Developing a resonant brand identity is an important catalyst for a company’s success. But what does it mean to have a brand that resonates? A company could have a truly spectacular product led by a brilliant team, but if the company cannot develop a brand identity that properly conveys the benefits of their solutions then they may fail to gain traction.
A brand is a call to action. A declaration of one’s presence. It is a signal to your competitors and a beacon for your audiences. It is the vehicle that informs the public about your capabilities and builds trust in them.
Consider this unsolicited perspective from designers that care deeply about developing resonant brands identities. Every brand is unique based on a multitude of factors, and thus the path to ensuring its success is equally unique. In knowing this, we’ve compiled some tried-and-true guidelines to consider when it comes to building an outstanding brand.
Reason #1: Making good on your brand promise.
A brand identity consists of many moving parts, from the visual identity, tone of voice, all the way down to corporate values. All of this is built on the premise of a brand promise.
A brand promise states the purpose and value that audiences can expect from your brand. It shapes customer perception, builds trust, and acts as a guiding principle for the company to follow. It is the foundation for all of your brand building, and it starts with one simple phrase.
The brand promise should be a mantra that companies reflect on with every decision they make, from product design all the way down to marketing communications. It can be pragmatic, practical or aspirational, but above all else it should be the most concise explanation of your purpose and place in people’s lives.
For context, here are a few examples you have no doubt heard before:
- “The World’s Most Refreshing Beer.” – Coors Light
- “15 minutes or less can save you 15% or more on car insurance.” – Geico
- “Think Different.” – Apple
- “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” – BMW
- “The Judgement Free Zone” – Planet Fitness
- “We provide for environmentally responsible adventure.” – Patagonia
Successful brands recognize the importance of a brand promise because it serves as a reminder to fulfill that promise to customers and employees each and every day.
Reason #2: Being in tune with the needs of your audience.
It isn’t enough to simply have a compelling product or offering, or a visually stellar brand identity. Those attributes can be seen as all flash and no substance without properly conveying the benefits they can provide to customers. Understanding and fulfilling the needs of your audience is the fulcrum point of enabling brand success.
People are mired with numerous choices and distractions each and every day. Cutting through that noise starts with identifying and understanding their needs so that you can demonstrate how your capabilities will improve their daily lives.
Authenticity is paramount for an audience to see a brand as trustworthy. Proving to be a honest, relatable, and resourceful are important steps to encouraging brand success.
Reason #3: Make every point of engagement meaningful.
Consider the myriad of ways that brands interact with the public on a daily basis. We are constantly being marketed to through a barrage of sources at every moment of the day. Whether you are scrolling through social media, listening to a podcast, commuting to work or enjoying a sporting event, brands are always trying to impress upon their audiences and form connections.
There’s no telling where one might start their path to engagement with a particular brand, so developing a brand and content strategy that demonstrates the brand promise at each of those junctions is a path to success. It doesn’t stop there though. Trust isn’t secured through that one interaction. It requires consistent cross-channel follow through.
For example, someone’s first point of engagement may be a social media post that resonated with their particular needs. They may interact with that post, then go to the website to learn more and validate the source as a credible business. From there, they could sign up for a newsletter to stay informed. Continuing to provide thoughtful and engaging content without pressuring the prospect to reach out or make a purchase could be a path to proving one’s authenticity. Even something as simple as responsiveness and helpfulness if the prospect reaches out with a question before or after a purchase builds continued brand loyalty.
All of these touch points are opportunities to prove your value and demonstrate your place in people’s lives, and thus all of them should be approached with a high level of care and quality.
Reason #4: Recognizing that a brand is much more than a logo.
Perhaps the most common misconception when it comes to building a brand is the belief that the visual identity is the sole driver of brand adoption. A brand’s logo is the symbolic representation of their brand promise. While this is the foundational center-point of a brand identity, it needs to be supported by a thoughtful and engaging visual identity. This includes considerations to color palette, typography, photography, illustrations, iconography, and even animation. All of those components of a visual brand identity need to work in chorus with each other to develop a consistent and unified demonstration of one’s brand.
Beyond just the visual identity is also messaging and tone of voice strategy, and how that is catered to reflect the brand promise and the needs of the audiences. There’s also the mission, purpose, and ethos of the individuals that are propelling the company forward. A company’s commitment to sustainability, social causes, or care for one’s team has become an increasingly vital facet of the brand identity.
While a visual identity is certainly a critical component to how audiences perceive your brand, it is only a piece of the puzzle. Living your brand promise each and every day across all aspects of business should be a north star leading to a successful brand.
Reason #5: Continued growth and adaptiveness.
Even the most timeless brands undergo a series of evolutions over time. This can be for a myriad of reasons, such as technological advancement in displaying graphics, or a company’s rejuvenated messaging standards as a result of a new audience or product focus.
Consider the brand updates that the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings rolled out in 2025. The subtle changes that were addressed in the team’s logo and uniforms were done so to improve the the readability and consistency of the brand image, while painstakingly preserving the equity of the brand’s legacy. Casual observers will likely overlook some of these changes, but the attention to detail and the vision to protect and preserve the brand for years to come will enable consistency moving forward.
Conclusions
A brand is the living embodiment of a company’s mission, purpose, and value. Whether you are starting a new company, launching a new product, or conducting a brand refresh, a solid brand is built upon a clear and concise mission that everyone can rally behind. It is natural for companies to adjust their focus over time, whether that’s based on targeted markets, technology, or service offerings. It’s equally expected that brands continue to naturally evolve as these adjustments take place.
Ask yourself if your mission statement reflects the current state of the company today, where you envision it will be 1, 3, 5, and 10 years down the road, and whether the current branding is an appropriate reflection of that. Clarifying this will help to inform the right direction for the brand today and in the near future.
See how Receptor can apply these ideologies and build a brand that resonates.