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Strong brands are instantly recognisable. Not just by their name or logo, but through memorable details: a specific colour, a sound, a typeface, or even a scent. Travelling to faraway places this summer? Chances are you’ll encounter familiar brands, not through explicit advertising, but through subtle signals that trigger instant recognition: the smell of a certain sunscreen, the sound at airport boarding gates, or the shape of a bottle on a terrace table. You won’t just spot recognisable logos during your first Uber ride. You’ll consciously or subconsciously link many brand cues to your favourite brands.
That’s the power of brand assets: recognisable, consistent elements embedded in the consumer’s memory. They make a brand visible, even when it doesn’t speak. Not by chance, but through intentional and consistent choices that build trust over time.
In a market where attention is scarce, these brand elements ensure continuity and impact- from the airport gate to the beach chair.

Strong brand elements are recognised, even subconsciously

Brand assets go beyond visual choices. When applied consistently and cohesively, they trigger immediate recognition and trust. Because familiarity creates calm, even in overcrowded markets.
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4901 size-full" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_McDonalds.png" alt="Remarkable-Europe_McDonalds.png" width="605" height="340" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_McDonalds.png 605w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_McDonalds-300x169.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />
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It’s a worthwhile exercise for any brand: what’s left when you remove the logo? Is the style recognisable? Are the visuals consistent? Does your brand have a unique ‘tone of image’, something that sticks, even without a clear mention of the brand as sender?

More than style

There are many ways to build brand assets. Consider these seven types:
<ul>
<li>Slogans or phrases A strong line sticks and immediately calls a brand to mind. Think Just do it from Nike or What else? from Nespresso.</li>
<li>Colours 
Some colours are so strongly linked to a brand that a single glance is enough. Like the patented blue of Tiffany &amp; Co.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4902 size-medium" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_Tiffany-300x190.png" alt="Remarkable-Europe_Tiffany.png" width="300" height="190" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_Tiffany-300x190.png 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_Tiffany.png 596w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<ul>
<li>Typography 
A unique typeface shapes a brand’s personality. You’d recognise the Disney wordmark even if it were used in a completely different word.</li>
<li>Shapes 
Shapes can also be distinctive. Think of the Toblerone pyramid, the iconic Absolut Vodka bottle, or McDonald’s golden arches.</li>
<li>Rituals or brand experiences Some brands are recognised by the way they’re used. Think of unboxing an Apple product, dipping an Oreo in milk, or Biscoff with coffee.</li>
<li>Sounds or jingles Audio cues often stick subconsciously. McDonald’s ba-da-ba-ba-ba, the sound of a receipt printing at Albert Heijn, or the Netflix intro tune are great examples.</li>
<li>Characters or familiar faces A mascot or ambassador can give a brand a recognisable face. Think Mr. Clean, George Clooney for Nespresso, or the little bee from Honey Pops.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4903 size-medium" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_iPhone-300x169.jpg" alt="Remarkable-Europe_iPhone.jpg " width="300" height="169" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_iPhone-300x169.jpg 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_iPhone-768x432.jpg 768w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_iPhone.jpg 973w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />

Combine multiple strong brand elements and your brand name may be recognised even in different scripts. Thanks to its iconic bottle shape, recognisable red, and unique typeface, everyone knows Coca-Cola used to be served from these bottles.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-4904" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola-300x225.jpg" alt="Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola.jpg " width="450" height="337" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola-300x225.jpg 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola-768x576.jpg 768w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/07/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola.jpg 779w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" />
Even if a colour, shape, or sound doesn’t seem distinctive at first, long-term use can absolutely change that. Through consistent application, a strong association builds between the brand element and the business behind it. This means the element fulfils a commercial origin function and, if the legal conditions are met, can be registered as a trademark.
When recognisable brand elements are missing, a brand relies too much on visibility and too little on memory anchoring. In a world where consumers make decisions in milliseconds, strong brand assets are not a luxury. They are the bridge between brand memory and buying behaviour.
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What does this mean for my Brand?

Summer, sun, and… Brand recognition

A brand is more than its registered elements. We explored this in our previous blog on <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/insights/summer-sun-and-brand-recognition/">strong brand assets</a>. Think of McDonald’s ba-da-ba-ba-ba jingle or the distinctive bottle shape of Absolut vodka. These elements trigger instant recognition, even without explicitly showing the brand name.
But to what extent can these elements also be legally protected?
Not every brand element is equally strong from a legal perspective. Yet all of them contribute to a brand’s recognition and value. Some assets can enjoy long-term legal protection, while others mainly enhance brand experience but are harder to enforce legally. Understanding the difference is crucial for building a brand that lasts.

The most protectable assets are the brand name, logo, and symbols. A distinctive name always forms the foundation. Belfius was carefully chosen to stand out in a complex merger context. <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/case/nalu-good-vibes-for-coca-colas-energy-drink/">Nalu</a> illustrates how availability across multiple countries can be decisive, while <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/case/under-the-umbrella-of-acerta/">Acerta</a> shows how a unique name can provide a solid legal basis.
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5043 aligncenter" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Bpost-logo-300x169.png" alt="" width="300" height="169" data-wp-editing="1" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Bpost-logo-300x169.png 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Bpost-logo.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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Logos and emblems enjoy similar protection. Think of <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/case/bpost-signed-sealed-protected/">bpost</a>, where the red and white mark is instantly recognized, or Arvesta, whose simple, powerful icon supports an entire group of brands. Colors, too, can be legally protected if they are distinctive enough and consistently applied. The purple of Milka is the most famous example: a color now inseparably linked to the brand.

1. The strong foundations: name and logo

Beyond words and visuals, shapes can also be protectable. A textbook example is the Coca-Cola bottle, whose contours are recognised and protected worldwide. Closer to home, the perfume bottles of Loucil and C&amp;S show how a specific shape, separate from its content, can distinguish a brand and secure legal protection.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-5055 size-large aligncenter" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_Loucil-1024x703.png" alt="Remarkable-Europe_Loucil" width="1024" height="703" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_Loucil-1024x703.png 1024w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_Loucil-300x206.png 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_Loucil-768x527.png 768w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_Loucil.png 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Even in more everyday categories, the principle applies. <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/case/laroy-for-pets-all-over-the-world/">Laroy Group</a>’s dog toys were given a unique product shape that competitors could not easily copy. Still, protection of shapes is never automatic. The key question is: is the shape purely functional, or does it also serve as a distinctive sign? Only in the latter case does it qualify for brand protection.

2. Shape and packaging: protection in the details

A slogan or baseline can also qualify for trademark protection, but only if it is truly distinctive. Generic claims usually fall short. For <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/case/new-horizons-for-arvesta/">Arvesta</a>, we co-created the line “Experts in the field”: a phrase that captures their core promise while being legally defendable. Universal taglines like Nike’s “Just Do It” demonstrate how words can evolve into powerful brand assets.
Beyond words, typefaces can also carry brand distinction. The iconic Mars wordmark, with its specific and consistently applied lettering style, shows how typography can shape identity. Through strong recognition, a typeface can in some cases even be protected legally, provided it is not purely functional or generic.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5046 aligncenter" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Lettertypes-234x300.png" alt="" width="234" height="300" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Lettertypes-234x300.png 234w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Lettertypes.png 301w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" />
Still, this remains a grey zone. Slogans and typefaces are often more fleeting and harder to claim than names or logos. Only through consistent use and clear differentiation can they grow into legally defendable elements.

3. From tagline to typeface: when words truly build brand value

Not everything that makes a brand recognisable can be legally protected. Brand styles, campaigns, social media presence, architecture or transport vehicles all contribute to brand experience but are rarely exclusive. Think of the distinctive design of Apple Stores, Coca-Cola’s Christmas campaigns or the festival booths of soft drink brands: they create recognition without airtight legal protection.
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5056 size-full" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola_Campaign.png" alt="Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola_Campaign.png " width="605" height="339" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola_Campaign.png 605w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/09/Remarkable-Europe_CocaCola_Campaign-300x168.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />

4. The grey zone: elements that are hard to claim

Protectability is not black and white. Strong brands combine legally protected assets such as names, logos, colors and emblems with experience-driven elements like campaigns or house style. The first category provides legal certainty, the second builds emotional anchoring. It is precisely this combination that makes brands resilient.
Protectability is not black and white. Strong brands combine legally protected assets such as names, logos, colors and emblems with experience-driven elements like campaigns or house style. The first category provides legal certainty, the second builds emotional anchoring. It is precisely this combination that makes brands resilient.

Protected or copyable?