The modern digital world is operated through the lens of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Nowadays, the way your brand is presented visually can make or break your entire enterprise.
A business is dependent on how the brand performs in order to achieve success. We can look at the examples of successful brands that have invested heavily in constructing an appealing visual structure that has enabled customers to gravitate towards it.
Companies such as Uber serve as primary examples of this methodology. Their focus on their visual branding has elevated them to become the billion-dollar corporation that it is today. Startups and new businesses do not have to be intimated or hesitant to emulate this modus operandi.
Visual Branding is not limited to large businesses. It is important to remember that such large enterprises themselves started off as startups themselves.
You have the ability to construct your own visual brand at a low cost in order to earn capital. Once your brand gains its essential growth, you can proceed to make more modifications pertaining to your brand’s visual representation.
What is a Visual Brand?
Visual branding is the body of external brand factors such as colors, fonts, logos, and other design elements of a brand that appeal to your target demographic. These elements help convey your brand’s messaging and identity.
Some of these visual elements include:
- Web Design
- Motion and Video
- Iconography
- Photography
- Interactive Elements
- Data Visualization
- Graphics
- Illustrations
- Patterns
- Hierarchy
Tips for Establishing an Effective Visual Branding
1. Mirror Your Product or Service
It is imperative that the visuals you are creating for your brand reflect your brand’s products and services. You need to examine the styles, fonts, colors, and other factors that best represent your brand. Don’t leave anything out of the mind frame. Take everything into consideration. If you are running a toothpaste brand, the colors may include white and polished colors.
If you are running a fashion store, usage of fonts such as Times New Roman which are utilized in documents should be rejected. You need to take a step back and visualize internally which characteristic best suits your brand’s visuals. Begin with the color, then move on to the style, and then so on and so forth. The same method should be applied to your visual merchandising, store, etc.
Instagram is especially useful when it comes to incorporating these visual elements. An effective visual brand will help amass a growing following of thousands of followers. You can test it out in its initial phase and receive feedback before moving ahead to a larger audience. The Designer’s example of using the visual style of their logo design vindicates that strategy.
2. Ability to Stand Out
It is imperative that you separate from the other brands by ensuring that your brand visuals are distinct and unique. While it is preferable to opt for originality. It does not mean you cannot take some inspiration from the visual nature of other brands.
All you need to do first is question whether your brand visuals can become easily recognizable to your audience or not. Will your visuals have an effect on your potential customers to visit your page and recommend it to others?
Brand Products whose visuals are multicolored or fun have a better effect on viewers as opposed to serious and dark ones. Viewers are more receptive to light content. If this style fits your criteria of what you want the visuals of your brand to look like then it’s best to follow through on this method.
3. Simple is Better Than Complex
Steve Jobs made this case as the founder of Apple. Instead of thinking big and complex, it uses a multitude of illustrations, photography styles, illustrations, colors, and fonts. You can fit one characteristic from each element to keep your visuals simple. But be mindful that you choose the ones that make
As the co-founder of Apple and a pioneer in technology and design, his words of wisdom are applicable to crafting a brand’s visual identity. Rather than trying to squeeze as many colors, fonts, illustrations, or photography styles into your brand, keep it simple. Choose the ones that will make a strong impression.
4. Use Mood Boards
As mentioned, it is viable to get inspiration from other brand visuals. You can opt for building your own ideas or utilize a pre-built mood board. Use essential keywords such as “Color Scheme”, “Visual Identity”, “Branding” and “Design” to seek your own discoveries
5. Use Emotions You Want to Elicit
If you focus excessively on the functionality of your product, it might hinder the visual imagery of your brand. Emotions are imperative especially if you want your audience to recognize your brand and establish trust with them. The initial step that you need to take is to create a visual style that caters to the raw emotions of your consumer. Such an example can be found in color charts where both visuals and emotions complement one another.
6. Consistency
No matter what platform, your visual branding needs to be consistent with your communication mechanism. The reality is that all the known brands ensure that their visuals complement their brand’s social media networks and website.
Consistency in your visuals makes it convenient for you to convey your brand messaging. In order to achieve this consistency, seek professional help from an experienced and qualified graphic designer. The same goes for website designers, photographers, and illustrators who will have ample knowledge as to what your final material should look like.
7. Have a Clear Goal
It’s easy to have a clear goal as to what you expect from your brand. But you should reserve the same ideology when it pertains to the visual aspect of your brand. Take the example of the Australian Mattress Koala. Its simple mission of “helping habitats thrive” rendered it an environment-friendly enterprise that garnered a wide range of customers.
To expand on their mission, they designed a Koala as their mascot which became known as their visual brand. The koala is also featured in the imagery and iconography of their website. Their clear mission was to cater to a nature-friendly audience and they found success in this policy.
8. Know Your Base
You need to introspect what kind of audience you want to convert as clients. The client base is diverse in terms of race, age, gender, and nationality. You can focus on a common denominator and more through your social media following. You can observe their behaviors and motivations in order to appeal to their sense of style when you plan on your visual branding.
Bella Buttercup is a case in point in this regard. It was visually branded to appeal to parents who wished to acquire friendly baby products. Their products ranged from change mats to teethers. They also made sure that their audience knew that their branding was Scandinavian-inspired.
Their visual imagery included attractive baby bedrooms and babies enjoying their products. This was particularly appealing to would-be parents. This rendered Bella Buttercup a trusted baby product brand.
9. Put It to the Test
It will be beneficial for you to attain some critique from experienced designers or brand managers. If you have a limited budget, it is best to receive some feedback from potential clients which can include friends. Then, you can avail some early feedback from your initial customers. You can showcase your visual brand guidelines and ask them a series of questions.
How do you feel about this design?
Do you think it is the best fit for our mission?
Does this design remind you of another design? Are they too similar?
Please rank the design on a scale of 1 to 5. It can be on a likeability or even dislike basis.
10. Iterate
Do not fear the possibility of failure. There is always the chance of getting it wrong the first time. This is a natural occurrence in the business world. You should avoid replacing your visual brand with another in a couple of months. Just enhance it with some modifications in a matter of a few months.
As with anything in business, you often don’t get things right the first time. While it might not be wise to switch up your visual identity once every three months, hold regular review sessions for small tweaks every few months. If you are hoping to rebrand your visuals, then you need to revisit your visual identity.
These tips are what made Designster what it is today. Its visual branding has been impeccable and well-organized. It evokes the same appeal that has brought a similar audience to other enterprises. The Designster has in-depth knowledge of what reflects your products and services which is why their customers have seen immediate success.