By: Angie Shen
A good visual brand helps people remember a company. Whether you are an established business or a startup, you are always going to need a strong visual brand to increase recognition of your business among your target audience.
You probably already understand the importance of visual brands, but you want to improve yours or get started from scratch.
Don’t worry. 1893 Brand Studio has your back. Here are five tips to get you started:
1. Define your brand
It is important to define your brand before you even get into designing any visuals. Here are four simple questions to consider:
- What does your business do?
- What is the mission of your business?
- What do you want others to feel about your brand?
- What makes your business different from other competitors?
Your visual brand should be able to answer these questions. In addition, you should know why people should choose you instead of your competitors. It would be ideal if your visual assets can highlight your strengths.
2. Have a unique and memorable logo
This is something that most business owners know and are willing to spend money on.
A unique and memorable logo is certainly important. Your logo is usually the first representation a person sees of your company. Therefore, a good logo leaves a good first impression.
A well-designed logo reflects what your business does, as well as its values and vibe. Consider what you want others to feel about your business. The color choices, line quality and layout of your logo say a thousand words about your business before people even start to research and read about it.
3. Be consistent with your visual assets
Sometimes, when businesses have settled on their logos, they feel like they are done with their visual brand. However, it is just as important, if not more, that a business has consistent visual assets.
If a logo leaves a first impression, your visual assets are what reinforce that impression and reassure clients of the quality of your business.
The simplest way to achieve this goal is to build all the visual assets according to a style guide, which should include a color palette, font choices, examples of image use and promotional material mockups.
Why is it important?
Let’s take color as an example. The style guide would include the main color palette.
Psychologists have shown that colors can affect people’s emotions and their feelings toward objects of that color. If you want others to view your business as an energetic brand, try using vibrant colors like orange as one of the main brand colors. If people constantly see your visual assets with orange, they will attach the feeling of energy with your brand, making it memorable.
Below are some examples of how colors can be smartly utilized in logo design:
4. Carefully select photos and videos
The photos and videos you put on your business website and advertising materials are also a big part of its visual identity.
They need to appeal to the taste of your target audience and be consistent with the rest of your visual assets. If appropriately chosen, they can add variety to your website and advertising materials and enhance the visual identity of your brand.
Another fact to keep in mind is that multiple neuroscience and psychology studies have shown people tend to be attracted to images that contain people.
5. Use your visual assets effectively
Now that you have everything you need, use your visual assets when you have any chance to do so.
When you post on social media, include the logo in your images. Design the cover image of your Facebook page according to the color palette decided in the style guide. These little things add to the presence of your brand in the community and help you reach your target audience.
These tips are by no means a complete guide for how you can establish a strong visual brand for your business, but it is a solid starting point.Good luck with your business, and if you have any questions, 1893 Brand Studio is here to help you achieve success. We have a talented design and development team who would love to help you build your visual brand.
