Why is Brand Identity so Important in Presentations?

When talking about corporate brand identity, most people immediately think of logos and color schemes. But there is more: your brand identity encompasses all the sensory elements that build your brand and make it identifiable in the marketplace.

This identity is commonly reflected in your logo, typography, voice tone, website design, merchandise, advertisement… and so on. However, many companies waste an outstanding opportunity for their brand image to shine: business presentations!

In many ways, a presentation is an introduction card to your potential clients. This is where your corporate brand identity plays a critical role: make your business presentations more memorable and effective. As Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, said:

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is; it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

In summary, we'll talk about:

What is Brand Identity? Concepts first!

Brand identity is the ensemble of visual and verbal aspects strategically chosen to represent your brand. These are the components that breathe life into your brand and enable you to be memorable in the marketplace.

The ideal outcome of a strong brand identity is positioning in the minds of your consumers, potential clients, or potential partners (your company's stakeholders).

A great example of the last point is Apple, a company identified by its shopping experience and memorable unboxing smell. These “small” first interactions generate a positive perception in the consumer, contributing to the company's brand awareness.

Some of the main components of a brand identity are:

Mission and vision
Brand story
Brand personality
Visual identity
Sensory identity
Communication style
Messaging pillars

Brand vs Branding vs Brand Identity: What is the difference?

So far, the definition of brand identity might bring to mind the word “branding” or just “brand.”

But are all these concepts synonymous? Well, many people can use it as such, but in reality, each one has its own meaning:

Brand/Brand Image: sets of perceptions and ideas about your company held by your consumers.
Branding: the strategic actions designed to amplify the positive perception of your brand among your consumers.
Brand Identity: the sensory elements that build your brand and make it identifiable in the marketplace, nurturing your brand image.

Corporate image and identity are related since your brand identity will define how stakeholders perceive your brand in every interaction.

Although you can't control your final brand image, all your brand elements need to be cohesive so you can be recognizable at first glance (as Apple masters to do).

With this information, we're sure you will recognize the difference between brand, branding, and brand identity. The next step is to learn more about the importance of a strong brand identity for your organization!

Why is Corporate Brand Identity so important?

A well-done brand identity should reflect and feed the brand image you plan for your company. This way, you have more chances to position your brand in the minds of your consumers as you wish.

For instance, it's no coincidence that so many brands whose products are related to eco-friendly or nature-related products opt for earthy and green colors. This choice is an effective way to communicate the essence of their products and make clear what to expect from them.

A strong corporate brand identity can even help you create an emotional bond with your consumers, as it reflects the values and vision of your business. This emotional connection could be the key to your success, especially in this very competitive and dynamic market.

To ensure your corporate brand identity is consistent throughout the different areas of your business, working on your brand guidelines is a must.

These guidelines provide consistency in your brand visual identity, tone of voice, and personality across all customer touchpoints (from your social media to your merchandise).

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Branded Presentations: Why should you apply your Brand Identity to your Presentations?

Business presentations provide an excellent opportunity to impress your stakeholders and make sure they remember you after any meeting. And, of course, in order to remember you, they must be able to identify your brand!

But, how to do it? Conducting presentations that are on-brand is a significant first step. Branded presentations are a fantastic promotional opportunity, and a unique brand identity can make them even more effective!

Are you not convinced? Let's see more reasons why brand identity is so important for your presentations:

1. It makes you look more professional

First things first! It's pretty evident that branded presentations enhance your overall professional appearance. But sometimes, making presentations is not your team's favorite task, so it's not rare to leave them for the last minute.

Considering your corporate brand identity while designing will take your presentations to an entirely new level. A cohesive visual identity has value in itself, as it shows professionalism and inspires confidence in your audience.

Also, it'll help you show how committed and detail-oriented you are. This practice communicates that you're not playing and demonstrates how hard you believe and respect the brand.

2. It is an opportunity to show your company’s values

Are you used to presenting generic slides? No more!

The idea of applying your brand identity in your presentations is to show all your brand personality to potential customers or investors.

Bright colors and dynamic illustrations can help you showcase that your brand is all about fun and creativity. Otherwise, a sober, clean, minimalistic style can allow you to display sobriety.

Ask yourself:

What do you want your audience to think first when they hear your brand name?
What values and ideas would you like to emphasize in your presentation?
What is your brand voice, and how can you play with that in your presentation?

You'll be surprised at how a well-done branded presentation can help you subtly reflect these ideas and values to your audience.

3. It ensures your brand consistency through platforms

Overall, utilizing your brand identity in your presentations helps you maintain brand consistency for everyone interested in your company. That way, potential customers or partners can identify your brand from the very first glance.

Think about it this way: you'll probably never confuse Apple's logo. Even if this is an extreme example, taking care of your brand consistency in your presentations is a fundamental step to be memorable for your stakeholders, especially business partners. Do not forget!

4. It can make your presentation more memorable

When talking about business presentation designs, your imagination is the limit. Presentations are a white canvas, and your team's skills will determine the impact you generate on your audience.

Working consciously on your presentation design is an excellent way to lead a unique presentation that no one will forget anytime soon. That way, after the presentation, your audience will be able to quickly identify your brand elements and talk to other people about you.

Don't believe it? Check out these branded presentation examples, and you'll see how game-changing they are!

5. It distinguishes you from the competition!

Finally, incorporating your corporate branding into your presentations will distinguish you from the competition.

Regardless of what business you're working in, chances are there's someone out there offering something similar. Your visual identity helps you put a personal stamp on the product or service you offer.

Until this point, we can say that a cohesive brand identity not only implies a modern aesthetic but is also a great way of managing your brand strategically, generating brand awareness in the long term.

Branded Presentation McDonalds: Before and After — Same information, different design style, different brand image!

If you have read each point conscientiously, you already understand more about why branded presentations are important for your company.

Now it's time to learn how to make it a reality in practice, stay tuned!

How to reflect your Brand Identity in your Presentations? Expert tips!

The best way to incorporate your brand identity into your business presentations is by following your brand playbook or brand guidelines.

This may sound very easy, but it could be really challenging in practice. For this reason, the most experienced design teams tend to use master templates that streamline this process.

Want to learn more about how to apply your brand identity in presentations? Let's see what Valery Salome and Ridho Fadhlurrahman, Graphic Designers at 24Slides, say about the subject:

1. Reflect your brand elements across all your slides

As we noted earlier, a brand identity embraces different elements, including:

Logo
Slogan
Typography style
Photographic style
Visual patterns
Communication tone

Your logo is usually the most representative element of a brand, but it doesn't work individually: the synergy of all the elements together makes up what your brand really is.

Valery has a suggestion about this part:

"Incorporate your brand's distinct visual elements subtly but effectively into your slides. This reinforces your brand presence and establishes a visual connection with your audience."

Remember that your presentations need to fit based on your audience profile. So ask yourself: What characteristics does my audience have, and how do I reflect that in my branded presentation?

2. Keep your color palette in mind

Your color palette is an essential part of your brand book, so it cannot be missing from the composition of your business presentations.

To achieve a captivating and cohesive visual composition, all your slides must have the essence of your color palette. This involves applying the palette to the text, backgrounds, and even the hues of the images or photographs you choose to incorporate.

Ridho emphasizes that:

"Color is what makes the visual stand out. A consistent color scheme can help your target audience easily recognize your brand. This can be achieved through backgrounds, text, headers, images, vectors, and more design elements."

3. Incorporate custom images and graphics

An excellent idea to distinguish your business presentations from the crowd is by integrating unique images and graphics. To achieve this, you can carry out photoshoots or design 100% original illustrations for your brand.

Naturally, going for this brand identity strategy will take longer than downloading pre-existing images online. Still, it definitely adds greater value to your final product (and, actually, to all your marketing strategies!).

If you want to go the extra mile, you should also pick a design style or graphic theme. This means defining what kind of images you're going to use:

Am I going to use illustrations instead of photos?
In what style will my illustrations be drawn?
Will my pictures share the same filter?

The more uniform these elements are, the more polished and professional your branded presentation will look. Do not forget!

Valery points out that:

"Customizing graphic elements adds authenticity and relevance to your presentation. If these are important values for your brand, you should find innovative ways to reflect them in your presentations."

4. Pay attention to the visual hierarchy

The visual hierarchy will keep your audience's attention while presenting your slides. Designing with this idea in mind ensures that crucial information stands out, facilitating the coherent flow of the narrative.

Keeping your presentation design simple and uncluttered is a great way to start conducting professional presentations. As they say, "less is more."

Ridho concludes by telling us:

"Hierarchy guides your audience's eyes when scanning your content and brand elements. For this, you can use different colors, font variations, or shapes to create a visual hierarchy effect in your business presentation."

McDonalds custom presentation, SWOT Analysis

Still curious about the process of developing your corporate brand identity? Mats Urde and Stephen Greyser have created a tool called the "Corporate Brand Identity Matrix" that will help you elevate your performance to its fullest potential.

Why should you believe in 24Slides?

At 24slides, we are experts on maximizing your business presentation's impact. However, we just don't claim it – our clients support us.

With 10 years in the market and +200 in-house designers who are dedicated to our customers, we've empowered numerous teams with exceptional presentations and quick turnarounds.

Among the companies that trust our work are Sika, Novo Nordisk, Greencastle, The Marketing Guy, and more. Let's hear what they said about our work's impact on their Design Operations:

After reading this article, do you find yourself a bit lost in the technical part of designing? We'll help you update your marketing collateral and save you a lot of time.

You can experience our style for only $1 and begin optimizing your design operations with an exceptional master template!