Everyone has a brand, whether they realize it or not. You may be sick of hearing how your business needs to make a brand, or how you need to be aware of your own personal brand, but people talk about these things for a reason: branding is important.
Distinctive Visuals
Perhaps the first thing you notice about a brand is the visuals. If you own a business you may make your own custom signs that reflect your brand. As an individual, everything from the clothes you wear to the way you carry yourself creates a distinctive visual brand. It happens whether you mean it to or not, so you may as well take charge and do it on purpose.
Verbal Cues
A brand isn’t just a cohesive visual appearance, it’s also a coherent and consistent narrative. For companies that narrative is built with slogans, jingles, and even the voices used to communicate those verbal cues. For you, in your personal life, you are probably well known for certain kinds of jokes or specific turns of phrase. Your friends may even pick up those verbal cues themselves, unwittingly buying into your brand.
Signature Tone
Visual and verbal cues work together to create a tone. Brand happens at the intersection of those two things. If you have conflicting visuals and verbal cues, the brand may fall apart, but that doesn’t mean you should be monotonous. A touch of retro visuals can make your modern brand look fresh and appealing. People like contrast, if it’s complimentary.
There is another reason why people talk about branding: it’s fun. Taking charge of your brand, whether for business or personal reasons, is ultimately a kind of self-expression. It’s about communicating what you consider most important. With the right branding, you can tell everyone everything they need to know about you without needing to explain.