Last updated: Feb 25, 2026
3 min
Recently, a conversation with a friend sparked this topic.
She’s the kind of superstar friend who tells everyone about my business and what I do. But she mentioned something interesting, when she talks about branding, most people don’t actually know what it really means.
A lot of people think branding is just a logo.
Or brand colors.
Or the fonts a business uses.
And yes, those things are part of a brand. But they’re only a small piece of the puzzle.
And when branding isn’t backed by strategy, it might look nice… but it often falls flat.
So let’s break it down in a simple way.
Branding Has Two Sides
Branding can be divided into two main parts:
Tangible and Intangible.
Both matter. And both need to work together.
The Intangible Side of Branding (What People Feel)
This is the non-physical side of a brand. You can’t touch it, but you definitely experience it.
It includes things like:
Mission and vision
Values
Target audience
Competitive advantage
Personality
Brand voice
These are the things that shape how a brand feels.
For example, two businesses can sell the exact same product but one feels playful and fun, while the other feels premium and serious. That difference comes from the intangible side of branding.
The Tangible Side of Branding (What People See)
This is the physical, visible part of a brand. It’s usually what people think of first when they hear the word “branding.”
This includes:
Visual identity (logo, fonts, colors)
Website
Marketing materials
Packaging
Physical stores or spaces
These elements make the brand recognizable. They’re important but they shouldn’t exist on their own without meaning behind them.
Where Brand Strategy Comes In
Brand strategy is the thinking behind the branding.
It answers important questions like:
Who is this brand for?
What does it stand for?
How should people see and experience it?
Strategy guides every decision from the colors and fonts to the words used on a website.
Without strategy, branding is just decoration.
With strategy, branding becomes a tool that helps a business grow and build trust.
So, What Is Branding Really?
Branding isn’t just a logo.
It’s not just colors or fonts.
It’s the combination of what people see and what they feel about a business which get all shaped by a clear strategy.