brand-identity

Brand identity

A young brand has to be clear and easy to remember before it has to be beautiful. This skill starts from the positioning, proposes names that can be protected, and produces a simple visual direction the founder can use on a landing page this week.

When to use

• Once the target and the promise are known, usually after the first validation.
• Before building a landing-page or a pitch-deck.
• Not too early: a name and a logo do not test demand (startup-roadmap flags it).

Inputs

1. Target customer, problem, promise and three competitors.
2. Three to five words that describe the personality the founder wants.
3. Constraints: languages and countries, budget, assets that already exist.

Method

1. Write the brand core: target, promise in one line, proof (why people should believe it), personality in three adjectives, and what the brand is not.
2. Generate names in several styles (descriptive, invented, metaphor, compound word): 10 to 15 candidates, then a shortlist of three to five that are short, easy to say and spell in the target languages, and free of unwanted meanings in those languages.
3. List the checks for each finalist, and run them when web access is available: trademark databases (INPI in France, OEPM in Spain, EUIPO and TMview for the European Union, the WIPO Global Brand Database worldwide), company registries, domain names and social media handles. A name that looks free in a quick search is not legally cleared: recommend a professional search before investing in it.
4. Define the voice: formal or casual (tu or vous, tú or usted), words to use and words to avoid, and two example sentences.
5. Set a visual direction: two or three colors with their hex codes, with a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for body text (WCAG level AA); one or two typefaces whose license allows commercial use (for example from Google Fonts); the mood, described in words rather than copied from another brand.
6. Sketch logos in SVG: two or three simple concepts (a wordmark, a symbol with a wordmark) that stay readable at 32 pixels and work in one color. Present them as starting points for a designer, not as final logos, and avoid any resemblance to existing marks.
7. Show it in use: a mock header of the landing page or a social media profile, so that the founder can judge the identity in context.

Output

### Brand core
Target: … | Promise: … | Proof: … | Personality: … | Not: …

### Name shortlist
| Name | Style | Why it works | Checks to run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|

### Voice
…

### Visual direction
Colors: #… (text contrast …:1) | Typefaces: … (license) | Mood: …

### Logo sketches
<two or three inline SVG concepts, readable at 32 px>

Quality bar

• No name is called available or protectable without a real search, and a professional clearance is recommended before filing.
• Text colors pass the WCAG AA contrast ratio; every typeface has a license that allows commercial use.
• Logo sketches are original, simple and readable at small sizes.
• The identity follows from the positioning, not from trends.
• Written in the user's language, with the terms below.

Terminology

English	Français	Español
Brand identity	Identité de marque	Identidad de marca
Brand platform	Plateforme de marque	Plataforma de marca
Trademark	Marque déposée	Marca registrada
Logo, wordmark	Logo, logotype	Logotipo
Brand guidelines	Charte graphique	Manual de identidad visual
Tone of voice	Ton de la marque	Tono de voz

Sources

• Wheeler, A. (2017). Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team (5th ed.). Wiley.
• Neumeier, M. (2006). The Brand Gap (Rev. ed.). New Riders.
• W3C. (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
• WIPO Global Brand Database: https://branddb.wipo.int