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To stand out in a jungle of brands and identities, it is imperative to make your brand look bold and beautiful by establishing a unique brand identity. A beautifully designed visual identity makes your brand an eye-catcher among tons of other brands that are itching for their audience’s attention.
A unique visual identity does not just support a brand, it elevates and accentuates it. From branding your product to packaging and presentations to your social presence, a strong visual identity expresses the vision of your organization. It instantly communicates who you are, what you’re about, how you can make a difference, and why customers should want to interact with you.
Before diving head first into branding and visual identity, it’s important to understand what exactly the visual identity of your brand is.
What is Visual Identity?
The internet revolution has changed the way we live and communicate. It seems like everyone suffers from information overload. Designers, data specialists, and visualizers often need to convey information to users about their designs in the most effective ways. More often than not, the idea is simply to stand out and be noticed. This is where visual identity comes into play.
Strictly looking at the definition, a corporate visual identity is basically something that expresses the values and ambitions of an organization, its business, as well as its characteristics. Visual identity is part of strong branding, and it is not just restricted to making logos for your company.
Thus, visual identity simply means the visual aspect of branding a product/service and trying to evoke feelings in consumers’ minds through visuals. It’s about conveying symbolic meanings that cannot always be expressed through words.
Visual identity includes various elements, like:
- Logo design
- Fonts
- Photos and advertorials
- Colors, shapes, and forms that are associated with your brand
- Other visuals helping to convey your brand’s message (ads, etc.)
The Subtle Art of Visual Storytelling
Building a unique visual identity is almost always the most important unique selling point of your company. From visuals to data visualization to motion graphics to infographics, it all helps create a narrative for your brand that dazzles audiences. Just because you may have an identity with a logo, some color scheme, and typography, it’s easy to think that your brand is impactful.
However, if your visual identity is inconsistent, it can inaccurately reflect on your brand identity and bar you from telling a cohesive brand story. Thankfully, nowadays, many organizations are filled with design experts who are ready to help create a visual niche in your field, but only some of those experts do it best when it comes to designing that unique brand identity.
And even if you don’t fancy working with an organization, there are brands like Tailor Brands that offer businesses an even easier route to avoid all the hassle and design their logos by using simple tools that don’t involve any mental gymnastics.
Like Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Everyone wants to be remembered, to be etched in the memories of their target audience, to make an impression. These goals are extremely important for brands but increasingly difficult to achieve.
Branding is as simple as it gets. It is what people FEEL and THINK about your brand. Which involves preparing the best visual identity that goes with your brand credibility and promise. It’s an old saying that credible brands make powerful brands, which in turn, make a strong market position and identity.
Take Coca-Cola for example. Their brand identity and values have been carved in the memories of people – so much so that their advertisements backed by their visual identity are nothing short of a great legacy for the brand.
A-Z of Building a Unique Visual Identity
Identify your Target Market and Research Your Audience
Understanding what your target audience seeks is the key to ace that desirable visual identity. It”s understandable that not all the customers out there would easily identify with your brand. Fun fact: Well, that is not even your goal. Your goal is to identify your target market and then cater to the interests of your potential audiences.
Finding the Most Suitable Logo, Template and Infographics
It takes research, understanding, surveying, and a lot of time to finally come up with the best designs. This is a huge part of your visual identity and will make or break your brand. It’s important to create a variety of the most suited options, and after careful assessment, choose the best preference that people will remember you by.
Visual identity includes the logo, typeface, color schemes, etc. The easiest way to understand what to do while choosing the best options is: “KISS – Keep It Sweet and Simple.” Some of the most famous logos have a basic design with just two to three3 colors and a simple font.
Integrate Tools that can Connect and Advertise Your Brand on Social Media
Research your ideas and make them unique to your brand rather than just being another copycat. It’s important to understand social media strategies and have a good knowledge of what is trending.
This helps your brand have an edge and stand out. Social media branding and its nuances are extremely important in maintaining a visual identity once it is created.
Beware of All Legalities and Trademarks
Another important step while establishing a visual identity is to register your trademark legally, so you can protect your brand in the long process of creating an identity. This also keeps you safe from imposters and copycats.
Maintaining a distinctive brand identity and unique visual identity requires you to have a trademark that will minimize customer confusion. This also helps your brand to gain more popularity so consumers don’t confuse you with other brands.
Use Taglines and Catch-Phrases
It’s a known fact that whatever is catchy stays in the minds of consumers for longer periods of time.
In this internet age where the attention span of the audience is extremely short, it’s important to consider creating jingles, catch-phrases, and taglines that help you build a connection with your target audience.
Know What to Keep and Where to Stop
Many times, organizations go overboard while designing or creating, but always remember that visual identity is about keeping it simple. Don’t overdo it while designing, choosing fonts or colors, and using taglines.
The more complicated it gets, the more difficult it is for your audience to remember, which kind of defies the goal of visual identity. Thus, it is imperative to understand where to stop when it comes to designing and creating.
Conclusion
All said and done, the most important thing while building your unique visual identity is design. Like Paul Rand said, “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand,” so do not compromise when it comes to stellar designs. Always “KISS” – Keep It Simple and Sweet.
While the journey to developing a unique visual identity is not rocket science, it is also not something that can be taken lightly. Precision, accuracy, and a well-researched understanding of your brand and its vision are of utmost importance.
With apt designs and guidance, your visual identity will, without a doubt, create that niche for your brand that you’re looking for.
