The answers lie in the treasure called visual brand identity.
But before we talk about the visual aspect of brand identity, let us first understand, what is brand identity?
Well, brand identity is the first thing (or first few things) that comes to the mind of customers when they hear a business name.
You can come out as a business that’s creative, best in customer service, one that takes care of its employees, or best in its field of operation.
One good example here is that of Amazon.com; the brand name has become synonymous with trust, excellent customer care, and a to z products.
Apparently, creating a brand identity as strong as that of the e-commerce giant will take time and a lot of hard work. One of the essential factors here is building a visual brand identity and using it effectively.
Visual Branding
Visual branding is all about the image a brand builds for itself that helps customers construct a perspective.
It can be through various elements and channels, all depicting business goal, service area, ethos, etc.,
For example, if your business deals in the hospitality industry and its Instagram page is filled with fun memories with clients, employee participation, and celebrations then surely you are covering all the right parameters and are doing a good job.
The thing with visual identity is that it should be consistent and be in line with the nature of your business.
Talking of consistency, whether you are a new brand or are thinking of revamping your image, take note to follow a consistent design language. It’ll help customers to recognise you and in the long-run will save you advertising cost. The bands with a lot of variation often end up spending more to come in the notice as their image has never been stable.
Next, the visuals should do justice to your business and portray what you believe in and have on offer for your customers. It can be perceived in two-ways,
First, always project the right image, don’t beautify or exaggerate your offerings, because an unsatisfied customer or a bad review can take you back many steps.
Secondly, understand your business, its clientage and then work on the designs, images, fonts and colours. Don’t use something funny or childish to describe something serious, it’ll confuse the client, and he may give a second thought whether or not you are the right choice.
The big question here is how to start creating a visual brand identity for your business? Down below we have compiled a list of essentials elements that no company (big or small) should miss and following which they’ll get a lasting visual brand identity.
A checklist that’ll help you create a smart visual brand –
A primary logo – A logo forms the essential part of a brands identity. If done right it’ll be the first thing to pop in your client’s mind when they think about you. Take help of professionals, or you can save some cost by using professional logo design tools like Canva to create a logo.
Colour Palette – Every business should have its colour palette that remains common across all designs (offline & online)
Fonts – Pick a font style that relates to your work, a corporate firm can pick a subtle font, where else a creative one can experiment. You can select a font that’s widely available or go for a custom font if you want to keep things exclusive.
A secondary logo – At the time of getting your primary logo designed, add a secondary one to the list to go on stuff like company t-shirts, souvenirs etc.
Taking care of the above stuff will get you started on the brand identity game and help form a solid foundation. However, there are few more elements like email signature, headshots, photography, and some sorts of background or texture. They may or may not be needed by all. However, if you don’t understand their purpose, it’s best to focus on the branding factors that matter.
Last words…
Once your visual brand identity is ready, put it to use! Use it effectively, get people to know about it by throwing a brand party and follow up the visual identity with a brand voice in the form of blogging and social media. Make your brand your best salesperson and enjoy benefits.
