Brand Glossary

Branding

Dec 19

The most important branding terms explained

The world of branding is complicated. It’s filled with jargon, noise and quite frankly a lot of misinformation. And that leads to a huge problem: Business owners invest in things they don’t really need.

I recently had an inquiry in my inbox from a business owner who told me she had spent so much money on logo after logo, but none of them gave her results. Because what she actually needed wasn't a logo, but a clear strategy on how to move her brand forward and an action plan to reposition her brand (in jargon we call that brand strategy). And there are many cases like hers.

It’s so easy to get lost in the jungle of branding hacks, quick solutions and industry jargon you don’t understand. But as a business owner, you have better things to do than research brand terminology. That’s why I’ve created this handy Branding Glossary. Understanding the most important branding terms will help you to navigate this jungle more efficiently and invest in solutions that actually move your business forward.

Brand

A brand is the perception people have of your business, product or service.

Brand Collateral

Brand collateral is an umbrella term for various branded items that are used to raise awareness for your business, such as stationery (business cards, envelopes, thank you cards, etc.), signage, packaging, promotional items, printed and digital brochures, catalogs, lookbooks, etc. The possibilities are near limitless.

Brand design

Brand Design is the visual expression of a brand. It helps to communicate the deeper meaning and purpose of the business, product or service by using visual cues, such as colors and typography.

Branding and brand design are often colloquially used synonymously, but brand design is just one aspect of branding (see branding). Other aspects of branding include messaging, positioning, copywriting, photography, and more.

Brand designer

A Brand designer creates the visual expression of the brand. Every designer’s process and approach is different, but typically the designer will first gather information about the brand and distill that into a creative strategy/creative direction (see: creative strategy/creative direction) that serves as the guide for the design. The design is then created and presented in one or more concepts (learn more about the one concept method here).

Brand designers can also create a variety of brand collateral (see brand collateral).

Brand identity

Also known as: visual identity, corporate identity

A brand identity is a set of visual elements* that form the brand design. It typically consists of logos and different logo variations (learn more about logo variations here), a color palette and a selection of fonts. It can also include brand-specific illustrations, patterns or other visual elements that are associated with the brand.

*A brand identity can also include other sensory markers, such as specific sounds and smells. However, most commonly it refers to the visual markers.

Brand strategist

Also known as: brand consultant

A brand strategist helps businesses to uncover their target audience, purpose and values, usually by facilitating one or more workshops. The strategist then devises the brand strategy (see brand strategy), the plan on how to shape the perception of the target audience.

A brand strategist is a problem solver and helps businesses to create a clear path on how they can reach their goals. But please note that they are not typically involved in the implementation of the strategy. They are consultants first and foremost.

Just like every designer has their own unique approach and process, the same is true for brand strategists, so make sure to find a good brand strategist for your needs.

Some brand designers, like me, are also brand strategists, which means that I first create the brand strategy plus a creative direction (see creative strategy/direction) and then create the brand design. But typically, brand strategist and brand designer are separate positions. You should ideally first have a solid brand strategy before investing in design.

Brand strategy

Brand strategy is a plan on how to shape the perception of a business, product or service.

Based on the target audience, the deeper purpose and values of the business, brand strategy serves as the guideline for the behavior and expression of the brand. It helps the business to differentiate and position itself in its market. It aims to answer the question of why people should care about your business, product or service.

It’s the foundation of the brand.

Brand style guide

Also known as: Brand Guidelines

Brand style guide or brand guidelines are often used interchangeably. They refer to a set of instructions on how to consistently apply your visual elements. Basically, it’s the manual for using your brand design.

Brand guidelines can additionally include instructions that go beyond the visuals. It can be a more in-depth manual on how to express your brand consistently across all mediums and touchpoints.

Brand touchpoints

A touchpoint is any point of contact with your audience or customers. Wherever your audience interacts with your business in some shape way or form is a touchpoint. The most common key touchpoint are websites, social media and brick-and-mortar stores, but it can be anything from a spontaneous conversation about your business with a stranger to an ad. Identifying key touchpoints is important to create a cohesive brand experience.

Branding

Branding is the continuous process of shaping the perception people have of your business. For example, through your content, your copy, your photography, your design, the experience you create and the interactions your business has with people.

Note how design is just one piece of the puzzle.

Copywriter

A writer for websites, ads or other marketing materials. The words your brand uses (the copy) are just as important as the design.

creative direction

Also known as: Art direction, creative strategy or brand strategy*

These terms usually refer to the strategic plan that outlines how to express a brand visually. The designer will gather information that helps them to translate the brand into design elements, such as logo, colors and typography.

*Beware: Creative strategy is only one aspect of brand strategy, but often they will be used synonymously. Make sure you know which one you’ll get before booking a designer. See brand strategy and brand strategist for more information.

Graphic designer

A graphic designer creates visual concepts that convey information. They are often generalists, meaning that they can create a wide variety of graphics for different use cases outside of branding. They typically work off of a brief and create concepts based on the requirements given to them by the client.

Because they lack the specialization of a brand designer, it’s best to work with a general graphic designer when you already have an established brand design and need someone to create additional collateral pieces in the established style or make updates to existing designs (when your brand designer isn’t available or doesn’t offer maintenance).

Graphic designer is also commonly used as an umbrella term for various types of designers, such as brand designers and packaging designers.

Logo / brand marks

Logos and brand marks are symbols or graphics that represent a company or organization. They make it easy to identify and recognize a brand. In today's digital age it’s important that a logo comes in different variations so it can be used in different sizes and spaces. For more information go here.

Marketing / Marketing strategy

Marketing is all activities of a company to promote and sell its products or services. And the marketing strategy is the action plan for doing that. While there’s often overlap in the various strategies and plans, marketing and brand strategy are not the same. The brand strategy is broader and long-term and looks at all aspects of the brand, both internal and external, whereas marketing strategies are focused entirely on promotions, like a social media campaign for example.

Please note that there are no universal definitions for any of these terms. But hopefully, these give you a good starting point in better understanding branding. Sign up for the Uncover Your Brand Essence Masterclass to learn more about the foundations of branding and how to make your own brand more impactful.