When creating your brand’s identity there are so many things to consider. From your logo to visuals and everything in between. You want to create an identity that not only represents you business, but also connects with your target audience and builds recognition. That’s why I put together these 3 simple branding tips that will help you align your visual identity.
Tip 1 - choose your brand colours wisely.
It is a fact that 84.7% of people say color is the main reason they bought a product. With those stats, you can see why your colour choice is so important.
There is a lot more to color than meets the eye. It not just an aesthetic. Your colour choice triggers emotions in your customers. The color red gives a sense of danger, or urgency while blue offers a sense of calm.
When a client sees the colours you use across your brand, they see more than a pretty color. Your colours trigger emotions, and you want to covey the right ones. The psychology behind the colour, is vital and should never be ignored. The right colour choice will attract your ideal client.
Make sure you don’t go overboard with your colour choice!
Stick to 2 primary colours for your brand, three at the most. You can also pair them with two complimentary colours. Use these for a call to action. Too much colour can be confusing and an overload.
A quote from Pierre Bonnard captures the essence of colour perfectly. He says; “colour does not add a pleasant quality to design – it reinforces.”
Your colour choice should add value to your visual identity. It should be working alongside your brand, not as a separate entity.
Tip 2 - Font choice
Every font has a personality, and your customer will perceive your brand depending on the ones you use. You are probably aware of Script, serif, and sans serif.
Script or handwriting is a font with lots of swirls and has a lot of detail, it is perceived to be friendly and adds character.
A serif font has the little ticks at the end of the letters. It offers a sense of formality or elegance.
Sans-serif is the type without the ticks. These fonts are modern and come in a variety of shapes and widths.
There are lots of fonts to choose from but be careful when choosing. You want one that represents your brand’s spirit, but is also legible!
If you choose a script font, never use it all in caps! It becomes unreadable and looks awful!
Just like with your colours, you should pick two and stick with them. If you can choose a family, these fonts come in different sizes. Bold, light, regular is the standard, but some come with more. One of my personal favorites is Lato.
Google Fonts is a great place to research your fonts. You will be able to look at see the fonts in action. You can then download them without worrying as they are all free to use.
As Cyrus Highsmith said, “Typography is the detail and the presentation of a story. It represents the voice of an atmosphere or historical setting of some kind. It can do a lot of things.”
The font you choose adds depth to the message you are conveying within your brand and works across all your marketing materials. There are so many things to know about typography but let us save that for another blog.
Just be sure to think about your font choice carefully!
Now you have your colours and fonts nailed; it leads me to my final tip.
Tip 3 - Be Consistent with your visual identity
Because it’s a fact that a consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33 percent! Wow!
So what do I mean by being consistent with your branding?
You want to keep the colours and fonts you have carefully chosen consistent through all your marketing materials.
Have a set style and stick to it!
Doing this will build brand recognition, and brand recognition builds trust. Changing colours, fonts, and the style you use creates confusion with your ideal client, and they will disconnect with your brand.
McDonald’s and the golden arches are a perfect example. You recognise them wherever you are in whatever country. They are a worldwide symbol. But would you recognise them if they were pink or green? Would you trust them? Or think they are trying to rip you off?
Coca-Cola is another example of a brand that is consistent.
On top of building recognition, it will speed up the design process when creating your marketing material and save your hours (that we all need). Thinking up new ideas every time you need new material is hard work. Having a set of guidelines to refer to will speed up the process.
If you worked with a designer for your visual identity, you should have received a set of guidelines on how to use your logo, fonts, graphics, and fonts. You might have discarded it, not quite understanding how it works or why you had it… Time to dig it out!
Angela Ahrendts, Apple Inc. from Apple says “You have to create a consistent brand experience however and wherever a customer touches your brand, online or offline. The lines are forever blurred.”
I hope these tips help you are your branding journey. If you looking for something extra and want an authentic visual identity that will add spirit to your business. Get in touch… I’d love to help.
