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What Makes a Great Brand Identity

(and What Doesn’t)

In a world overwhelmed with noise and choice, your brand identity isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s your handshake, your storefront, and your reputation, all rolled into one. It’s what people see, feel, and remember about you, long after they’ve scrolled, clicked or walked away.

Branding isn’t just design

Yet many business owners, even highly experienced ones, still view brand identity as a design task rather than a strategic tool. They focus on aesthetics, not alignment. They chase trends, not trust. And in doing so, they miss the opportunity to build a brand that truly sticks.

At TOTEM, we help growth-focused businesses like yours clarify who you are and express that identity in a way that cuts through the noise—and drives commercial impact. In this guide, we break down what makes a brand identity truly great (and what doesn’t), with insight from branding expert Laura Ries and her game-changing book, Visual Hammer.

Clarity before creativity

Brand identity starts with a decision – not a design.

Before you think about colours or logos, you need to be clear on what you stand for, who you’re speaking to, and how you’re different. We’ve seen it time and again, companies invest in a beautiful visual identity, only to realise later that it doesn’t align with their strategy – or worse, it doesn’t say anything meaningful at all.

A great brand identity begins with answering,

What is the business promise we’re making?
What emotion do we want to evoke?
What do we want our ideal customer to feel when they see us?

At TOTEM, we call this the “nail on the head” moment, distilling a brand down to its simplest truth, then expressing it creatively and consistently across all touchpoints.

Consistency is what builds credibility

Once you have clarity, the next job is consistency.

Every part of your identity – logo, colours, typefaces, imagery, tone of voice – must feel like they belong to the same family. This consistency builds recognition, and recognition builds trust. It’s how brands like Apple, Nike or Stripe command attention and loyalty with seemingly minimal effort.

Yet many SMEs and growing businesses fall into the trap of inconsistency,

Using different fonts on the website vs. brochures.
Altering logos or colours depending on the product.
Inconsistent photography styles across LinkedIn, slide decks, and email signatures.

As branding expert Laura Ries writes, “Consistency builds credibility. Repetition builds memory.”
Without both, your brand becomes just more noise.

The visual hammer: nail the idea into the mind

In Visual Hammer: Nail Your Brand into the Mind with the Emotional Power of a Visual, Laura Ries argues that great brands don’t just have logos – they have visual hammers.

A visual hammer is a striking visual element that anchors your brand in the mind of your audience. It’s distinctive, emotional, and repeatable.

Some famous examples

McDonald’s: – Golden Arches
Louboutin – Red sole
Tiffany & Co. -That unmistakable robin egg blue
Apple – The bite in the apple—simple, human, memorable

Ries’ core message – “Your brand name is the nail, but without a hammer, it won’t stick.”

So what’s your visual hammer? Is it a unique style of photography? A bold shape? A consistent icon? A signature use of motion or animation on your website?

At TOTEM, we help our clients uncover and craft their visual hammers – like the clean, confident palette we developed for Corrata, or the structured, modern identity that helped Fitzgerald Power reposition itself as Ireland’s future-focused accounting partner. See how we have helped clients such as Aton, Réalta and the Malting company.

The emotional layer: brand identity is more than logic

A great brand identity doesn’t just look good – it makes people feel something. And emotion is what drives buying decisions.

It’s easy to over-rationalise branding – especially in B2B sectors. But the reality is, your buyers are human beings. Even CEOs and procurement directors respond to trust, reassurance, inspiration and excitement.

Your visual identity needs to signal not just professionalism, but personality:

Do you come across as confident or cautious?
Modern or traditional?
Energetic or reassuring?

Think about how your visuals might convey tone without words—because that’s what great brands do.

The Five Must-Have Elements of a Great Brand Identity

Based on our 20+ years of branding experience, here are the five essential ingredients,

Brand Promise
Your brand promise is the clear commitment you make to your customers—what they can expect from you, every time they engage with your brand.

Strategic Logo Design
Not just a mark, but a visual distillation of your brand’s value and vision.

Thoughtful Colour Palette
Colours influence perception—blue signals trust, red evokes urgency, green suggests growth. Use them with purpose.

Typography That Speaks
Your font choices reflect your voice—whether professional, approachable, quirky, or bold.

Visual Language (Imagery, Icons, Layout)
Photography, illustration and layout rules should support your message and be used consistently.

Tone of Voice (Visuals & Verbal)
Your identity doesn’t stop at design. The words, style, and even the space around them affect how your brand is experienced.

What doesn’t make a great brand identity?

Let’s clear up a few myths. A brand identity fails when it:

Follows trends blindly (“We saw this on Canva!”)
Overcomplicates visuals with too many colours, patterns or ideas
Is inconsistently applied across touchpoints
Copies competitors instead of carving out a niche
Ignores the emotional and strategic layers, focusing only on style

The SME trap: design without depth

Many smaller or scaling businesses fall into one of two traps,

DIY Design Based on Taste
Business leaders make branding decisions based on personal preferences—“I like blue” or “Make it pop”—without a deeper strategy.

Outsourced Design Without Strategy
They hire designers or agencies that execute briefs but don’t challenge the thinking or ask the important questions.

The result? A look that might be attractive, but doesn’t mean anything. And without meaning, your brand fades into the background.

Why TOTEM approaches brand identity differently

At TOTEM, we believe in meaningful branding. That means,

We start with research and positioning.
We uncover your unique truth and translate that into strategic visuals.
We create identities that work across digital and print—internally and externally.
We collaborate, challenge, and educate you along the way.

Our clients don’t walk away with just a logo—they leave with a system, a story, and a symbol that reflects who they are and where they’re going.

Final word: distinctive, not decorative

Brand identity is not decoration—it’s distinction. It’s how you communicate your value in an instant and invite people into a deeper relationship.

So before you brief a designer, ask yourself:

What idea am I trying to own?
What emotion do I want to evoke?
And what visual hammer will drive that idea home?

When you’re ready to find the answer, we’re here to help.