Creating a brand identity isn’t easy. You need to balance the needs of your business with the aesthetic of your brand so that everything works together to convey a single message. It’s not an easy process and requires a lot of thought and consideration. 

Whether you’re just starting out or are looking for ways to refresh your current brand identity, it’s important to avoid making these common mistakes when creating one. Creating a strong brand identity is essential for almost any business, big or small, new or established. 

The stronger your company’s identity, the easier time you’ll have expanding into new markets and selling to new customers with common tastes and interests. 

Your brand identity should be something that endures for years to come-not something that you have to revisit again in six months because you rushed it or didn’t give it enough attention upfront. 

The following are some common pitfalls that many businesses make when creating their brand identities, as well as advice on how you can avoid them :

Not knowing exactly what you want

The first and most important step in creating a strong brand identity is knowing exactly what you want it to look like. If you try to create a logo or slogan without a clear idea of what you want your brand to actually do, you’ll end up with something that doesn’t really represent anything. 

Your brand needs to have a clear purpose. It needs to be able to tell people why it exists and what it does. Your goal here shouldn’t be to create a brand that’s cool or trendy - it needs to be able to stand the test of time. You want to create something that will still be relevant decades from now. 

People change. Trends come and go. But a good brand identity outlasts all of that. It can stand the test of time because it isn’t just a logo or slogan - it’s a carefully crafted message that’s designed to resonate with customers for years to come and stand out in the marketplace.

Focusing too much on looks

Creating a brand identity involves a lot more than just picking a font or a color scheme. 

It isn’t about just making something look pretty - it’s about making something that conveys the message you want to send. 

The aesthetics of your brand are important, but they aren’t the only important part. You need to think about things like the tone of voice you plan to use, the types of images you plan to use, and the general message you want your brand to send. 

Choosing the right font and color scheme can help you achieve those goals, but it isn’t the only thing you need to be thinking about. A good way to avoid this mistake is to focus on your target audience. 

Think about who you’re trying to reach. What do they like ? What do they care about ? What are their interests ? 

Once you have a better idea of who your target customers are, it’ll be much easier to decide what your brand should look like.

Using common fonts and shapes

Like we mentioned above, it’s important to think about more than just the aesthetics of your brand. You also want to make sure that every element you choose has a reason for being there. 

For example, you might think that choosing a common font is a good idea because lots of other brands use it too.

But why are those brands using that font ? What does it represent ? If you don’t have a good reason for using it, you’re better off picking something else. You also need to think about shapes. 

Many logo designs use geometric shapes to convey a certain message or elicit a particular response. The FedEx logo, for example, uses a specific arrow shape because the company wanted to convey speed and precision. 

If you have a message you want to send and an idea about your brand guidelines, choosing geometric shapes that send that message is a good idea. If you just choose common shapes, they won’t have any real significance.

Developing a voice only after your visual elements are determined

As we mentioned above, you also need to think about the tone of voice you plan to use. Your brand has a voice, and you want to make sure that it’s consistent across every platform and medium. 

Your website, social media accounts, pamphlets, marketing materials, and more should all have the same voice. If you start developing a voice and then try to create a logo or slogan after that, you’re likely to make mistakes. 

It’ll be much easier if you focus on the voice first and then create a logo and slogan that complement that voice.

Failing to plan ahead for the long term

Finally, it’s important to plan ahead for the long term. You want to create a brand identity that will last for years and evolve as the business changes. You don’t want to be stuck with the same logo and slogan for the next fifteen years. 

Instead, you want to create something that you can update over time. While updating your brand identity isn’t a necessity, it can be a good idea over time as circumstances change. You might hire a new marketing manager or CEO. 

Your business might expand into new product lines. Your target customers might change as generations go through life cycles. You don’t want to be stuck with the same brand identity for years without any ability to evolve. 

Instead, you want to create a strong identity that allows you to adapt as time goes on.

Our final words

A brand identity isn’t something that can be created in an afternoon. It requires careful consideration, thought, and a willingness to put in the time and effort to get it right. 

It’s important to avoid making these common mistakes when creating a brand identity so that you create something that lasts years and is capable of adapting to new situations and circumstances.