The internet is a big place.
While the ability to connect with people from all over the world is helpful, it can also feel intimidating. Establishing a corner of the internet for your business’ online presence is difficult in such an oversaturated market. At times, it even feels impossible. What if we told you there was a better way? There is! It’s possible to not only stake out your piece of the market but to also connect authentically with your target market. This is where your visual identity comes in. Embracing what makes your business unique and allowing your personality to saturate every part of your business is undeniably a key to better brand awareness and connection. Lucky for you, helping clients discover their why and apply this to their visual identity is one of our favorite things. Are you ready to start connecting?
Understanding Visual Identity
Think about your favorite brands and imagine how you feel when you see them. What thoughts go through your mind when you see their logos or receive their packaging? Can you recognize their font no matter where it is? The emotions you associate with a brand were built with time and intention. Therefore, the same will be true for your business. Your visual identity typically makes the first impression on your audience. The logo they see, the imagery that greets them, the appeal of the typography and colors–all of these elements make up your brand’s visual identity.
Because your visual identity is often one of the main ways your audience finds a connection with your brand, it’s important to understand what your audience is looking for. When someone from your audience interacts with your business, you want to ensure you’re communicating the message you want them to hear the most.
In addition, it’s important for your values as a business to be reflected in all parts of your identity. Just as you would spend time crafting your own style, your visual identity should receive just as much attention. As you consider how your visual identity will appear to your audience, think about what will matter most to them. Does your business cater to a more modern audience? Do your customers appreciate quirky styles and products? What message is your audience searching for? Keeping the needs and wants of your audience in mind when establishing your visual identity is a crucial part of the process.
Define Your Brand Elements
Color
We all recognize the colors of our favorite brands. Brands capture your attention with the colors they choose. For example, the blue and yellow you expect to see as you enter the Amazon website has become an integral part of their brand. Another great example is Google. The blue, green, yellow, and red that greets you on their homepage and in their logo is as important to their identity as the other parts. As we interact with those brands, the colors elicit certain feelings, memories, or emotions in us.
As you choose your own colors consider how your audience will interact with them. What feelings do you want them to experience? How will your colors influence your social posts, your user experience on your website or your customer’s feelings when receiving your packaging? After choosing your colors, it’s important to use them consistently across your entire brand, which will establish your brand identity.
Logo
A logo is what most people initially think about when it comes to a brand’s visual identity. While a logo isn’t the end of your brand’s identity, it is undoubtedly an important part. Your logo can communicate everything from what your business cares about to who your target audience is. As you consider the design of your logo, think about your business as a whole. What image represents your business culture? What do you want to stand out to your audience when they see your logo? Answering these questions will help guide you in your decisions.
Type
Settling on specific fonts for your business will help your brand provide consistency. In addition to the font you may have used in your logo, you also need to include secondary and body copy font. The font you choose will start the conversation with your audience long before they even read what you’ve written. As you work with a designer to choose fonts, consider how they will play with the other visual elements of your brand.
Shapes
Did you know there is quite a bit of psychology behind the shapes you choose? Shapes make up every image we look at. From the shapes in a logo to the shape of your packaging, there are many variations to consider. Take a look at your favorite brands again–what shapes do you notice? What do they communicate and how do they make you feel? Drawing inspiration from brands that appeal to you and hold similar core values will provide guidance.
Quality and Consistency are Key
Let’s flash forward to the time when your visual identity is locked in. Establishing the guidelines for your visual identity is certainly an important step in growing your business. Now that you have your visual identity established, it’s equally important to focus on maintaining consistency and quality. We suggest creating a style guide. Within this document is where you organize your colors, logo, type, and shapes. A style guide is helpful for your team to refer to time and time again. When your audience interacts and identifies with your brand, they expect the brand identity to remain reliable. Therefore, your visual identity should influence every aspect of your business and content.
From social media posts to blogs, reels, and more, the way your brand appears to your audience visually should remain consistent. This helps your audience learn what to expect overall. Nothing is more appealing than consistent quality over time.
Your business is worth the time and effort of establishing a strong visual identity. No matter where you are in your journey, the most important thing is to allow yourself to come back to your why time and time again. Whether you’re designing a logo for the first time or giving your experienced business a new look, your core values should influence each decision. As you continue on the path to a high-quality identity, let us join you! On our website and social media, we provide free resources to help cheer you on to success.
Need more in-depth help? Reach out today! There’s nothing we love more than seeing the first fruits of how strong, intentional design and marketing help business owners achieve their dreams.
