The fun and final part of branding? Your visual identity. Find out how to put all of our branding advice into action with specific-to-vintage examples, templates and exercises inside the Vintage Sellers Community
We now know why we are saying something (values & mission), why people should listen when we are saying it (USP), who we are saying it to (audience/customer personas), how we are saying it (tone) and what we are saying (content pillars).
This is all work you’ve been doing on the inside part of your shop. So what does all of that look like, wrapped up in a package, on the outside? That’s your brand identity.
What is a brand identity?
Brand identity is a fancy phrase for the visuals of your business. This includes colours, patterns and images, and your logo. Put them all together, and they form the basis of all of your content and communications for your shop brand.
The “identity” part is important. Like your own personal identity, we are talking about things that comprise your shop’s distinguishing characteristics. We’ve just spent all this time determining what those characteristics are, so your visuals should reflect that!
Let’s use our example of Henry who sells vintage clothing and streetwear. He does same-day delivery and offers style bundles. His target market is men aged 25-35, he wants to help customers with styling and provide inspiration, and he wants his brand tone to be fun, engaging and nostalgic for his potential customers.
In developing a logo, Henry might want to explore a way to visualize what his USP is. He puts together a “mood board,” pulling together colours he likes as well as images that reflect what he wants his customers to know about his shop.
He brings in yellow and red and white, which are some of the colours that remind him of the colourful ’80s and ’90s streetwear he stocks. He wants people to get that same hit of nostalgia when they see his shop brand.
He sketches the logo’s graphic element as a delivery truck, but the flatbed/box behind the cab is actually not a box, but a “style bundle” of clothing. In the centre of the truck hubcaps, he draws light bulbs (to represent innovation) in a graffiti style that will resonate more with his potential customers. He adds a “whoosh” element behind the truck to indicate speedy delivery.
Since Henry is in the same age range as his target customers, he researches the typography of major retail brands he likes and chooses three fonts that have a similar look, to create an emotional and familiar connection.
