What is Your Brand’s Visual Identity?

Creating a Visual Identity for Your Brand

Color Palette

You’d be surprised how deeply customers respond to color. According to The Impact of Color on Marketing study, customers make subconscious judgement about products within 90 seconds of seeing them. 85% of consumers cite color as the main reason they purchase a product, while 80% believe brand recognition is increased by color. It’s safe to say there is a lot riding on your color palette choice. When approaching selection of your color palette, think about what you want people to feel when they encounter your brand. Different colors can create varying psychological connections with customers. For example, red is often linked to youth, daring, and grandeur. While blue ignites more of a trustworthy and reliable feeling with incredible professionalism.

Texture & Patterns

Consider texture to be the cherry on top of your color palette. Though it is not always necessary, it can be added to accentuate the colors and fonts within your designs to increase brand recognition. Your website or blog is great place to showcase texture or patterns, by adding a pattern to the backgrounds of pages displaying products or text. This can also be a texture overlay or color pattern on top of photography. Texture can also help to heighten consumer response within tangible materials such as packaging, business cards, or trade show materials. There is more emotional processing associated with physical materials. A textured package can create a customer response before they even eat the products. Just like anything with your visual identity this texture should be consistent.

On-Brand Photography

This is where your visual identity and products meet in the middle. When showcasing your produce what response do you want to elicit? A more youthful brand appealing to families with young children may want to use recipes that involve a lot of vibrant colors and natural lighting, whereas a brand trying to appeal to gourmet cooks may use more cool tones and complex composition. It’s crucial to match your photography style to your audience. Keep in mind, when it comes to photography, neutral backgrounds allow your color palette and products to stand out.

BONUS: Brand Voice

While not necessarily a visual component, it’s important to consider the voice that will embody your visuals. This will come to life in the form of a blog, social posts, or simply the language associated with your brand materials. Use this as a tool to reinforce your brand’s beliefs and communicate them through tone and messaging. According to Sprout Social 86% of consumers want to buy from honest brands, rather than “cool” ones. So walk the walk before you talk the talk. The brand voice and visual identity of your business establish expectation among consumers.

With increasing competition, there is little to no room to falter when it comes to creating and maintaining a visual identity that is impactful and aids toward increased sales and brand loyalty. Unsure if your visual identity or content could use a boost? We have a guide of telltale signs to look out for. If you are looking to get started on forming your visual identity, or just need a refresh, take a look at our own visual content portfolio and see if you are in the market for an upgrade.