Brand Mission, Vision, and Values – What’s What?

Creating a strong brand identity is crucial for success. But it’s easy to get ahead of ourselves and want to start thinking about logotypes and colour from the off without putting the right foundations in place. You’ll see in the image below, I like to describe the visual brand as just the tip of the iceberg – it’s what’s underneath the surface that defines your brand.

Before the visual design stage, we need to place the brand on a strong footing. At the heart of every successful brand are three essential components: the mission, vision, and values. Each has a distinct role in shaping a brand’s identity and supporting growth and success. Let’s look at each of these elements and what they do.

Mission:

A brand’s mission statement outlines its overall purpose. It defines why the brand exists and what it seeks to accomplish. The mission should outline the brand’s reason for being and the service it will deliver to its target audience.

Maybe the most famous example is Google’s: “To organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Vision:

While the mission is all about the present, the brand vision takes a leap into the future. It represents a vivid, aspirational picture of what the brand aims to become or achieve in the longer term. A compelling vision serves as a source of motivation for employees, stakeholders and customers, inspiring them to rally behind the brand’s journey.

Disney’s vision statement is a clear and ambitious message: “To be the world’s leading producer and provider of entertainment and information.”

Values:

Brand values are the principles and beliefs that govern a brand’s behaviour and culture. These core values define the brand’s personality, its approach to conducting business, and how it interacts with its market. When used consistently, brand values become the foundation for building trust and long-lasting relationships with customers and partners.

Lego has a great set of brand values creating a framework for staff to deliver a consistent brand experience and take ownership of the company’s mission.

When you start to build your brand from these three elements, a powerful brand identity will follow – one that resonates with customers and staff, and sets a brand apart. And from here, you can create a visual identity that completely aligns and supports your purpose, I promise!

If I can help you to think objectively about the purpose of your brand and strengthen your brand story, please get in touch!