What is a brand identity?
Written by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo, the founders of Urban Media, Melbourne. Updated .
A brand identity is everything a customer sees and hears that tells them who you are: the logo, the colours, the type, the photos and the way you write.
A logo alone is not an identity. It is the part people point at.
The parts of a brand identity
- Name: what you are called, checked and free to use.
- Logo: the mark, in versions that work on dark and light, big and small.
- Colour: a small palette you use every time.
- Type: one or two fonts, always the same.
- Voice: how you write and how you talk to a customer.
- Photography: the look of the pictures you use.
Why it matters when you are new
A new business has no track record, so the way it looks is most of what a stranger has to judge it by. A consistent identity makes a small business read as established. A mix of fonts, colours and styles reads as a side project.
What you need on day one
- A name that has cleared the checks.
- A logo in a few files, including one with a transparent background.
- Your colour palette written down, with the exact codes.
- Your fonts named.
- A handful of real photos of you, your work or your space.
What can wait
A full brand book, a motion logo and a large photo library can wait until the business is trading. Our brand guidelines guide covers what to write down so it stays consistent as you grow.
More guides for new businesses
- Logo or website first for a new business
- What to do after registering an ABN
- New business launch checklist, Melbourne
- How to name a business in Australia
- Business name vs company name in Australia
- Do I need a website for a small business
- Brand guidelines for a small business
- How to get your first customers as a new business
- Google Business Profile for a new business
- How much a new business should spend on ads
- Website checklist before you launch a small business site
- What photos a new business needs
- Landing page or website for ads
- Social media profiles for a new business
- How to start a business in Melbourne
- How to start a clothing brand in Australia
- How to register a brand name in Australia
- Do I need an ABN to start a business in Australia
- Sole trader or company in Australia
- Do I need to register for GST
- How to choose a .com.au domain name
- How to get a logo for a new business
- Business email for a new business
- Privacy policy for a small business website in Australia
- What to post on social media when you start a business
- Setting up a business in Victoria
All of them are on the guides page.
Who is behind this
Urban Launch is built and run by Urban Media (ABN 28 169 446 902), a Melbourne studio founded by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo. Urban Media makes video, design and websites for clients including Box Hill United, Brighton Grammar and Porsche Club Victoria.
If you want to talk to the people doing the work, call 0456 785 904. More about who we are, and how to check us, is on the About page.
Common questions
- Do I need a brand before I get a website?
- Not before you come to us, because we do both, in order. We lock what you sell and who it is for first (the Offer Lock), then build your brand, then the website on top of it. If you only want a logo, Urban Launch is not the right fit.
- Is a logo the same as a brand?
- No. A logo is one part of a brand identity. The brand is also the colours, type, voice and photos, and above all how customers experience you.
- Can I design my own logo?
- You can, and some new businesses do to start. The risk is a mark that is hard to use at small sizes or that looks like something else. Check the name first and keep the files organised so a designer can take over later.
Start with a Launch Call
Live and generating enquiries within 45 days, or we keep working at no extra cost until you are. The Launch Call is where we check it is the right fit before we book anything in. For a real example, read the Airwize case study (12 conversions, meaning leads that became sales, in the first month of Google Ads from $70 of ad spend, our figures). You can also read how a launch package compares with hiring separately, or go to the packages and prices on the homepage.
More: Brand and website package, Melbourne, Startup package for a new business, Melbourne, Branding, website and photography package, Melbourne.