What is the Difference Between Brand Identity and Visual Identity?
When you hear the word “branding,” what comes to mind?
Logos?
Colors?
Typography?
Imagery?
If so, you’re not alone. When most people think of branding, they’ll usually picture their organization’s visual identity—in other words, the way they look.
More Than Meets the Eye
Your visual identity is important. It’s part of what attracts people and it’s also how they recognize you. Ideally, the way you look also communicates a lot about who you are and what you care about.
But just like there’s more to every book than its cover, there’s more to who you are than the way you look.
The truth is, your brand identity is all of the above: who you are, how you look, the way you act, and how others perceive you.
In a perfect world, these aspects of your brand are all in alignment—that’s what we call “authenticity.” But even as individuals, authenticity can be difficult to achieve. For nonprofit brands—with their multiple stakeholders, audiences, and objectives—it can be even harder.
Looking Within
Just like the way you dress each morning or the way you style your hair, your visual identity doesn’t need to communicate everything about your brand, but it should express the essence of who you are.
But you cannot express your essence if you are not aware of what that is. With brands—as with people—authentic self-expression begins with self-awareness.
Try This:
Make a list of 5-6 words that describe your visual identity —or the way you look.
Next, make a list of words that describe the essence of your brand—that is, who you are at your core.
Are there any words or ideas that appear on both lists? Are there any obvious conflicts or omissions?
Note your observations and concerns and use this as a jumping off point for a conversation with your leadership, board, and/or marketing team.
We hope you find this exercise helpful. To learn more about branding for nonprofits, check out our Branding service page or explore our free brand resources.
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