When you consider the brands you’ve come to know and love over the years, their logos, graphic design and imagery are probably among the first aspects that come to mind. Can you even think about companies such as Apple or McDonald’s without picturing their iconic visual branding?
Cohesive photography, graphic design and imagery can make your brand recognizable, memorable and relatable to customers. And it can promote a greater feeling of trust. If you’re consistent in your brand’s visual presentation — whether you’re posting on social media, designing graphics, filming videos or photographing your products — you’ll be well on your way to developing a strong, relatable brand identity.
Aesthetic consistency between your online and offline marketing can help your company increase brand awareness and boost customers’ confidence in your professionalism. After all, it’s hard to trust anyone or anything that doesn’t look or act consistently from one situation to the next. Here’s how to help ensure your graphic design and photography support the kind of uniform, effective visual branding you want.
Graphic Design and Brand Identity
The Graphic design of your website, print collateral, business cards and signage should directly relate to your brand so that it’s easy to get an intuitive feel for your company and its products and services. You’ll need to make some choices about your graphics and stick with them to ensure everything you use is cohesive, including:
- The Mood. Create an emotional tone that reflects your brand identity and the clientele you’re hoping to attract — you may want to project a feeling that’s minimalist, high-tech, feminine, retro or modern.
- Brand Colors. Keep the palette you use for your graphics consistent with the rest of the branding, including your logo. Read more about color and visual branding on the previous post in this series. https://wearekymera.com/visual-branding-101-color-palette-and-typography/
- Design Symmetry. Depending on the style and mood you’ve decided on, you may choose to keep your layouts more symmetrical and traditional — or experiment with asymmetrical designs that can impart a freer, more informal vibe.
- Typographical Style. The text you use with your graphics should also relate to your brand. Figure out whether you want to use traditional fonts, something more whimsical, or another signature style. Stick with your format throughout your branding.
When creating graphs and charts, consider the style and color of icons and other design elements, and whether to favor straight angles or curves in your layouts. Keep in mind what your brand represents as you design, and reinforce your marketing efforts by keeping the look consistent across all media. ven data visualization can express your brand identity if you examine elements such as iconography and styles of presentation.
Photography and Images
Photography is a great way to show off your brand in eye-catching ways. You can use photos on your website and social media as well as on print advertisements, brochures and signage.
When using photography, you can be a little more unique and creative, but it’s still important to ensure your images represent your brand personality, fit with your overall marketing strategy — and relate to your target audience. Make sure your customer or client photographs represent the true diversity of who you’re marketing to in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and any other relevant demographics.
You’ll also need to consider whether color or black and white photos will work best for your brand along with the shape or orientation (portrait or landscape) of shots. Decide whether your images should be candid (more relaxed) or posed (more formal).
By taking these graphic design and photography choices into consideration, you can establish a strong, memorable visual brand identity so that customers and prospects recognize you at first glance. Contact us today and let our marketing experts unleash your brand.
