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Research carried out by Princeton suggests that it takes just 1/10th of a second to form an opinion of someone.
It seems unfair doesn’t it? Not even a second and someone’s formed an opinion that might not match up to the reality.
But it’s an impulse we can’t control. It’s the subconscious part of our brain make snap decisions from previous learned experiences and feelings.
This is why a strong visual identity for your brand is so important. First impressions (sadly) count. To the unexpert eye you might not see the unalignment that us designers get eye twitches over. Or the colour palette that’s at odds with your brand personality. But the brain does.
The big question is, what do you want your audience to feel when they see you? And why does it matter?
I’m going to dive into the importance of the visual elements of your brand. The process of creating a feeling and expectation in that first impression. Are you ready to make the right one? Let’s go!
Logos
This is the obvious and most recognised part of a brand’s visual identity. You already know you need a logo so your audience can easily recognise you. But how much thought has gone into it? Don’t worry, this isn’t a trick question. We’ve had lots of organisations come through our doors who’ve created their logo in Canva (or had a quick one drawn up by a friend of a friend). No judgement here! We all do what we can when we’re starting out. But you’re at the next level now – you need to stand out.
Without heading down too big of a rabbit hole, there are a few things listed below to make sure your logo is doing its job.
1. You need to convey the organisations personality in your logo
A logo isn’t actually meant to show people what you do, it’s about showing how you do it. Your logo should show your brand’s personality. Are you creative and laid back? Are you serious and regimented? Are you calming and nurturing? A good designer will get into the nooks and crannies of your business. They’ll work with you to come up with a strong concept.
2. You need different logo types for different platforms and situations
One logo is not (usually) going to be enough. You’ll need a sub mark. This is a condensed version of your logo that fits into other situations. With the rise of digital media things like sub-marks have become more common. Think squares and circles. Most digital media and marketing profiles are circles so your day-to-day logo might look odd (or worse, totally unidentifiable) in a circle. A sub mark however is completely on brand and designed specifically for this scenario. It might even be an element of your logo so it’s still very clear to your audience who you are.
3. You need to futureproof your logo
Canva has its uses – but professional logos that you might want to trademark isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, you can’t trademark a logo in Canva. Because the elements are not owned by you. And in any case, the risk of creating something similar to another organisation is too big. A professional designer can create something from scratch, and then sign everything over to you. So should you decide to trademark your logo in the future you can.
Brand colour palette
We love colours! Colours are crucial. They can be interpreted in so many different ways subconsciously. It’s a whole expert area in itself!
Here’s some fun colour psychology for you.
Colour psychology
Blue
Apparently the world’s favourite colour is blue (I’m partial to a bit of blue myself!). It’s calming and seen as loyal and respectful. Blue is a colour we see a lot of on social media – take Facebook and Twitter for example. The NHS logo is blue. Its aim is to portray a feeling of trust.
Orange
A confident and courageous colour! Vibrant and lively. We associate orange with the sun and as with a lot of colours we find in nature, this is what gives us the emotion. It’s warm and friendly. Orange is used a lot in fun and outgoing logos.
Green
If we look back to nature green is represented everywhere. The grass, bushes and trees. It literally means life. You’ll see green used a lot in eco brands and food products. Those ‘healthy’ foods are often branded green to entice you in and make you think they’re good for you. Even when they’re not as healthy as they make out! It’s a tactic used by a lot of marketers.
Yellow
This colour is quite close to orange and so has similar feelings around it. It’s a happy colour. Look at emojis for example. The smiling happy face is yellow. It’s a warm colour that creates a warm feeling.
Purple
If I were to ask you to give me one word associated with purple many people would say royal (or chocolate perhaps!) A colour associated with luxury and quality. Fun fact for you. Queen Elizabeth I banned anyone outside the royal family from wearing purple – it was THAT highly regarded!
Red
Red is a very bold colour. Empowering. It can create a sense of urgency. Or a sense of fear. Road signs alerting you to something are usually red. In marketing you might see sales pages with big red buttons and text pulling you in, conveying an urgency to buy. Not something we advocate of course but we see it all the time online. Red is powerful so needs to be used carefully.
Pink
Pink is known to have a calming effect but what’s more interesting is we associate it with love, romance and being feminine. Is this because subconsciously ‘girls’ things were stereotypically pink? Whatever the reason, it’s become known as a ‘pretty’ colour that creates a sense of peace.
Black
We see black a lot in high end luxury items. Modern and chic. Examples include Chanel and Nike.
White
Perhaps not thought of as a colour but often used alongside black. Again chic, simplistic and modern. Logos often look good in white against coloured backgrounds for a slick, modern feel
As with everything in design – these interpretations are just a guide. There will always be additional considerations like context and culture.
Typography
Designers can create a professional look with typography because they’re trained in how to use it. Typography and the history of it is huge! Essentially, the main rule is that contrasting typefaces work best. Designers can further personalise them in the design process so the type becomes truly unique to you.
Again, as with most of your brands visual identity elements, everything comes back to a feeling. Swirling scripted type evokes a feeling of playfulness whereas sans serif type (that’s without the little top and bottom flicks) gives a modern slick feel. Too many of one or the other and it’s distracting or uncomfortable for the brain.
Types of fonts
Sans Serif Fonts
Sans serif typefaces are modern, clean, and straightforward. They gained popularity in the 20th century, aligning with modernist ideals of simplicity and functionality. Subtypes like Grotesque and Neo-Grotesque are known for their neutrality and practicality, while Geometric sans serifs like Futura bring a sense of precision and futurism. Humanist sans serifs add warmth and approachability, making sans serif fonts versatile for both digital and print applications, especially where clarity and a contemporary feel are desired.
Serif Fonts
Serif typefaces are characterized by the small lines or strokes attached to the ends of letters. This style dates back to Roman antiquity and is often associated with tradition, reliability, and formality. Subcategories like Old Style, Transitional, Modern, and Slab Serif each have their distinct flavors, from the classic and warm feel of Old Style fonts like Garamond to the bold and authoritative presence of Modern fonts like Bodoni. Serif fonts are commonly used in print, such as in books and newspapers, due to their readability.
Script Fonts
Script typefaces mimic the fluidity of handwriting and calligraphy, bringing a personal, elegant, or casual touch to the text. Good formal scripts, with their intricate and polished strokes, evoke luxury and sophistication, making them ideal for wedding invitations or formal branding. In contrast, casual scripts are looser and more relaxed, conveying friendliness and approachability. Beware though – it’s hard to get script fonts right as often they can be hard to read.
Monospaced Fonts
Monospaced typefaces feature characters that all occupy the same amount of horizontal space, a design originally used in typewriters. This style evokes a sense of simplicity, functionality, and a retro, mechanical aesthetic. Often associated with coding and technical documents, monospaced fonts like Courier create a structured, utilitarian feel. They can also bring a vintage or minimalist touch to design, with their evenly spaced, grid-like appearance lending itself to clear, methodical layouts.
Decorative Fonts
Decorative typefaces are highly stylized and designed to create a specific mood or theme, often featuring elaborate or exaggerated designs. These fonts are typically used for short, impactful text like headlines, logos, or posters where the type itself is as much a part of the design as the content. Depending on the style, decorative fonts can evoke feelings ranging from whimsy and fun to horror and mystery. Their strong visual presence makes them perfect for creating memorable, thematic designs, though they are not suitable for body text due to their complexity.
Graphic elements
Graphic elements help to cement consistency in your brand visual identity. It covers icons and illustrations. Those carefully arranged ‘splodges’ or sprinkles of colourful elements you might see on a website. There might be elements of your logo you can use as graphic elements in your marketing materials. Your graphic elements are as unique as you and help to bring everything together.
Photography and Video
We’re not short of stock image websites online offering images which is great – however it means originality is harder to come by. It’s worth investing in photography so your brand’s visual identity continues to be unique to you.
Images taken on your iPhone, unless done extremely well, don’t have the same quality as professional images and could be holding your website and marketing back. Spend some time considering what pictures you want to include. Many photographers offer group branding days to keep the cost down. Or if the budget allows, a full day with a product photographer to get the best possible shots could make all the difference to those website sales.
The same goes for video.
Videos help with SEO as they’re ranked highly by google. They also give your audience a chance to really get to know you. To get a 3D view of you. If you can incorporate videos into your brand’s visual identity, you’ll have that competitive edge – an element of visual branding to take full advantage of!
Pull it all together with brand guidelines
Your brand visual identity should be demonstrated in brand guidelines to help you stay consistent and also help you when it comes to outsourcing design and marketing
A strong visual identity for your brand will:
- A strong visual identity for your brand will:
- Make you more memorable to your audience
- Give you a competitive edge
- Give you greater control over the feeling you want your audience to experience (remember that 1/10th of a second!)
- Arm you with a toolkit of elements so creating your marketing materials becomes easy
- Improve the experience on your website for your audience
- Ultimately lead to more sales!
If you’d like to take your branding to the next level then get in touch now for a brand or website review with our founder and brand expert Emily.
