Sandra, what is Branding?

There are many different definitions of a brand, the most effective description however, is that a brand is a name or symbol that identifies a company or its products and separates them from the competition.

A well-known brand is generally regarded as one that people will recognise, often even if they do not know about the company or its products or services. This is usually the businesses name or the name of a product, although it can also include the name of a feature or style of a product.

The overall ‘branding’ of a company or product can also include a logo, symbol, or even design features that identify the company or its products or services. An example of this would be regularly used colours or layouts, such as red and white for Coca Cola

The Nike brand name is known throughout the world, people can identify the name and logo even if they have never bought any of their products.

However, not only is the company name a brand, but the logo (The ‘tick’ symbol) is also a strong piece of branding in its own right. The majority of people that are aware of the company can also identify it (or its products) from this symbol alone.
The clothing and running shoe company Adidas is well known for using three stripes on its range of products. This design feature branding allows people to identify their products, even if the Adidas brand name and logo is not present.