According to Wikipedia a brand is a "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers". Whilst "branding" may have originated as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a long piece of hot metal with a special design at one end it has come to mean so much more. A "brand" in the modern sense is built on expectation and experience. In its simplest form, it is the associations people make when they see, hear or think of your organisation or product. However, whilst a brand often includes a logo it is also defined by specific fonts, colour schemes, symbols, and even sound. All these elements are developed to collectively represent implicit core values, ideas, and even personality or tone of voice. It also includes how you present yourself to your customers - how you answer the telephone, the signage at the main entrance to your office or shop front, any promotional items or banners, the uniforms your staff wear, any promotional items, newsletters or banners that are used internally and externally. In contrast, a "logo" is the graphical element, symbol, or icon that, together with its logotype (text which is set in a unique typeface or arranged in a particular way) forms a trademark or identifying mark to represent your brand.So, why are brands so important? In a highly competitive and visual led market place the "look", styling and tone of a brand identity is essential. It should reflect the personality, ethos and spirit of the organisation while visually appealing to a wide audience. The power of a brand derives from a curious mixture of how it performs and what it stands for. When a brand gets the mix right it makes us, the people who buy it, feel that it adds something to our idea of ourselves. In a world that is bewildering in terms of competitive clamour, in which rational choice has become almost impossible, brands represent: clarity, reassurance, consistency, status, membership. In fact, everything that enables a human being to help to define themselves. Brands represent personal identity.
