Visual identity serves as the cornerstone of branding, shaping perceptions and influencing consumer behavior. Delve into its intricacies, from its fundamental principles to its pivotal role in brand recognition, and discover how to effectively harness its power for your business.
Business and Advertising
Advertising is where businesses use their visuals to actively reach out to customers
Graphics
Picture assets that are drawn or designed
- Can be simple as forms and shapes
- Lego block or the Coca-Cola bottle – or more complex such as a logo, icons, or even full-scale illustrations or animations
- The goal is to convey the identity of the brand
Balance consistency with contrast
Having well documented brand style guidelines can be crucial.
- Don’t let a brand that is too predictable fade to the background. Look for opportunities to infuse your existing visual brand with new and varied contrast to differentiate it from the rest of the design elements.
Aim for Simplicity
Consumers will take in visual information within a matter of seconds, and unless they are actively seeking out your brand, they will move on just as quickly
- You have limited time to make an impression, so it is essential to home in on the single most important takeaway, and focus the visuals around that
Typography
The shape or styling of the text you use in your branding
Physical brand assets
These are the material objects that contribute to a brand’s visual identity.
- Examples include the layout and design of a store, uniforms for customer-facing employees, and china, cutlery and tablecloths used in restaurants
- Graphic design helps create consistent visual identities
What is visual identity?
Visual identity is all of the imagery and graphical information that expresses who a brand is and differentiates it from all the others
- The purpose of visual identity is to create an emotional impression on viewers to inform viewers about the nature of the brand and services/products offered
- To unify the many different aspects of a business through consistent visuals
Know When to Step Back and When to Stand Out
Sometimes the best visual identity is one that flies under the radar
- It’s important to recognize when it’s time to stand out and when it’s time to step back
- Visual communication often works on an unconscious level, and you can trust that your message is getting across even with a minimal implementation
Visual Identity vs. Brand Identity
Visual identity has an intrinsic relationship with brand identity
- It includes visual identity along with non-visual elements such as a brand voice, copy editing guides, a mission statement, core values, etc.
- At the same time, visual identity is a distinct discipline that involves a different thought process and approach from brand identity.
Web and digital design
Digital design is the space where consumers get to directly interact with your visual identity
Define Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity should guide the visuals, not the other way around.
- Decide the basics of your brand strategy: what is your mission statement, what are your core values, how does your brand help people, who are your buyer personas, What is your communication style?
Logo and brand assets
The foremost symbol for a brand, and it informs many of the graphics, color, and typography choices of the visual identity going forward.
Color Palette
Identify a brand through a scheme of very specific hues, shades, and tints
- Should begin with the logo and be repurposed for all brand materials
- Primary color: main color for your brand; secondary color: to be used in the background; accent color: for contrast on assets
Familiarize yourself with the elements of design
Graphic design is a tool for visual expression, and a tool is only as strong as its user
- It can make your life easier if you know how to use it, or it can be a hazard if you don’t
Tell a compelling story
Good stories are rooted in characters and conflict
- Decide who your protagonist is and give them an obstacle to overcome
- Above all else, your visual identity must adhere to storytelling’s most cherished rule: show, don’t tell
Design for the medium
Visual identity exists in a vacuum
- Once you develop any visual asset, the time will come to send it off into the real or digital world
- A visual identity for an online brand will naturally look different from one for a brick and mortar brand
- Different media can drastically change how your visual elements come across
