We thought it would be useful to provide a Branding Glossary as an accompaniment to our Brand Series. So here’s the Wisdom skinny on some of the terms we’ve used a lot already, and those which you’ll hear more of as the series progresses.
Feel free to treat this as a wiki and comment with your own suggestions for improving, or adding to our definitions!
Brand
The living, breathing soul of a company, product, or service; the total sum of the tangible and intangible qualities and characteristics of who and what is stood for and delivered. It’s encapsulated in and communicated through the packaging, the colours, the symbols and the typography used, but more than that, it’s the way brand and its people behave, and the experience delivered.
Brand management
The process of protecting, nurturing and growing a brand or stable of brands to keep messaging consistent and aligned with the business strategy.
Brand strategy
The vision set out, to take the brand fulfilling their objectives, which are aligned with the overall business strategy.
Visual identity
The visual representation of everything the brand stands for. This means a brand’s logo, typography, palette, packaging and stores in some cases, but more than this it’s how these elements are used, that brings a brand to life.
Logotype
Or logo, consists of a single graphic element, either a name or a sign and name and uniquely identifies a company, product or service. Sometimes a strapline is included in the logotype.
Icon
The image, the enduring symbol that represents the brand. It can be a part of the logo, or used alone and acts as a signpost that is quickly identified, i.e. the Nike ‘swoosh’.
Typography
A brand’s signature combination of fonts used on all branded content.
Palette
The colours of a brand which are used across all branded material, and in some cases become synonymous with the brand. A good example would be Cadbury’s Dairy Milk purple, or those in the Wisdom London ‘rainbow’ blend.
Logotype guidelines
Outlines the treatment of the logo, word mark and icon – how and where to use them on branded material for consistency and also to protect the brand.
Word mark
Often underestimated, this is a written logo that can be immediately recognized. Think Coca-Cola or Google.
Strapline
A genuine, easy to understand, phrase that becomes a part of the brand identity, so it must add value to the overall message. Otherwise known as a tagline or endline and can be:
- Descriptive: Wisdom London “Creative Communications. Connected” and Accenture “High performance. Delivered”
- Action-oriented: Nokia “Connecting people” and Nike “Just do it”
- Evocative or emotional: L’Oreal “Because you’re worth it” and T-Mobile “Life’s for Sharing”
