ability to maintain a consistent message across millennia, diverse cultures, and multiple communication channels, while adapting to social changes, represents an exceptional case study of brand identity management.
7. Evolve with Your Audience
A brand identity should not be static. As your audience evolves, your brand should evolve with them. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your brand identity and be ready to make adjustments if needed. Stay alert to changes in consumer preferences, market trends, and technological innovations that may impact your brand.
This doesn’t mean changing your core values or message, but rather staying relevant and responsive to the needs of your audience.
An effective strategic brand identity is the result of a clear, authentic, and consistent vision that creates lasting connections with the audience.
Therefore, start by clarifying who you are as a brand, understanding your audience’s needs, and telling an engaging story through carefully crafted design and messaging. A well-built brand identity not only attracts customers — it will make them return for years to come.
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