There are many terms floating around in the world as it pertains to branding. Most people even believe that a brand is just a logo but their wrong.

A brand is a unique ecosystem made up of four main pillars. We'll cover those soon.

In brand design, the term "Visual Identity" or "Brand Identity" is very common. Many believe that this is what makes up a brand but in reality it's only one part of what makes up a brand.

A Visual Identity is the visual expression of your brand — the specific design elements that represent your brand in a tangible, visual way.

It's what people notice and remember: the logo, colors, typography, images, patterns, icons, and other graphics that make your brand unique.

For me though, the best term that I use when talking to clients about branding and design is "Brand System".

A Brand System is the full framework that guides how customers see and interact with your brand across all channels.

It's not only visual. It covers your brand’s core strategy, including purpose, positioning, and messaging. It also involves design elements like color, typography, and layout. Plus, there are operational tools such as templates, guidelines, and asset libraries. All these ensure that every part of your brand stays consistent, cohesive, and unmistakably yours.

If you think about both of these terms in the way of hierarchy, they can both co-exist. A visual identity is one part of a brand system.

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4 Pillars of Brand Systems

My brand philosophy is that every successful brand system has four main pillars.

1. Brand Strategy
2. Brand Assets
3. Brand Touch Points
4. Brand Identity
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You can think of these pillars as a linear system, with each one being built upon the one before it.

The touch poitns are made up of the assets, while they are informed by the strategy.

The 'Brand Touch Points' are made of the 'Brand Assets', while they are informed by the 'Brand Strategy'. ‍

1. Brand Strategy

The first pillar is the guiding pillar. It inspires and guides your decisions and creations for your brand.

This is one of the pillars most overlooked or completely ignored early in the brand building process. Many startups will forgo this step until it's time to rebrand their organization. Many organizations rebrand 60% of the time. This often happens because they lacked a clear brand strategy from the start.)

Think of brand strategy as your "North Star." Every decision you make should reflect this strategy, not just design choices.

Every brand is unique. Your brand's strategy will differ from others. But here are some key elements that are important to include in your strategy.

→ Target Customers (Demographics + Personas)
→ Customer Journey (Problem + Your Solution)
→ Brand Substance (Purpose + Mission + Vision)
→ Brand Story (Your Hero's Journey)
→ Visual Style Scapes (Mood Boards + Style References)

2. Brand Assets

The second pillar is the foundational building blocks for your brand.

A brand asset is usually any element that is used in order to design something else (a touchpoint). Essentially they're building blocks for your brand.

These are the assets you usually think of when you think of a visual identity or brand sprint package.

→ Logos
→ Colors
→ Fonts
→ Photos
→ Copy
→ Patterns/Shapes
→ Textures
→ Icons
→ Illustrations
→ Motion Assets

The list goes on and on. ‍

3. Brand Touch Points

The third pillar includes all of the pieces of your brand that are used to build brand awareness, consideration, and most importantly trust.

These touch points are chosen based on the brand strategy, and they are built using the brand's assets.

→ Your Website
→ Landing Pages
→ Pitch/ Slide Deck
→ Guides/Playbooks/White Papers
→ Ad Sets
→ Marketing Campaigns
→ Social Content
→ Infographics

4. Brand Identity

The last pillar is your brand's infrastructure and systems. This is where you combine all these elements into a collection or collections.

→ Visual Identity
→ Writing Style
→ Design System
→ Brand Toolkit
→ Brand Guidelines
→ Photo Library
→ Templates
→ Illustration Style Guide

Now are there only four pillars? No there are others and some of the pieces I've included in these pillars can be broken out into their own pillars.

With that being said though, these four pillars are what I've found are important for a success brand.

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