Top brands have key written marketing strategies,
but they have visual strategies too. Think about some of today’s most iconic
brands—Nike, McDonald’s, Disney. Just one glance and the entire brand—its core
messages and key products—rush into your mind. Do you have a visual brand? If
not, how can you create one?
1. Be consistent with brand
colors.
There’s a reason top brands place such
importance on their brand colors. Think Tide Orange and Coca-Cola Red. Not only
are these brand colors used for products and logos, but they infuse every
aspect of these companies’ marketing, both digital and print.
Even if you don’t have an official brand
color, identify colors that are consistent with your company message and image.
Use them consistently throughout your materials. Color can be a consistent
presence in all of your marketing materials that triggers visual memory.
2. Tell your story in pictures.
What’s your brand story? How can images of
your products tell that story? For example, from a branding perspective,
Harley-Davidson doesn’t sell motorcycles. It sells independence and freedom.
Visuals of the open road are as important as the motorcycle itself. Likewise,
Lexus doesn’t sell cars. It sells prestige. Its advertising shows cars driven
by men in expensive suits or by women dripping with luxury.
What feelings do your print materials need to
evoke? Are your products designed to give people financial freedom, make them
better moms, or boost their social standing? If so, what images will reinforce
those messages?
3. Go professional.
Stock imagery works in a pinch, but it tells a
general story, not your story. Try
hiring a professional photographer and using pictures of your storefront or
corporate offices, your employees, and your products in use (rather than just
house shots). Build a visual identity based on real people, places, and things
associated with your company.
Visual branding is a powerful tool — use it!
Please give us a call at 440-946-0606Or visit our website here for more information.
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