New to business or looking at re-branding? Your Visual Branding plays a key role in your overall Brand Identity. Here's a run down on some simple steps to start your design process.
Your Visual Identity is the visual aspect of your branding that influences your audiences perception of your brand. Unlike your brand identity ( you can learn more about brand identity here), your visual identity includes all design elements and collateral such as; logo, font, color scheme and accents to pull together one cohesive theme that will marry together nicely with your brand identity.
How do you create a visual identity?
Know who you are.
It is important to establish who you are as a company/business and what your mission is. How to do you want your audience to view you? What separates you from your competitors? Answering these questions simply puts you at a better understanding of how you want to be perceived and where you wish to take your business. Know who you are and know your audience.
Mood boards.
Whether you have a graphic design team or you are designing your own visual branding, brainstorming is essential. If you are meeting with a designer, bring examples of what you like and don't like. This can be font examples, color schemes or even other companies websites & designs. This saves you and your designer time coming back to you with first drafts and mock-ups. Your brainstorming is pretty important, as it a) shows concepts and elements you like to move forward with and b) it is a great resource to refer back to for refinements and inspiration.
Keep it Simple.
You don't have to go crazy to have strong visual branding. The main focus for your business is to get your mission across to your audience. You don't need to use every color under the sun to do that. Brands that do well often evolve overtime and likewise, your brands visual identity can do so as well. If you look at the Apple logo, once a colorful apple icon is now a clean, sleek, reflective icon. It is one of the largest successful brands that doesn't go over the top with their logo or packaging yet is instantly recognizable worldwide! If you keep it simple to begin with you can always add more later on.
Be Consistent.
Just like your brand identity, consistency is paramount for strong visual branding. If you have a simplistic, minimalistic website, don't confuse your audience by using technicolor and every font imaginable on your social media or email campaigns. Keeping everything consistent ensures your brands visual collateral becomes recognizable just by sight.
Get Personal.
Show your brands personality through your designs. Whether it's your tagline or minor details on your business cards, choose colors and elements that represent your voice. Give your audience the connection they are looking for!
A strong visual identity is the connection and identification that your audience has with your brand. It is the way your business is packaged to the world. Think carefully about your design elements and what message you want to portray. Get creative, have fun and build a brand that wows!
Check out my portfolio here or if you want to talk more visual branding contact me below.