Verbal identity
Words that areunmistakably yours.
We tend not to use the phrase itself but people do: A verbal identity is the system of words a brand uses to be recognised. The system includes the brand’s name and naming conventions, its voice, its key messages and the vocabulary it favours and avoids. Where a visual identity is how a brand looks, a verbal identity is how it sounds and what it says, everywhere it speaks.
Questions.
- What is the difference between verbal identity and voice and tone?
- We deliver them as part of the same package. For some, voice and tone are one part of a verbal identity: the character of the writing. Verbal identity is the whole system: naming, messaging, vocabulary, voice and tone, and the rules that hold them together. We do both under voice and tone.
- What is in a verbal identity?
- A naming approach, a core narrative and key messages, principles, a vocabulary of the words you own and the words you avoid, writing rules, and examples across the places the brand speaks, from the homepage to the product to the pitch.
- How does it work with the visual identity?
- It sits alongside the visual identity and is often seen as analogous to it. The two should come from the same strategy and work together, so the words and the design say the same thing. We often work with designers, whether ours or yours, while the identity takes shape.
- How long does it take?
- A couple of weeks to a month, depending on how much naming and messaging is involved. We’ll always tell you the cost before we start.
- Who is it for?
- Brands being created, renamed or repositioned, and established brands that look consistent but don’t yet sound like one company.
Talk to usabout it.
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hello@studiojunction.ioAlso: Brand positioning · Brand strategy · Category design · Content design and UX writing · Voice and tone · Brand story