Complete Guide to Brand Design from Start to Finish

Brand owners often have a clear understanding of what their brand stands for. However, the challenge lies in effectively sharing that identity with the world.

The answer to this challenge is brand design.

Every organization or product already carries a brand. The journey of understanding, shaping, and maintaining these brands is an ongoing process. Companies invest in strong brand development because they see it not as an expense but as a long-term investment.

A uniquely crafted brand, paired with engaging strategies, helps businesses carve a distinctive market position. From a memorable logo to a consistent colour scheme, a well-designed brand reflects its values and leaves a lasting impression on consumers.

When we talk about brand design in this blog, it doesn’t mean LOGO DESIGN; it extends to colours, fonts, taglines, and various other visual and emotional elements. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a marketer, or simply someone observing the market, brand design plays a vital role in every aspect of life.

What is Brand design?

Brand design is the process of giving a company its own identity (pehchaan in Hindi) through a special look and feel. It includes designing logos, choosing colours, selecting fonts, and using images that make the company recognizable and memorable. In simple terms, it’s like giving the company its unique style so people can easily remember it and connect with it.

Brand design is the foundation of all branding, marketing, and advertising activities. A strong brand helps a company directly means lasting impression on its customers.

But brand design is not just about creating a beautiful logo or catchy tagline. It goes beyond that. It includes every way the brand interacts with people—whether it’s through employees, management, or customer service. These interactions help shape people’s perceptions of the brand.

For example, when someone sees the logo of Amul, they instantly connect it with quality dairy products, trust, and the iconic tagline “The Taste of India.” Similarly, the Tata logo reflects reliability, integrity, and decades of excellence. This is the power of brand design—it creates a strong, consistent, and positive image that people associate with the company.

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Elements of Brand Design

When you’re developing a consonant brand design, certain elements can’t be compromised. Below mentioned are some of such features which help in generating a good brand design for your business:

1. Logo:

A logo is one of the essential components of a company’s brand design. The symbol denotes a graphical wordmark or character that represents the entire meaning of a company. However, the pattern or trend of logo design keeps changing with time; in the present era, good organizations always approach a creative brand design agency in creating contemporary logos. A good agency always builds a brand that has high brand recall and recognition value.

However, if you create a wordmark for your company, make sure words should be perfectly designed and use a font that favours your brand. Indeed, it’s always good to make a revised option of your logo or wordmark both on a dark and light background.

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2. Colour Palette:

Colour is an inherent part of our daily experiences that most brands presume for granted. According to studies, 85% of customers say that “colour” is their core reason for purchasing a particular product. Therefore, it plays a great decision in the success of a brand. 

Many of the major brands are consistently associated with particular shades as a part of their brand design. Just imagine the golden arches of McDonald’s or the golden colours that represent the GOLD of Tanishq. From such examples, we can perceive the importance of colour in a logo.

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3. Shape:

The third most prominent element is the shape of the overall branding strategy. The shape can help build a direct emotional or psychological connection between your brand and customers. Therefore, it’s not just the shape present in your logo, but the packaging and even your other stationery. Triangle, Circle, oval, square or any abstract shapes of brand design make it unique and different from its competitors. 

As you develop your brand design, regulate which shape is the best for your brand’s persona. Thus, it’s essential to understand what each shape conveys about your brand and how you can efficiently integrate it into your design.

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4. Tagline:

Taglines help in highlighting a brand to the public. The essential feature of a slogan is to make sure that it is memorable. A brand tagline design can help your company to stand out in the market. Indeed, if you create a significant tagline, you will perceive how much of a substantial impact a short phrase can make.

For example, the famous “DAAG ACHE HAI”, “THANDA MATLAB COCO-COLA”, “FEVICOL KA JORR HAI TUTEYGA NAHE” and JUST DO IT – NIKE brand conveys to their users that don’t hesitate on anything, just take action and do it from this tagline. 

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5. Tone of voice and vocabulary:

A brand tone of voice is the best method for communicating with their targeted audience, including the formulation, expression, and emotional tone. Each brand has its own personality associated with its market segment, audience and core values. So, the tone of voice is an essential part of defining a creative brief.

For example, the famous coffee brand Starbucks; there, you can’t get a small coffee. But the exciting part is that you can get the smallest standard size if you want, but the name of that size is “tall.” 

The main reason for this is because Starbucks developed their own ideal branded vocabulary to differentiate their product differing from other competitor brands. (source) 

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6. Fonts:

The font is a vital part of the design, but it is not well executed in most cases. You might create a magnificent design with better imagery and other graphic elements. Still, if your font is not appropriate for your products, you can’t get the attention of your consumers.

In simple words, font is the style and method of presentation of the text. When an organization is developing a brand design, a determined font should be used that has an appropriate reason. Font even enables you to generate a specific context and have a definite personality.

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7. Imagery:

Brand imagery is a hybrid combination of images that atones the feel of your company. Your users need to get the feeling of supreme quality when they look at your visual imagery. Repeated exposure and uniformity will build trust over these imageries. As words limit understanding the exact concept, organizations use images instead of words to let the customer ensure that your organization is the best one for their requirements. 

It would be good to think of patterned backgrounds, packaging design or banners – you do not have to need tactical imagery to convey a brand clearly; you can straightforwardly utilize conceptual imagery through your shape and colour choices.

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8. Positioning:

One of the essential factors in brand designing is positioning, a niche that a brand fills up in. When you define your brand’s persona, you discover what it gives buyers and how it suits other brands in its space. Are your costs higher, same or lower than your competitors? What makes your offer more engaging than your competitors?

However, a brand’s positioning has a direct effect on its branding. For example, an economical brand that aims to convey that they are the most economical might choose bright, value communicating colours like orange and yellow and pursue a brand voice that’s straightforward and optimistic.

Now, after getting a whole idea about essential brand design elements, Our next point is the successful brand design process that a good brand design agency should follow.

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Process of Brand Design

The different stages involved in developing a good brand design. For your easy understanding we illustrated the brand design process in below given infographic:-

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How to Build a Strong Brand Design

1. Brand Purpose and Position

The first step to building a strong brand identity is understanding your brand’s purpose and goals. Brand purpose answers the question, “Why does my brand exist?” It’s the reason behind your products or services, what makes them better, and why your brand looks, feels, and communicates the way it does.

In India, many businesses launch brands simply because others in the same industry are doing well. These brands often lack a clear purpose and struggle to define their position in the competitive market. Without a purpose, such brands tend to focus only on competing through low prices, creating a daam ka jung (price war), instead of offering something unique to customers.

A well-defined brand purpose, combined with a clear position, helps your business stand out. It allows your brand to deliver real value, build customer base.

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2. Market Research

Market research is an important step to align your brand’s purpose and positioning with the needs of your customers. It helps you understand your audience, their preferences, and the “market pain” that influences their choices. If you’re new to market research, there are plenty of data available on google.

One of the simplest methods is to talk directly to people. For example, phone interviews or face-to-face conversations on retail outlets allow your team to have meaningful discussions with customers. This can help you understand their emotions and understand pain areas.

Market research helps going beyond understanding your ideal customer better, you can shape your brand’s personality to appeal to them more effectively.

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3. Stay Authentic with Your Brand Mission & Vision

Businesses that stay true to their mission and vision last longer and build stronger customer loyalty. Authenticity creates trust, and trust builds lasting relationships. Your brand vision should focus on solving your customers’ pain points and making their lives better. When you genuinely work towards your purpose, it reflects in your products, services, and communication. Always align your actions with your mission, and customers will see the difference, choosing your brand over others in the long run.

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4. Create a Relatable Brand Personality

Brand personality is like the traits a human has—it’s the set of characteristics people associate with your brand. Just like individuals with friendly and likable traits are more attractive in society, brands with relatable personalities naturally draw customers.

To make your brand stand out, ensure its personality resonates with your target audience. For example, if your customers value trust and simplicity, your brand should reflect those qualities in its tone, visuals, and communication. When people see themselves in your brand, they feel a stronger connection, making them more likely to choose you over others.

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5. Try to Tell a Story for Emotional Connection

Humans naturally remember stories. In India, our values and principles have been passed down through timeless stories like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Stories create a deep emotional connection, making them unforgettable.

If your business can share a compelling story about your brand, products, or mission, you’ve already won half the battle in the minds of consumers. Make your story relatable, emotional, and meaningful. Whether it’s about how your brand started or how it impacts lives, storytelling can create trust and loyalty, helping your customers feel personally connected to your business.

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6. Design a memorable logo

Most people used to underestimate the role of a logo design; though it is only one of the design parts, it is essential in getting the customers’ attention. It is the fundamental symbol of brand identity, the most prominent mark of brand image and the base of an efficient marketing strategy empowering its connection with the target audience.

One of the significant aspects the research examines is investigating the logos of the competitors. It helps to keep away from unnecessary equivalence with the other logos in the sector and creates an original brand identity.

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7. Select an Appealing Color Palette

Colors have a powerful impact on human emotions and play a big role in how people perceive your brand. Building a brand is about creating a lasting impression in the minds of customers, and the right color palette helps achieve that.

For example, Cadbury’s iconic purple color is associated with luxury, richness, and indulgence, perfectly matching its image as a premium chocolate brand. This consistent use of purple has made Cadbury instantly recognizable.

When selecting your color palette, ensure it has enough contrast when paired with text for better readability. Also, double-check that your colors reinforce the emotions you want to evoke, creating the right connection with your audience.

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8. Pick Typography That Suits Your Brand

Fonts are more powerful than they seem. The most famous fonts are instantly recognizable, even without context. For your brand, choose a primary typeface that reflects your personality and aligns with your logo and color palette.

Keep it simple and easy to read, ensuring it works well across all platforms, from your website to packaging.

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9. Use Consistent Visuals and Photography

The final step in creating a strong brand identity is building a cohesive visual language. This includes graphics, icons, photography, and other design elements that align with your brand’s personality.

Take Indian brands like Zomato and Fabindia as examples. Zomato uses vibrant red across its app, website, and marketing materials, creating a fun and energetic feel. Fabindia, on the other hand, uses earthy tones and traditional patterns in its visuals, reflecting its focus on Indian heritage.

Consistency in visuals and photography helps customers instantly recognize your brand, strengthens trust, and creates a memorable impression across all platforms.

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Case Studies: Showcase of Successful Brand Design Projects by DesignerPeople

1. TooYumm:-

TooYumm! is a leading Indian snack brand under the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, recognized for its baked, not fried, products catering to health-conscious consumers. The brand’s diverse offerings, including its innovative K-Bomb range of hot and spicy instant noodles inspired by Korean cuisine, reflect its commitment to providing tasty and healthier snacking options.

When TooYumm! approached DesignerPeople for their brand design and packaging needs, the focus was on creating a bold, engaging identity for their K-Bomb range. Our team meticulously designed packaging that highlights the product’s fiery and exciting flavor while maintaining a strong connection to TooYumm!’s core values of health and quality.

The result was an eye-catching, vibrant design that stands out on shelves, effectively communicating the product’s unique appeal to its target audience. The work further strengthened TooYumm!’s innovative image in the competitive snack food market, aligning with the brand’s vision for growth and consumer satisfaction.

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2. Diabexy:–

Considering the increasing cases of diabetes in India, Diabexy offers innovative solutions to diabetic patients to live a healthy and energetic life. Listed in Shark Tank India, they offer healthy and diabetic versions of products that we need in our daily lives.

Keeping their audience segment in mind, we have redesigned their entire brand logo, brand manual, packaging design and brochure design. We made sure that it was readily accessible and readable to their audiences. Next, we also ensured that their brand packaging stands out in the retail market amidst other products. This will give them a competitive edge against other similar brands to attract more sales and profits over time.

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Some Inspirational Brand Design Samples

Though a logo design alone is sufficient for smaller companies, a successful brand design will create a solid look throughout your business while constituting your brand values. In addition to a brand logo design, brand design can include marketing materials, websites, and even the business space. 

We’ve composed some outstanding samples for inspiration on-brand design that will show you a diversity of applications and figure out different branding strategies typically used today. 

Brand design is majorly about creating a brand identity that magnificently reflects your brand. A brand design can create components that shape your company’s branding design and constitute your brand’s personality. Branding is a composite process with abundant elements that need to be considered when generating the exact brand design. However, it doesn’t be obliged to be disconcerting. 

Use the below branding design inspirations to help traverse the creative process of designing your brand.

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Conclusion

Thus, brand design is one of the most vital surfaces of the overall branding procedures. Its strategic components make your organization engrave a distinctive recognition in the market, having an emotional attachment with the target consumers. 

However, during the brand design process, it is essential to manoeuvre the time, focus, energy and creativity in the right direction to get the intended result complementing the specific needs of the particular project. 

If you plan to start a venture or already exist in the market but don’t have a uniform brand design, you can reach the DesignerPeople team. We are one of the top brand designing agencies in India with more than 18 years of experience. You can definitely connect with us, and our team will approach you and help you develop an excellent brand design for your brand.

Author: Anush Malik

Being a strategist’s head and a long term visionary personality aims to achieve excellence in branding, packaging and digital marketing field. My 15 years of design experience and masters degree ais my strength which keeps me motivated and keep me going positively. I have participated in extensive branding design conquests in India, USA, Australia and New Zealand with winning zeal. My objective is to encourage start-ups and hence involves actively in the articles which will act as a productive intake of knowledge for them. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.