You can define branding as ‘promotion of a company, product or service through distinctive design and marketing messages’.
Many people see branding as simply the creation of a logo and colour scheme, but it goes far beyond graphical components – it is really about creating meaning and a feeling amongst your target audience.
From a marketing perspective, branding is a combination of a company’s name, sign / symbol / logo, colour scheme, strapline and overall design, as well as the way you communicate with customers and conduct your business.
The purpose of branding, as opposed to advertising or the wider concept of marketing, is to build company awareness, memorability and customer loyalty.
When building a brand identity, a company will often be looking to develop an emotional response in its customers and the all important ‘know, like and trust’ factor.
A company that achieves this brand loyalty can benefit from being the ‘only choice’ for its customer, as opposed to being considered amongst other product or service providers based on a balance of benefits vs cost.