How to Build a Brand Identity That Stands Out in a Crowded Market
Whether you are a service provider like a photographer or wedding planner or a product based brand, there is a universal feeling of industries feeling overcrowded, saturated and following the same trend cycle. While that may be somewhat true, I’m sharing considerations on how to build a brand identity that stands out in a crowded market.
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Going Beyond Surface Level
It may feel easier to skim over what makes your business unique, values you stand by, exploring into your target audience’s buying habits and more – but these insights are actually what helps set the tone and foundation for building your brand identity.
If you don’t have a clear understanding of your target and secondary audience, then how will you determine your core offerings to ensure the line up with what they are searching for? And if you don’t have established values, ethos or vision then it will be hard to translate these into your logo and brand eco-system.
If you’re working with a luxury brand designer then part of their process (most likely) will be a rather robust intake form, to dig into these questions. This form is not only great for this process, but can stem some great ideas or iterations of services or even lead into website copy and user experience.
Below is one exercise I like having my custom branding for photographers and interior designers complete:
List 5 Things Your Brand IS and 5 Things Your Brand IS NOT. This prompt can be a nice way to ease into things and quickly help demonstrate some of your core values.
Clarity Over Cleverness
If customers don’t know what you do and who you serve, it is going to be hard for them to hire you or purchase your products. This boils down into the brand identity phase to elements such as taglines, brand badges and custom brand collateral.
Before you run with your clever but maybe vague tagline – take a few steps back. Does this help communicate your values, vision or services or does this leave things a bit fuzzy.
Clarity always wins.
Look Outside of your Industry
When building a brand identity that stands out in a crowded market, I highly recommend looking outside of your industry. Don’t go searching for others within your market/industry but rather look in secondary industries that may compliment your end goal. For example, if you are a wedding photographer, maybe explore looking at architects or interior designers for brand inspiration. And even better, look offline. Museums, travel, vacations, books – these can all have elements of inspiration that feel unique to you and your brand. The end result, creating a compelling brand identity and logo suite that feels true to your values and doesn’t fall flat or blend in with others within your space.
Build your Brand Eco-System
Once the groundwork is in place, it’s time to build out your brand eco-system. From logos, monograms, brand badges, submarks to fonts, colors these all play a vital role in how your brand feels and is perceived.
Consider additional branding elements such as custom icons, textures, patterns or gradients to help portray your brand and create a unique and deeply personal brand identity.
Companion assets such as collateral, promo items, and even a custom website design also stem from the core brand identity foundation. The smallest details to the largest ones can all play a role in ensuring your brand stands out within a crowded market.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Uncovering your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is going to help set the foundation for your branding, especially if your market is crowded or saturated. Working with a brand designer for creatives or copywriter can help articulate and fine tune your UVP.
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If you are looking for a brand identity that is unique and stands out in your market then opting for one that follows your business core values, personality and UVP will be your best option. This will help remove the urge to follow trends, which in result will help break out from the industry norm.
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This all depends on what sort of assets you determine with your brand designer. Most common or core brand foundation elements are typically:
Logo
Secondary or alt variations
Brand mark or monogram
Font pairings
Color palette
Brand guideline (so you can accurately and cohesively use your branding in the wild)
Additional items that help further solidify your branding:
Custom icons
Textures
Patterns
Collateral design
Website design
On-brand promo items
And so much more
The world of branding is ever-evolving, and having a brand that can evolve over time is something to also keep into consideration.
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You don’t need to have one specific niche for your brand identity to be effective – but you do need to have a clear understanding of your target, and possibly, secondary audience. Other ways to think about branding for niche markets:
Location
What industry you serve
What type of products you make or sell
Very curated/specific service offerings
Ready to tell your brand story with confidence and ease?
Reach out to Made by NF to discuss thoughtful brand identity partnership opportunities for photographers, interior designers, wedding professionals and visionaries.
