Branding Beyond the Logo: What Actually Makes Your Brand Memorable

deamarianastasia
Nov 12
4 min read

Your logo matters, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

It’s a common misunderstanding that brand = logo and once you got a nice logo sorted out, you are ready to conquer. But no.

I think the misunderstanding comes from the fact that you can put your logo basically anywhere and brand your material with it, but it’s still not your brand. It’s just basically your business’ signature. The brand is your business’ personality. And that is a sum of a whole lot of things! 😍🔥

In this post I’ll introduce to you all the pieces of branding, so you get a good overview of the things that shape your brand. Let’s start with the strategy and then move onto the visual stuff (which should communicate your strategy👇🏼).

1. Brand Personality

Define your brand’s personality and make sure all your brand’s touchpoints communicate that attitude.

This is important because it’s how you want your audience to receive you.

Figuring out your brand persona is a fun exercise, because it gives a lot of clarity right away, and helps you position yourself better.

If you haven’t thought about this much before, you could start with this exercise 👇🏼 (which you can also find in out FREE Brand Identity & Strategy Blueprint): Draw crosses on the yellow lines, where you feel your brand sits. Sometimes it is easier to pinpoint what your brand is not, in order to figure out what it actually is.

After this you have a better understanding of your brand persona, which should guide all your branding decisions. For example if your brand persona is more luxury, then the visuals and tone of voice should clearly communicate this feature.

2. Tone of Voice and Messaging

Designing your own tone of voice, and using it consistently, reinforces your brand and makes your audience feel heard and more connected to you. It is part of creating an overall atmosphere around your business.

Part of your brand messaging, where you can implement your special tone of voice are for example social media captions, email signatures, website copy, CTA buttons, holiday greetings, your 404 error page, cookie banner, thank you notes, text on your packaging, labels, customer service, the text on your merch…

Going the extra mile with these little details can make a big difference with how people see and hear you.

When your audience sees that you pay attention to details, put some extra effort into things that not everyone does and present yourself as a polished professional, it all reflects onto how they see you’d treat them as your customers.

3. Customer Experience & Interaction

All touchpoints of your business are part of building your brand and contribute to what your audience thinks of you. These touchpoints can be your social channels, store entrance, fitting rooms, emails, packaging, delivery service, feedback inquiry, receipts…

Interacting with your customers is where you can really make a difference. You have already done the heavy lifting and gotten their interest, so now nurture it and make it worth their time! Offer an experience that makes them see that you care, see their problem and are willing to help.

Really step into your customers shoes and imagine their state of mind and possible issues/questions when they face the touchpoints. You don’t have to offer here a complicated or grand gesture. You can make your brand persona show up in small details.

4. Visual Identity Beyond the Logo

My favourite part of the branding! After you have defined your brand’s persona, mission and values, you’ll need a visual identity, which speaks that message.

So even if your favourite colour now is neon and the trendy squiggly fonts please your eye the most, you have to create visuals that clearly communicate your business’ strategy (= mission, values, audience etc). These two must be linked. Visual identity often offers the first impression of your business, so if it’s sending the wrong message, a lot of your potential customers might walk past.

Building your visual identity starts from defining guidelines for all your visual content. These rules will guide all your visual decisions, and in the end you will have cohesive and professional looking materials. Plus (this is my favourite) you won't have those headaches when trying to decide a colour, font or layout, because it’s already all mapped out! You just follow the guidelines. 🔥

Here is a list of visual branding assets which you can use in building and reinforcing your brand:

Banners
Social posts
Icons
Logo
Typography
Colours
Brand pattern or surface
Branded style for your imagery
Merch
Packaging
Brochures
Business cards
Shop window (stickers)
Labels
Receipts
Emails
Website
Blog
Greeting cards
Ads
Posters
Staff/team uniforms
Event concepts
Office interior ...

6. Subtle Details That Leave an Impact

Building a good brand is about consistency but also about building an overall experience around your business. It’s not enough that you consistently use your logo on every social post, but the combination of using your brand’s tone of voice, colours, imagery style, font etc will create a great brand with a personality.

So really think of your customer’s experience and pay attention to what they sense and see. Branding doesn’t happen only in your website’s microinteractions and customers’ thank you cards, but it can also happen in scents, audio and touch. For example a shop could have a signature interior scent or a spa could have a signature soundscape. Building a great brand is about creating experiences and that way connecting with your audience and building trust. So go beyond the logo and think how you can create a memorable experience to your audience.

Takeaway

Your brand isn’t just what people see, but it’s what they feel when they experience your business. Every word, colour, gesture, and detail communicates the story about who you are and what you stand for.

When all these pieces work together, your brand becomes something truly memorable. Not because of a flashy logo, but because of the consistent, thoughtful experience you create. ✨

So next time you think about “branding,” think about your customers' experience and the feeling you want to leave behind. That’s where the real impact and magic of branding lives. 💫