The Importance of a Strong Brand Identity
You don't realize how important a good brand identity is until you see a bad one. Just last year, in August 2025, Cracker Barrel released a new logo and brand identity that made the internet explode. "The new version of the logo, which was unveiled along with a new menu on 19 August, removed the image of a man sitting in a chair and leaning against a barrel - known as the "Old Timer" - and replaced it with an emblem featuring only the chain's name. That sparked accusations that the company, known for its Southern-style comfort food and nostalgic atmosphere, was abandoning its roots" (BBC News). When you see a good brand identity, you don't bat an eye. But when you see a terrible one, it is so obvious. That is why good design and brand identity are so important.
When building a brand, there are so many different elements that are involved. You have a main logo, secondary logos, a cohesive color palette, different fonts and typefaces, patterns, and so much more. All of this comes together to create a good brand identity. A brand that did a great job of creating a brand is the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League. They introduced their brand in the middle of COVID, so they didn't have a lot of crazy things they could do, but that didn't matter. The strength of the designs was so impressive that they made them a household name in the Seattle area and beyond.
Above is the brand board put together by Cody Pearson Design. He did a fantastic job taking a mystical creature like a Kraken and turning it into a cohesive and scary sports brand. The primary logo has the letter "S" with a Kraken tentacle wrapping around it. In between the blue "S" is a deep red eye, which really pops. The secondary logo is just as brilliant, as it shows the Space Needle and an anchor mixed together into one. It is a really smart design, and Cody and his team did a fantastic job designing this.
To avoid creating a bad brand, you need to make sure you are making choices with a purpose. If you are changing or adding something just for the sake of it, it probably isn't a great idea. In addition, when you are designing, it is important to target it towards your audience. In the Cracker Barrel example, many of their customers are older, according to Cracker Barrel themselves, 43% of customers were age 55+, so getting rid of the charm and character in place of a minimalist design is a bad idea. Designing with purpose for the brand and the consumers is the most important part.
When you compare a great brand and a terrible brand, it is really night and day. A good brand immerses you into the world and is cohesive from social media to print, to everything in between. Bad design makes even non-creatives look at it and wonder, "Did a first grader make that?" That's why it's so important to put a lot of time and effort into building out a brand identity.
