Why Your Brand Needs a Flexible Identity System

When you hear the term ‘branding’ you may think this consists of your logo, maybe your color scheme, and brand positioning or tagline. While this is a great start to creating a brand, there is much more that can be done visually and strategically to create a strong brand identity. A Flexible Identity System consists of more than your horizontal and vertical logo versions – it’s an entire collection of tools used to promote your brand and build consistency. These elements are created to work alongside your logo, and if built and used correctly can set up your brand for long-term visual consistency and success.

A Flexible Identity System can help your brand stay fresh and even surprising to your consumers, all while still being recognizable and familiar. These additional assets strengthen your logo by reinforcing the style, color, and typography used:

Primary Mark: This is your main brand logo used on all major applications.

Secondary Mark(s): These include a few key assets that relate back to the primary mark. Think one and two-color logo versions, and alternate icon versions.

Brand Assets: These supporting marks add depth to your brand. Examples of this could include a detailed illustration of your brand icon, an ‘established’ date mark, or a tagline lockup. These assets work well alongside your brand logo to add texture and detail to any application.

The benefits of having a Flexible Identity System:

1. Swag is easy. All of the additional assets make creating swag a breeze. You can avoid the typical ‘just use the logo’ when creating your pieces, giving your customers a variety to choose from. 
2. Your brand looks professional and well-established. Has your company been around for 100 years? Promote that. A small brand icon focusing on this is a great promotional tool and can bring details like your company’s legacy to the forefront for your customers. 
3. You just have more. Need a small icon version for your Instagram profile? Or a very simple logo version for embroidery? Your Flexible Identity System can help you with that. These additional marks and assets are perfect for many applications and give you much more to work with than ‘ just your logo.’

There is a key balance needed to achieve a successful Flexible Identity System. Only important marks that really add value to your brand should be included, if too many extras are in this group it can cause confusion and make your overall brand less cohesive.

At Caliber, we know your brand can be so much more than your logo. Let us help you build a Flexible Identity System for your brand that will give you options and make your overall brand stronger and easier to use.