Brand identitySeptember 27, 2026

What Is Brand Identity?—Designing the “Meaning Behind Meaning-Making”

Author: Daisuke Irikura (Representative Director, HUV DESIGN OFFICE Co., Ltd.) / MBA / Former INPIT-registered brand specialist / More than 100 brand seminars and consulting engagements for B2B small and medium-sized enterprises

What You Will Learn

The correct definition of brand identity
How it differs from brand image
Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism (six facets)
What happens when a company lacks brand identity

Conclusion (Summary)

Brand identity is the definition at the heart of giving meaning to “who this company is.” At HUV DESIGN OFFICE, we call it the “meaning behind meaning-making.” Logos and taglines are ways to express it, not its essence. The starting point for brand design is to distinguish the sender’s intention—“how we want to be seen” (identity)—from the recipient’s perception—“how we are actually seen” (image).

What Is Brand Identity?—The Correct Definition

Brand identity defines “who this company is.”

Logos and taglines are “means of expression” for brand identity, not its essence. Its essence is the very definition of “what meaning our company holds.” At HUV DESIGN OFFICE, we define brand identity as the “meaning behind meaning-making.”

Aaker & Joachimsthaler (2002) define brand identity as “a set of associations that a brand strategist seeks to create or maintain for a brand.” Brand identity represents what the brand stands for, has a long-term orientation, and must guide all brand-related activities.

The Difference Between Brand Identity and Brand Image

Let us clarify these two easily confused concepts.

	Brand Identity	Brand Image
Definition	How the company intends to be seen	How stakeholders perceive the company
Perspective	Sender (the company)	Recipient (customers and employees)
Nature	Intention and design	Perception and outcome

Kapferer makes this distinction clear: “Brand identity is what the brand intends, while brand image is what consumers actually perceive. Confusing the two leads to many failures in brand management.”

Communicating without first designing your brand identity leaves stakeholders with unintended meanings.

What Makes Up Brand Identity?

An effective brand identity consists of three elements: ① customer expectations, ② capabilities that create advantages and differentiation, and ③ ease of understanding. For a detailed explanation of how these three elements connect to academic frameworks (Kapferer and Aaker), and how to assess them in practice, see The Components of Brand Identity.

What Is Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism?

Kapferer’s (1996) Brand Identity Prism is widely used as a framework for systematically designing brand identity.

It consists of six facets.

Sender Side (the Company)

Physique (appearance and physical characteristics)
Personality (the brand’s character)
Culture (values and culture)

Recipient Side (the Customer)

Relationship (the relationship with customers)
Reflection (the typical customer portrayal)
Self-image (the customer’s self-image)

Brand identity becomes strong only when all six facets are consistent. Even if personality is well defined, the intended meaning will not come across unless the relationship supports it.

How Do You Create Brand Identity?

Once you understand the definition, the next question is how to actually design it. At HUV DESIGN OFFICE, we begin with four preparatory steps—environmental analysis, market definition, customer definition, and a definition of uniqueness—before designing brand identity by answering five questions: WHY, WHO, WHAT, HOW, and WHOM NOT. For a detailed explanation of the correct sequence and common pitfalls, see How to Create Brand Identity.

What Happens Without Brand Identity?

Diagnostic data from 24 companies assessed using BRAND CHECK, our proprietary brand diagnostic tool, showed that the vast majority had not put their brand identity into words. As a result, the following problems arise.

Communication Becomes Fragmented Without a clear definition of “who we are,” sales pitches, recruitment messages, and website messaging lack consistency.

The Brand Changes When the Person in Charge Changes Because “what the company means” has not been put into words, the brand changes according to the individual interpretation of whoever is responsible.

Value Mismatches Arise in Recruitment When a company’s values are not communicated, it hires people whose values do not align, leading to early turnover.

Employees Cannot Embody the Brand Without knowing “who we are,” employees have no criteria to guide their everyday decisions and actions.

The Relationship Between Brand Identity and Brand Strategy

Brand identity sits at the “philosophy layer” of brand strategy.

Philosophy Layer (brand identity): Defining who you are ← This is where brand identity belongs
Design Layer (positioning and value proposition): Who chooses you, for what, and why
Activity Layer (sales, recruitment, web, and internal adoption): How to implement it

A clearly defined brand identity creates consistency across positioning, value propositions, sales pitches, recruitment messages, and websites.

Summary

Brand identity is the definition of “who this company is.” At HUV DESIGN OFFICE, we define it as the “meaning behind meaning-making.”

It is important not to confuse it with brand image (how you are perceived). Brand identity is the deliberate design of “how we want to be seen.” By communicating it consistently over time, the intended meaning takes shape in stakeholders’ minds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are brand identity and brand concept the same thing? A: No. A brand concept defines “why we are undertaking branding and what the problem is,” and is designed before brand identity.

Q: Is brand identity finished once it has been created? A: No. Markets, customers, and competitors change, so regular reviews are necessary. Nestlé reviews its brand identity every four years.

Q: Do small and medium-sized enterprises need brand identity too? A: They need it all the more. For small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, a blueprint that clarifies “who chooses us, for what, and why” becomes a strategy for survival.

Translated from the original Japanese article. Read in Japanese

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