“I need a logo for my business.” This is one of the most common phrases we hear around here. And no wonder: creating brands is our passion and expertise. But, we always use this first contact as an opportunity to discuss something very important: does your business really need just “a logo”? The truth is, companies need a complete visual identity to communicate effectively.
“You should be able to cover up the logo and still identify the company because the look and feel is so distinctive.”
Michael Bierut
To communicate with the world assertively, your business needs a full visual identity, thoughtfully designed with intention. And when this identity is built based on a clear and authentic strategy, the result is much more than aesthetics: it’s connection. The logo, or logo mark, is just a small piece of a much broader visual system. Visual identity is something alive, that follows the company day by day. In this article, we’ll show you how it works.
1 – A System Serving Your Business
Visual identity isn’t just a pretty logo. It’s a system, a set of elements working together with purpose and coherence. Have you ever stopped to think about how your business has been communicating visually? If everything relies solely on the logo, no matter how beautiful it is, the message may be limited. Imagine your brand appearing in posts, packaging, presentations, and emails always the same way. Over time, this repetition can become tiresome, feel lifeless, and lack emotion. And we know how your business is everything but that. That’s why visual identity needs to be thought of as a system: multiple elements speaking the same language and telling the same story, each with its own strength. If you feel your business communication is rigid or dull, it might be time to listen to this signal and thoughtfully rethink the system that supports your brand’s entire visual presence.
When we started the project for Editora Lúcida Letra (which translates literally to ‘Lucid Letter’), this challenge was evident. They had a logo, a symbol, and a few colors to work with – and that was it. Over time, this limitation began to make the visual communication repetitive, even dull. And the most curious part: in a survey with readers, many couldn’t even say what the symbol represented. It was clear it was time to expand this visual repertoire. And that’s how the Beloved Brand of Lúcida Letra was born: with more possibilities, more clarity, and most importantly, more emotion. A project recognized on the shortlist of the 9th edition of LADAWARDS, Latin America’s biggest design award.
+ Also read – Branding: What Does It Have to Do with My Small Business?
More color, more shapes, more presence. Lucida Letra’s identity has grown and gained a new strength to connect with the world, besides being recognized as a finalist at the 9th LADAWARDS. See the full project.
2 – Basic Elements of a Visual Identity
Your company’s visual identity should be made up of a repertoire, that is, a set of visual elements that, together, tell the brand’s story and communicate its values in a clear, charming, and consistent way. But what exactly goes into this repertoire? There isn’t a single or mandatory list. What becomes part of the visual identity depends on both the company’s needs and the methodology of the designer. In our Beloved Brands projects, we tend to work with some elements that appear frequently. Below, we’ve listed the main ones:
VISUAL IDENTITY REPERTOIRE
01. Logo
It’s the company name stylized in various versions. It may or may not include a symbol and a tagline, that short phrase that often accompanies the name.
02. Color Palette
A carefully chosen, limited set of colors that represents the brand’s personality. Each color comes with its specific codes for correct use across different platforms.
03. Graphics
Illustrations, icons, and visual elements that help reinforce communication: highlighting products, showcasing differentiators, or creating atmospheres.
04. Typography
We choose one or more typefaces to be used in the brand’s texts, ensuring visual unity across diverse applications.
05. Patterns
Graphic patterns that repeat and can be used across various surfaces like fabrics, backgrounds for printed materials, or digital designs.
06. Brand Guide
A document that guides the correct use of all visual elements, with tips and best practices to maintain the consistency and beauty of the identity.
An enchanting example of all of this is the SensaConnect project, an Australian brand specializing in sensory toys. When creating their visual identity, the main focus was on play: that magical moment when connections happen, the senses are heightened, and discoveries bloom. Through doodles, little circles, lines, and textures that resemble crayons and markers, we created shapes that represent the emotional connections and cognitive development of children. These graphics are just one part of SensaConnect’s Beloved Brand. The entire repertoire was designed to visually translate this rich, sensory experience. The result? A lively, playful, and memorable identity that touches the hearts of the right people.
Each element of the visual repertoire has a role: together, they create a vibrant, clear, and welcoming brand for SensaConnect. See the full project.
3 – Your company’s visual identity needs to feel like a family
Having a beautiful logo, a vibrant color palette, and a distinctive font, all of that definitely helps. But if your company truly wants to be remembered, it needs to go further. What really makes a visual identity memorable is coherence, that feeling that every visual element belongs together, like members of the same family. A family shares traits, speaks with harmony, and carries a common story. That’s how your brand’s visual identity should feel: like a whole. When visual elements are created in isolation, or without a guiding plan, the communication can come across as confusing or even careless. And that directly affects how people perceive your company. Your visual identity is like a portrait of your brand in the world, and when everything looks connected and consistent, it reflects the care and intention behind what you do.
A beautiful example of this visual harmony is Fatéri, a gluten-free bakery and snack bar born from a mother’s love for her celiac son. The visual identity needed to be light, joyful, and warm just like the story behind the brand. We designed a symbol that is both a child’s face and several little bread rolls tucked into the hair and tongue. The colors are vibrant and cheerful, the illustrations are simple and friendly, the typography is clear and the illustrated characters speak through playful speech bubbles. Everything feels like it belongs to the same universe, telling the same story with heart and personality. That’s the kind of coherence that gives life to Fatéri’s Beloved Brand.
+ Also read – How Does a Visual Identity Come to Life? Our Step-by-Step Methodology
Each element of the visual identity plays a role: together, they create a clear and welcoming brand for Fatéri. See the full project.
4 – The visual repertoire shines through in real life
After crafting a visual repertoire that’s strong, cohesive, and full of meaning, it’s time to bring it to life. This is the moment your brand truly takes shape, when the visual identity starts to appear in real-world applications, both physical and digital. You know that feeling when you see a social media post or hold packaging in your hands and it just feels right? Like it has soul, personality, and purpose? That’s the repertoire in action. Applications are the stage where your brand’s visual elements come together, logo, colors, typography, graphic elements, patterns, each playing their role, all moving in the same direction. These applications can show up on business cards, packaging, uniforms, signage, menus, vehicle wraps, and much more. And, of course, online: social media posts, digital ads, websites, newsletters, avatars, profile photos. Anywhere your brand shows up in the world, the visual identity should be there too, telling your story.
A flavorful example of this is Bendita Chama (Portuguese for “Blessed Flame”), a burger joint specializing in flame-grilled burgers. We were invited to create the brand from scratch, name, visual identity, and applications. We illustrated each ingredient to capture that explosive burst of flavor that makes you feel like saying a little prayer after the first bite. The brand features two main elements: they represent flames but also resemble angel wings, connecting to the idea of something blessed. And this didn’t stay on paper, the identity rolled out across every touchpoint: packaging, digital menus, social posts, print materials, and more. When applications are thoughtfully designed, they create a memorable, emotionally rich experience for everyone who connects with the brand.
+ Also read – We debuted at the Brasil Design Award with two bronze medals!
In Bendita Chama’s social posts, the elements of the repertoire appear in harmony, creating a brand that shines, warms, and moves. See the full project.
5 – A visual identity is strategic
When you think about your company’s visual identity, what comes to mind? A good-looking logo, a harmonious color palette, stylish typefaces? Of course all of that matters. But visual identity is not just about looks, it’s a strategic tool. It’s how your business shows the world, with clarity and sensitivity, what your company is, what it stands for, and how it wants to be perceived. That’s why every part of the visual repertoire needs to be aligned with your brand strategy. Nothing is there by accident: every color, every shape, every texture carries intention. And when that connection is real, the visuals of your business go beyond being just beautiful. They move people. They build trust. They create closeness. In the end, it’s not only about what we see, it’s about what we feel when we look.
That’s exactly what happened with Tartiner, a brand that matured and went through important changes in strategy. That’s when we were invited back to update the visual identity we had created six years earlier. It was an incredible opportunity to expand and refine the repertoire: new colors were introduced to reflect new flavors, and we created an icon system to highlight special ingredients. The original Tartiner’s logo, however, remained the same, as did the brand’s primary color. This shows that a meaningful, emotionally resonant identity can absolutely stand the test of time, we’ve created brands that are still going strong after more than 15 years, or it can adapt gently, when the time is right.
+ Also read – Brand Strategy: What It Is and Why Your Business Needs One
A new chapter for Tartiner, a new identity. The visuals evolve with the brand without losing its soul. Photo: Amanda Nunes. See the full project.
Conclusion: so, what is it really?
Your company’s visual identity is so much more than a beautiful logo. It’s a set of elements that, together, tell your brand’s story and spark emotion in the right people. To get there, you need to dive deep into the heart of the business. That’s the only way to create a visual repertoire that’s strong, cohesive, and full of personality, a true reflection of your brand’s soul. More than that: when this identity is brought into everyday life, in every little detail of your communication, it comes to life. It speaks to your audience, inspires trust, creates connection. And the most beautiful part is that it can grow with the company for many, many years. After all, Beloved Brands are like love stories: they begin with emotion and grow stronger over time.
+ Also read – To rebrand or not to rebrand, that is the question
Have you ever felt like your company’s visual identity truly reflects everything it is? If you’d like to talk about it, we’re here, with open hearts. Shall we do it together? Request a proposal here.