5 Important Steps To Brand Identity Design (Avoid These Mistakes)

Brand identity is more than just a logo—it’s the visual brand of your company. It’s what makes people recognize, remember, and trust you. Yet, many brands get it wrong.

They either blend in with the competition or make brand positioning decisions based on personal taste instead of strategy. The result? A brand that feels generic, confusing, or worse—forgettable.

I sat down with Joel Elemchukwu, a brand and graphic designer, to break down the most common branding mistakes and how to fix them. If you’re a graphic designer, creative, or founder looking to build a successful brand, this one’s for you.

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The biggest branding mistakes companies make

1. Not wanting to stand out

Many brands approach brand identity design with one goal in mind: to look like the competition.

They conduct market research, find the biggest players in their industry, and then… copy them.

Joel shared an example from a corporate identity project he worked on:

“The client wanted a brand logo and sent over examples from other real estate agencies. While it’s good to follow industry standards, your goal should be to stand out, not blend in.”

Take Kuda Bank, for example. Before they entered the market, Nigerian banks stuck to the same safe brand colors—blue, green, and red. 

Then Kuda showed up with purple, a color almost no one associated with finance. That one decision gave them an edge. Today, they’re one of the most recognizable fintech brands in Nigeria.

If your brand image looks exactly like everyone else’s, why should people choose you? Brand recognition depends on distinctiveness.

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2. Choosing aesthetics over purpose

Another mistake brands make? Picking colors, fonts, and visuals based on what looks “nice” instead of what makes sense.

Joel explained:

“Sometimes clients choose colors just because they like them. But branding isn’t about personal taste—it’s about strategy. Brand colors should reflect your brand story and audience.”

Example: A healthy food brand using black as its primary color.

Black is great for luxury branding, logo design services, and high-end corporate identity, but for a brand selling fresh, organic food? Not so much.

People associate healthy food brands with green, orange, and earth tones—colors that feel natural and fresh.

This is why color psychology matters. The key is to choose aesthetics that reinforce your brand strategy, not just what looks trendy.

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The 5-step brand identity design process

So, how should designers and brands approach brand identity?

Joel follows a five-step process that keeps things structured and strategic:

Step 1: Research

Before you start logo creation, you need to understand:

✅ The brand’s core values, mission, and goals
✅ The target audience and potential customers—who they are, what they care about
✅ The competition—what’s working for them, what gaps exist

“You don’t copy competitors,” Joel explains. “You study them, see what works, then create something distinct.”

Step 2: Ideation and sketching

This is where you start brainstorming and creating rough branding elements. The goal here is to develop:

→ Unique brand guidelines
→ Symbols, typography, and brand logos
→ A visual brand that aligns with the company’s positioning

Step 3: Design execution

Once the sketches are finalized, they’re brought to life using Illustrator, Figma, or other tools. This is where the brand’s:

→ Logo design services
→ Typography and brand colors
→ Brand positioning and style guide
→ Visual branding system

…all come together into a cohesive brand identity.

Step 4: Application and testing

A logo isn’t just a file—it’s an asset that needs to work across different mediums. That’s why branding needs to be tested on:

✅ Print materials (business cards, brand books, signage)
✅ Digital platforms (website, social media, email)
✅ Physical products (merch, labels, uniforms)

If a brand logo looks great on a website but terrible on packaging, it’s not working.

Step 5: Iteration and feedback

The first draft is never the final draft. Branding is a process of refinement. After client feedback, designers tweak and adjust elements until everything feels right.

“Branding isn’t about perfection,” Joel says. “It’s about clarity. If the message is clear and consistent, it’s working.”

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One brand identity myth that needs to die

One of the biggest brand identity myths?

“A good logo = a good brand” (false!)

A logo design is just one piece of branding—it’s not the entire brand.

Joel shared a great analogy:

“Imagine you buy a product because the packaging looks great. But when you try it, it’s terrible. That’s what happens when companies focus on visuals but ignore customer experience.”

Some companies think a brand refresh will fix deeper issues like:

❌ Bad customer service
❌ Poor brand loyalty
❌ Weak brand positioning

It won’t. If the product or service is bad, no amount of logo redesign will save it.

This is why branding needs to go beyond visuals—it should reflect actual business values and customer experience.

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Brand identity case study: The ‘Peu’ sunscreen brand

One of Joel’s recent projects was Peu, a South African sunscreen brand.

The brand name Peu means “seed” in Sepedi, a local language. This inspired Joel’s logo creation approach:

🌱 The small dot under the “U” symbolizes a seed in the ground, growing and thriving.

This small detail transformed the logo design into something meaningful and memorable. It wasn’t just about looking good—it told a story.

That’s what makes a memorable brand identity.

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How designers can stay visible and get clients

If you’re a brand designer or graphic designer, how do you attract more clients?

Joel recommends three strategies:

1. Client referrals (your best marketing tool)

Happy clients = More business.
When you deliver great work, clients naturally refer you to others.

2. Leveraging social media

Post your work. Share your process. Educate your audience.

Designers who showcase their expertise on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter get noticed faster.

3. Collaborating with non-designers

Surprisingly, non-designers refer you more jobs than other designers.

Think about it—business owners, marketers, and content creators need branding. Build relationships with them, and you’ll get more inbound leads.

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Final thoughts on brand identity design

A strong brand identity is not just about making things look good—it’s about making things work.

If you’re designing a brand identity, ask yourself:

→ Does this brand strategy stand out in the market?
→ Does it serve a purpose beyond aesthetics?
→ Is it telling the right story?

Because in the end, the brands that win aren’t just pretty. They’re memorable.

Work with us to build your brand

Good branding is more than just a nice logo—it’s about making your business stand out and feel right to your customers.

At Column, we help companies create clear, strong brand identities with logos, brand colors, and designs that fit their vision.

If you want a brand that looks great and works everywhere, we’ve got you covered. Get started here and let’s bring your brand to life.

P.S. Looking to revamp your LinkedIn presence? Try these LinkedIn post ideas for designers and creatives.