Now, typically the disconnect between brand identity and brand image happens at steps two and three. We're going to discuss these steps in future emails, but for today we're going to focus on creating your visual identity.

Creating A Strong Visual Identity

Invariably, martial art school owners screw this up royally. Let's just get something right out in the open here folks - most of us are nerds. Now, you might object to that statement, but I'm telling you that the way the public views our culture and the way we perceive our culture is often worlds apart.

Whether you're a traditionalist or a modern mixed martial artist, I can tell you for a fact that public perception of what you do is different from your personal perception.  In either case, what you need to understand that the key to making your brand stick with consumers is mainstreaming it. 

If you're a traditionalist, that means Westernizing your image. Now, notice I didn't say Westernizing your art - I said Westernizing your image. That means giving up all the weird fonts, kanji, and bizarre, complicated logos and replacing them with something that is simple, modern, and that will be recognizable and appealing to a broad audience.

And if you're a modern mixed martial artist, it means taking the violence out of your image. Again, note that I didn't say taking the violence out of your art - I said take the violence out of your image. That means essentially the same thing as it does to the TMA school owners, making your logo and visual identity appealing to a broad audience.

Know Your Goal

For an example, let's look at a popular brand that has massive brand recognition in the martial arts world. Take the UFC logo, for instance - do you see anything remotely violent about it? Nope. There are no skulls, no blood, nobody getting punched, kicked, or tapped in the logo. Essentially, it's just 3 letters inside an octagon. Simple and recognizable.

Is the UFC violent? Of course! But when the Fertitta's put him in charge of making the UFC a household brand, Dana White ultimately knew that he needed to distance them from the UFC's NHB and vale tudo roots. So, the first thing they did was drop the old logo, the one with the bald guy beating the shit out of the planet earth.

See what I'm getting at here? The new logo looks like something that any sports team might own. The old logo? Like something a group of teamsters would come up with to promote a local tough man contest.

The old logo evokes an immediate and visceral response. The new logo? It's more clean cut and sports team-like. And because of that, it's a much better representation of their brand.

Be Intentional

Now, regardless of what you think of the UFC on the whole, as a brand they've come a long way, and much of their success started with creating a new, much more palatable image.

This is what I'm talking about when I say you need to be intentional in creating your brand identity. You need to know EXACTLY how you want consumers to perceive your brand, and then you need to create visuals that represent that to consumers.

IMPORTANT POINT: Moreover, your brand identity has to be SIMPLE and EASILY RECOGNIZABLE. That means your logo should consist of just a few simple elements, and 1 to 3 easily recognizable colors.

There's a reason why sports team logos almost always consist of just an icon and the name of the team. Use that knowledge to your advantage, and follow their lead when creating your brand's visual identity.

Alright, that's enough info for today. Tomorrow we'll wrap up this convo on brand visuals, and then we'll start to discuss differentiation and how that impacts your brand identity and image.