Brand Identity Canvas (Alves)
Brand Identity Canvas (BIC)
Antonio Pedro Cruz Costa Alves · ESPM, São Paulo · 2022
Introduction
An Updated Brand Identity Model for Consumer Goods
Antonio Pedro Cruz Costa Alves developed the Brand Identity Canvas (BIC) in his master's thesis at ESPM (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing) in São Paulo, defended in December 2022 under the supervision of Fabiano Rodrigues (Alves, 2022, pp. 2, 4). He set out to update the most influential brand identity models, mostly theorised in the 1990s, for consumer goods and to add components and interactions that scholars had not addressed (Alves, 2022, p. 9). Following Design Science Research, he built the canvas from a literature review and 11 in-depth interviews with marketing managers, directors and professors, who criticised a prototype; the final version adds guiding questions under each component, turns the cross shape of the prototype into one whole structure and renames "environment" as market and "outcomes" as brand results (Alves, 2022, pp. 9, 139–140). The canvas arranges nine components in four dimensions, from the organisation on the inside to the market on the outside and the results of all branding efforts (Alves, 2022, pp. 140–143). New is a second, visual part: a mood board on the back page that presents the brand's visual side and tone of voice (Alves, 2022, pp. 144–145, 160).
The Model
Elements
Definitions follow Alves (2022, pp. 140–145) and the guiding questions of the canvas (p. 141, Figure 34). Narrative, personality, relationship and symbology form the extended brand identity, which can change moderately; the brand essence is the core identity, which rarely changes (pp. 142, 144). All examples come from Alves' illustration of the canvas for the non-profit charity: water (pp. 151–154, Figures 42–43).
Internal: Organisation
01
Organisation
The most internal dimension: the company's influence on the brand and on what it does. Mission, vision and values of the company work in the background and "should not contradict the brand essence"; employees and other stakeholders can also affect the brand (Alves, 2022, p. 142). The canvas asks about the corporate mission and values behind the brand, the organisation's influence on it and the employees' interactions with it (p. 141). Like the market and the results, it lies outside the scope of the brand managers, who can only influence it (p. 144).
charity: water: Mission: "non-profit organisation bringing clean and safe drinking water to developing countries"; vision: "reinvent charity around transparency and hope instead of guilt" (Alves, 2022, p. 152).
Internal and External: Brand Identity
02
Brand Essence
The core brand identity and centrepiece of the model, built from the brand's ethos and values: "what the brand stands for, why it has come into existence, and why it needs to be kept unchanged over time" (Alves, 2022, p. 143). It is strategic and rarely changes, because brand values and purpose need to stay consistent (p. 144). The canvas asks for the core brand values, why the brand exists and the brand vision (p. 141).
charity: water: "Water changes everything"; values: integrity, respect, excellence, innovation, generosity and passion (Alves, 2022, p. 152).03
Narrative
Brands need to strengthen their storytelling so that the consumer is "transported" into the story. Plot, characters and causal links create the story ambience, and archetypes and myths can deepen emotional bonds (Alves, 2022, pp. 142–143). The canvas asks how the brand tells its stories and about its characters, plot, setting, point of view, themes, myths and archetypes (p. 141).
charity: water: Characters: donors, the founder and community members; plot: how the water crisis was solved and where the donors' money went; archetypes: caregiver and hero (Alves, 2022, p. 152).04
Personality
The anthropomorphisation of the brand: a tone of voice and human characteristics that people can easily recognise and praise. A brand can take on a personality, and it should stay consistent "to avoid being seen as fickle" (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks which personality represents the brand and what its tone of voice is (p. 141).
charity: water: "Helpful, optimistic, honest, adventurous, generous, grateful, creative, and respectful" (Alves, 2022, p. 152).05
Relationship
The same human characteristics should also be explored in the brand's relationships: brands should embrace and leverage fan communities and keep a dialogue with consumers, while interactions, events and co-creation increase attachment and loyalty (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks how the brand interacts with stakeholders and which communities it has (p. 141).
charity: water: The Spring monthly donation programme and fundraising through birthday donations, wedding presents and concerts (Alves, 2022, p. 152).06
Symbology
The brand's symbols and how they are expressed: logotypes, fonts, colours, symbols and sometimes spokes-characters, all of which carry literal and implied meanings that brand managers should look into (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks for the key brand symbols, their meanings and how they are represented (p. 141).
charity: water: The jerry can as "an iconic part of the logo, symbolising hardship and hope" (Alves, 2022, p. 152).
External: Positioning and Market
07
Brand Positioning
Positioning is "the brand frontier and what consumers and competitors see": brands define their target consumers, where they sell and the best functional and emotional attributes (Alves, 2022, p. 143). Positioning is tactical and constantly reviewed (p. 144). The canvas asks for the main product lines, the product attributes and reason to believe (RTB) and the target consumers (p. 141).
charity: water: Reason to believe: "100% of all public donations go to the project", with GPS-located photos as proof (Alves, 2022, p. 152).08
Market
The social, environmental and cultural conditions of a given place and time: what consumers value and prefer, who the competitors are, norms, habits and culture wherever the brand is sold. Positioning only makes sense when it is directed at a specific market (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The prototype called this component "environment" (p. 140).
charity: water: "Millions lack basic access to clean water worldwide", and people do not understand what NGOs do with their donations (Alves, 2022, p. 152).
Results
09
Brand Results
The result of the exchange between the brand and its surroundings (Alves, 2022, p. 142). It sums up all branding efforts, such as brand awareness, valuation, equity and market share: "No brand can endure without being tracked and measured." (p. 143). The results feed back into the brand strategy, and the cycle starts again (pp. 143–144). The prototype called this component "outcomes" (p. 140).
charity: water: US$ 100.5 million raised and 27,159 water projects funded in 21 countries in 2021 (Alves, 2022, p. 152).
Mood Board (Back Page)
10
Photography
Guides the creative direction with sample images that show how photos should look, for instance the camera angle, the lighting, the setting and what people wear; video and sound can be added here (Alves, 2022, p. 145).
charity: water: Upbeat photography of people smiling and with dignity, with innovative angles that create movement (Alves, 2022, p. 154).11
Typography
Which typefaces the brand uses, with sample texts and where they appear (Alves, 2022, p. 145).
charity: water: The typefaces Proxima Nova and Avenir in their weights (Alves, 2022, p. 153, Figure 43).12
Tone of Voice
The brand language: friendly, smart or direct, relaxed and conversational or formal and sophisticated, and the words that describe it; speech can be added here (Alves, 2022, p. 145).
charity: water: Tone of voice "friendly, smart, and simple. Also, professional and transparent." (Alves, 2022, p. 152).13
Colour
The brand's colour scheme: its main and supporting colours, how they are combined, how intense they are, which shade they have, and any use of black and white (Alves, 2022, p. 145).
charity: water: Yellow and blue, "expressing energy and water at the same time" (Alves, 2022, p. 154).14
Symbols
The logo, characters, icons, the brand name, taglines, emblems and any other graphic element "that embeds the brand values and meanings" (Alves, 2022, p. 145).
charity: water: The wordmark "charity: water" and the jerry can, which also stands on its own (Alves, 2022, p. 152, Figure 42; p. 153, Figure 43).
Source
- Alves, A. P. C. C. (2022). Brand Identity Canvas: A Framework to Bring Clarity and Relevance to Brands [Master's thesis, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing]. ESPM TEDE. http://tede2.espm.br/handle/tede/770
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