How to Achieve Strong Visual Identity Branding for Your Company
Find out how to make the core elements of visual identity branding work for your business and your customers.
Why You Need to Shape the Visual Identity Branding For Your Company
The future of your business depends largely on your ability to get and retain clients.
The visual identity of a company is the backbone that allows your business to connect with consumers and potential customers. Strong visual identity branding is what directs your customers to opt for your brands’ proposal and not leave in search of competition.
Visual identity is the sum of everything that your audience will see that represents your brand.
You must carefully handle each of those graphics elements that identify and differentiate your brand (fonts, logo, logo-symbol, colors, and illustrations among others) and work on them in accordance with the verbal identity name, slogan or tagline, tone, and storytelling).
It’s much better to consciously create visual identity branding that resonates positively with your customer base, because the alternative is to let others shape your brand for you – and that’s not always good. If your visual elements and messaging don’t express your true corporate values, chances are your customers will feel disappointed or confused and ultimately they will look elsewhere.
Benefits of the company’s visual identity branding
Big companies and large brands know very well how important a good visual identity is if the company wants to communicate positively through a strong, authentic and corporate image.
Being recognizable, giving personality to the company and differentiating it from its competitors are the three main functions and backbone of this identity.
If they are met, the benefits you can get include:
- Distinction: The visual identity of the company allows it to be differentiated from the competition in an increasingly fragmented market.
- Control: Knowing the identity of your business and the image it projects in public will allow you to respond quickly and efficiently to changes.
- Reputation: The visual identity of the company is its official presentation, and the first impression it generates will have a huge impact on potential customers. A good image will help your identity to be solid and well established.
- Association: Identity is what allows you to be remembered as it is much easier to achieve excellent positioning in the minds of your clients if you have a defined and memorable visual representation.
- Bond: From the client’s point of view, a strong identity creates a sense of belonging and trust.
- Recognition: As your identity becomes more developed and distinguished, the recognition of your business by the public grows.
Aspects That Help the Visual Identity and Branding of a Company
The visual identity of the company must synthesize and faithfully represent the essence and emotions of the brand.
You have to leave an impression that resonates and sticks in the minds of your audience.
Certain visual stimuli activate a part of the brain associated with personal identification. Therefore, to build a strong identity, it will be crucial to make appropriate decisions in the design of your visual identity.
Here are some key elements to consider:
1. Connect with your customer
Brand-led companies, in contrast, play the long game and require more investment. The identity of the brand supersedes the product and allows a company to resist certain market forces. ~ Jasmine Bina Forbes
It is important that your company connects with the clients quickly.
It should draw attention and translate its philosophy, represent the values and make it clear with a single image to what it is dedicated. To achieve this, pay special attention to the shape and colors you will use. It depends on what is easy to remember and identify.
2. Share a message
It is essential that the visual identity of a company pass the desired message.
The consumer must perceive the relevant information and have a clear idea of your brand. Designers can help you achieve this goal through a sketching process that includes several versions of your visual identity until you successfully transmit everything you need.
3. Uniqueness
There is no need to explain why your identity should be unique and non-transferable.
Your brand’s identity must be unrepeatable and under no circumstances should you try to copy another brand’s logo. If you thought so, the idea is completely wrong because it will most likely generate confusion and a feeling of lack of creativity.
4. Remain memorable
It is imperative that your company logo and all of its symbols are easy to remember. It is essential to work correctly with colors and shapes since a good logo is one that once seen, is recorded in the memory.
From 1933 to the mid 50s, the word Zippo has been and remains to this day one of the most iconic and memorable logos of all.
What information can you glean from the Zippo Logo type?
The success of this logo in branding is largely due to it’s simplicity and iconic reference to function. This is the kind of visual integration that makes a strong brand identity.
5. Be Evergreen
It is important that the visual identity of the company lasts over time and does not go out of style.
After a few years, your brand may need to refresh or update some or all of its visual elements, but it is not advisable to modify them frequently. If you change the logo, typography or colors, clients will have to re-immerse themselves in the association process.
6. Simplicity
Complication and threading are not good friends of visual design. Simplicity is the key to enjoy a coherent and solid identity.
According to the Harvard Review brands who utilize simplicity in their strategy win big overall.
In addition to strengthening customer loyalty, we find that simplicity reduces price sensitivity and drives positive word of mouth. Our 2015 survey found that 63% of consumers are willing to pay more for a simpler experience, and 69% are more likely to recommend a brand because it provides simpler experiences.
7. Playing with color
The color palette also plays a fundamental role, and that is why they are included in the corporate identity manual.
According to a study called Impact of Color in Marketing,
“People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62‐90 percent of the assessment is based on colors alone. So, prudent use of colors can contribute not only to differentiating products from competitors, but also to influencing moods and feelings.”
Many businesses don’t take the role of color seriously or think that it’s just too hard to be original, but take a note from Tiffany who solved the problem of color by creating its own iconic shade of ‘robin’s egg’ blue, trademarked as Tiffany Blue. Tiffany has effectively used this color on everything from jewellery boxes to shopping bags and advertising to the point where anyone immediately associates the color to the brand.
8. Typography
Image from http://fabrikbrands.com
All communication in association with your brand will utilize your typographic decisions. Your typography can be simple and non obvious, or it can actually enhance your communication.
The typography that you decide to use in the various pieces of communication is a very important aspect since it must be in correlation with the other elements of the identity.
There is a LOT to understand about the psychology of typography, to learn more about it check out this awesome article about font psychology in visual identity branding.
9. Provide versatility
Nowadays, all the elements that make up the visual identity and branding of a company must be prepared to appear in any medium or channel (not only on paper) and appear correctly without deforming. If you want an excellent marketing strategy, your brand will appear correctly on the web, social networks, mailing campaigns, television or the newspaper, banner and even on a shirt or a glass of beer.
10. Impression
Finally, and in relation to all the previous aspects, the visual identity of a company should impress and attract attention, get to stand out from the competition.
By fulfilling all these criteria, you will effectively communicate your message, connect with your target audience, help your professional positioning and facilitate your identification in the competitive market.
Big Brands know very well how important a good visual identity is. With these 10 key aspects, it will be very easy to build a campaign that differentiates you, highlights you and allows you to reach your target audience.
