Carving a strong brand is important for companies to stand out among their competitors, and brands put in creative efforts to achieve this. When defining a brand, Brand elements play a vital role in establishing its identity in the market.

What are brand elements?

Often considered the building blocks of a brand, Brand elements are parts of a brand and help connect the audience and the brand—this could be through the brand name, logo, color, etc. These elements define the brand perception in the market and establish a recall value for the brand by creating a consistent and recognizable identity that resonates with consumers.

When customers encounter these elements, whether it's through a logo, a catchy jingle, or the brand’s signature color palette, they instantly recognize and associate them with the brand. This consistency helps to build brand awareness, trust, and familiarity, making it easier for customers to choose the brand over its competitors.

What are the types of brand elements?

Brand Name

Crafting a great brand starts with its name.

I’m sure you’d have mentioned "just Google it" at least once in your lifetime. Such is the power of a brand name; Google has become synonymous with searching on the Internet!

Brand names hold great significance in a product’s identity. They are often the first point of contact, creating an immediate impression and forming a picture of what the company or product can do in the consumer’s mind as and when they recall it. Here are some key pointers for a good brand name:

The brand name should be short, easy to pronounce, and memorable and assist in winning brand equity.
Brand name should reflect the persona of the brand and align with the brand values.
It should resonate with the target audience - make sure to address the global audience if the intent is to go worldwide.

Recognize the term below?

Yes! That is a brand and not actually the product's name! That’s how brand names eventually become part of the consumer's language.

Brand Taglines

Brands use taglines to speak directly with their target audience. They capture the essence and often set the tone of the brand's communication. These taglines are usually catchy one-liners crafted in straightforward language to instill the brand's value proposition.

Brands use these taglines in their ads and brand communication to drive home the message they want the consumers to hold about the brand.

Here's a great example of MasterCard's tagline, which encapsulates the brand's actions and the emotion it targets. It is crafted in simple language that is easy to understand and remember.

Brand Logo

Your brand’s logo is at the forefront of its visual communication. Logos are a key brand element as they help consumers instantly recognize the brand. A well-designed logo captures the brand values, offering, and business name while being easy to consume and recognize.

There are different types of brand logos that you can choose from:

Wordmark - think of something like Coca-Cola; the logo essentially consists of the entire brand name.
Lettermark - These types of logos are usually single letters that represent the brand. A classic example would be the letter ‘A’ used by Adobe or HBO.
Symbol - You can also pick a dedicated symbol, such as how Nike used the check symbol to build a brand.

A brand's logo can be a combination of these too. Here’s Amazon’s logo representing its strength in its wide range of product availability

Color and design language

At the core of establishing a brand identity, it is important to define your brand’s color and design language. This includes the design style, icon styles, illustrations, photography, animations, etc. The design language is at the core of the brand elements as it directly impacts other elements such as the logo, visual creatives, typography, etc.

Consistency in using the color and design elements determines how the brand will be perceived by the consumers. Brands create a complete design guideline to establish a brand kit, which acts as the bible for any design in the brand’s campaigns.

ClickUp uses multiple colors in its design and has a consistent design language across its website, social media, and other marketing collateral, making it easy to recognize

Typography

Typography is more than just choosing a font; it's about expressing our brand’s personality. This is another powerful brand element that directly interacts with consumers' visual perception of your brand. The fonts set the tone for the brand and, therefore, should be picked with great importance, as they affect the design language.

Consistent typography ensures a strong brand experience for your consumers who interact with your brand daily.

Miro, a collaboration tool, uses Roobert Pro, a tweaked sans-serif font that sets the brand's tone. The brand is building a product that focuses on bringing down chaos in the workspace and offering a more relaxed approach to work. Notice in the example below how the fonts and copy offer a relaxed tone to the entire creative.

Tone and voice

A brand’s personality is determined by its tone and voice. Imagine the brand as a person and determine how it will interact with consumers. Is the brand going to be funny? Quirky? Professional? Brand tone and voice are usually determined by an in-depth understanding of the target market and audience. The brand’s tone is just a reflection of how its consumers actually speak.

Getting this brand element right is very important for the business as it impacts the brand's perception. Once set, the same tone is used consistently across all brand communication channels.

Remember the old spice ads? Old Spice always uses a very deep, deterministic male voice for its ads to position itself as a masculine brand

Here’s another well-known example—notice the handle’s description! Ryan Air is known for its humor and savage responses, thus propelling its organic presence in X. Consumers are aware of the tone and continue to interact with the brand, expecting a joyful response.

Product Physical Shape

The product's physical shape holds a significant share of the consumer's mind as it dictates the look and feel of the product; it presents an opportunity to differentiate from the competition in a cluttered market. This can be achieved with the packaging or in the product itself. Unique product packaging grabs the attention of the consumers and acts as a hook to try the product out. Generally, these product shapes & packaging are patented and are harder to replicate. At the core of these designs, the product's functionality takes precedence, followed by the ergonomics and aesthetics of the product.

A great example of this branding element is the famous beverage brand Coca-Cola, which challenged glass companies in the US to craft a unique bottle shape that is easily recognizable by its look and feel.

Audio elements

Audio branding, or sonic branding, is a branding method that uses sound as a brand element to differentiate your brand in the market. With the amount of visual clutter in the market, sounds often have higher retention among consumers and trigger quick brand recalls. These unique sounds are less than 5 seconds in length and support the brand animation when they are shown on air or in ads.

Some brands like Cadbury Redbull leverage audio branding by creating catchy jingles that connect instantly with the target audience. Here’s an example from our daily lives - The Netflix sound! Tudum' (or 'Ta-dum')! Every time we hear this, we know someone is watching Netflix, and our brains quickly draw the picture of the logo or the last show we watched - such is the power of audio branding.

How to Build Your Brand Elements?

Building brand elements is an elaborate process that requires a deep understanding of multiple factors. Here are some key pointers to keep in mind while developing yours:

Know Your Audience - Understand who they are, what they need, and what they value. Tailor your brand to meet their expectations.
Understanding Competitors - Analyze what your competitors are doing well and where they fall short. Use this insight to differentiate your brand.
Define Positioning for Your Brand - Determine how you want to be perceived in the market. Highlight your unique value and benefits.
Define Brand Values and Goals - Clarify what your brand stands for and what it aims to achieve. Ensure these align with your audience’s values.
Construct Brand Perception - Consistently apply your brand elements to shape how people see and experience your brand. Maintain coherence across all touchpoints.