How Do You Create A Memorable Brand Identity?

Walk down any high street, and you’ll spot certain brands instantly, even without reading their names. That swoosh, those golden arches, that distinctive shade of red. That’s not luck, that’s brand identity creation done brilliantly. But here’s the thing, most businesses get wrong: they think a logo and some matching colours are enough. It’s not even close. 

Your brand identity is the entire personality of your business. It’s what makes someone choose you over the competition, remember you weeks later, and recommend you to their mates. Whether you’re launching a startup or refreshing an established business, getting your brand identity right can mean the difference between blending in and standing out. 

This guide breaks down exactly how to create a brand identity that sticks in people’s minds, builds trust, and makes your business instantly recognisable.  

Need help bringing your brand to life across all your marketing materials? At Printingprogress, we combine award-winning design expertise with hands-on experience to help businesses craft identities that resonate. From logos and colour palettes to packaging and marketing materials, we ensure your brand tells a compelling story across every touchpoint. Give us a ring on 0800 999 1094 or drop us an email at info@printingprogress.co.uk. 

 

What Actually Makes A Brand Identity Memorable? 

For many new businesses, the temptation is to focus on visuals first, but the most memorable brands start with clarity and purpose. Understanding who you are, who you serve, and what makes you different lays a solid foundation that saves time, money, and frustration down the line. Branding done well, it sticks in minds, builds trust, and keeps customers coming back. 

• Define Your Mission, Vision, And Values: Knowing what your business stands for ensures every touchpoint reflects your purpose. 

• Understand Your Audience Deeply: Go beyond demographics and connect with what motivates your customers. 

• Identify Your Unique Market Position: Highlight what sets you apart from competitors to make your brand unmistakable. 

• Decide On Brand Personality And Tone Of Voice: Create a relatable personality that feels human and authentic. 

• Ensure Consistency Across All Platforms: Every interaction, from social media to brochures, should reinforce your identity. 

• Audit Current Brand Touchpoints: Regularly review materials to keep your messaging aligned and polished. 

 

The Essential Building Blocks Of Strong Brand Identity Creation 

Let’s get into the actual components that make up your brand identity. Each element needs to work both independently and as part of the bigger picture. Miss one and your brand feels incomplete, nail them all, and you’ve got something special. 

  

1. Your Brand StoryAnd Values Come First 

Every memorable brand has a story worth telling. Not some made-up corporate nonsense, but the real reason your business exists beyond making money. What problem are you solving? Why should anyone care? What do you stand for that your competitors don’t? 

Your brand values guide every decision you make, from which suppliers you work with to how you handle customer complaints. If “sustainability” is a core value, it needs to show up in your choice of materials, your packaging, and your entire operation. Cherry-picking values that sound good but don’t reflect reality will backfire spectacularly in today’s world, where customers can smell inauthenticity a mile off. 

 

2. Logo Design That Actually Works

Your logo is the face of your brand, but it’s not your entire identity. It needs to work across every application, from tiny social media avatars to massive vehicle graphics. That means simple often beats complicated, even if complicated feels more creative initially. 

A brilliant logo is memorable, appropriate for your industry, versatile across different sizes and backgrounds, and timeless enough that it won’t look dated in three years. Those trendy effects that look amazing right now? They might be cringe-worthy by next season. Classic design principles exist for good reason. 

 

3. Colour Psychology and Palette Selection 

Colours trigger emotional responses whether we realise it or not. Blue builds trust, which is why banks love it. Red creates urgency and excitement, perfect for food brands. Green suggests natural and eco-friendly. Your colour choices should align with the feelings you want customers to associate with your brand. 

Pick a primary colour that becomes synonymous with your business, then build a complementary palette around it. This usually includes two or three secondary colours plus neutral tones. Document the exact colour codes (CMYK for print, RGB for digital, HEX for web) so everything matches perfectly across different applications. 

Using slightly different shades of your brand blue across various materials looks amateurish and dilutes recognition. Professional printing services ensure your colours stay true across everything from business cards to banners. 

 

4. Typography That Reflects Your Personality

Fonts communicate personality before anyone reads a single word. Serif fonts feel traditional and trustworthy. Sans-serif fonts appear modern and clean. Script fonts suggest elegance or creativity.  

Choose one font for headlines and another for body text, ensuring they complement each other without competing. Avoid using more than three different fonts across your brand materials; it looks messy and confuses your visual identity. 

Your typography needs to work across all your printed materials, from tiny text on business cards to large-format signage. Legibility always trumps creativity. If people can’t read your marketing materials easily, your message gets lost, no matter how stylish the font looks. 

 

5. Visual Style and Imagery Guidelines 

How you use imagery shapes how people perceive your brand. Are your photos light and bright or moody and dramatic? Do you use illustrations, photography, or a mix? Are people always smiling, or is your vibe more serious and professional? 

Establishing clear guidelines for imagery keeps your brand looking cohesive across everything from your website to your printed brochures. This includes decisions about filters, composition styles, subject matter, and even what you deliberately avoid showing. 

 

6. Tone Of Voice and Messaging 

How you speak to customers forms a massive part of your brand identity. Are you formal or friendly? Do you use industry jargon or plain English? Are you cheeky or straightforward? Your tone should match both your audience and your brand personality. 

Write down specific guidelines about language use. If your brand is approachable and down-to-earth, you might use contractions and conversational phrases. If you’re positioning as premium and exclusive, your language might be more polished and sophisticated. Whatever you choose, stick with it everywhere: your website copy, social media posts, printed marketing materials, and even how your team answers the phone. 

 

7. Brand Guidelines That Keep Everything Consistent

Once you’ve established all these elements, document them properly. A brand guidelines document (sometimes called a brand book) explains exactly how to use each component. It covers logo variations, colour specifications, typography rules, imagery style, tone-of-voice examples, and what not to do. 

This becomes invaluable as your business grows. When you’re working with designers, printers, web developers, or marketing agencies, you can simply hand over your brand guidelines, and everyone stays on the same page. It protects your brand from well-meaning but off-brand interpretations. 

 

Create Your Stand-Out Brand With Printingprogress 

Building a memorable brand identity takes strategy, creativity, and flawless execution across all your materials. At Printingprogress, we’ve spent years helping businesses across the UK develop and deliver brand identities that genuinely connect with their audiences. Our team brings over 50 years of combined experience in graphic design, illustration, and professional printing. We even offer web design services to extend your brand identity seamlessly into the digital space.  

Call us on 0800 999 1094 or email us at info@printingprogress.co.uk. We offer free nationwide delivery, and we genuinely love talking through brand ideas, so wherever you’re based in the UK, get in touch.