Part of starting a new business is figuring out its visual identity. This is how a business makes itself recognizable as a cohesive entity in the eyes of its target market. A diffuse and incoherent visual brand fails to inspire confidence in its customers, so here are a few useful tips on how to build a strong and impactful visual identity for your business.
Identify Your Identity
First of all, you need to clarify precisely what you want people to think and feel when they take notice of your business. Is it refined and formal, or edgy and understated? Think long and hard about the impression you want to give before throwing yourself in and ending up with a brand that doesn’t accurately reflect your business’ values or approach.
Choose Your Aesthetic Elements
Visual identity is a part of the whole brand. It involves the aspects of the brand that can be conveyed through a variety of visual implications and statements. When you have a clear idea as to what your business’ identity is, you will be better placed to design its visual representation. Here are a few factors you will need to consider:
- Color. Different colors have different meanings depending on culture, psychology, and personal association. Color theory can help you choose colors that attract people to your brand.
- Typeface. Your choice of font will influence how people perceive your business. Research what other brands use and how they want their customers to feel when reading their text in a particular font.
- Logo. An efficient logo should summarize the essential components of your business within its design. Logos must be instantly recognizable in order to work to the business’ advantage.
Social Media
When you have your visual assets, use them appropriately on your business’s social media accounts to build up your brand identity online. This may include profile pictures, banners, and thumbnails.
Give People Something to Touch
Seeing a pretty typeface on a screen or spotting a clever logo on a billboard is easier to forget than holding a finely made item of merchandise in your own two hands. Humans are tactile creatures and are sensitive to more than just what they see and hear. For example, custom socks are more memorable than catching sight of a branded sign or logo on a letterhead. Bring your visual identity into the tangible world with merchandise that not only includes your customers as part of the club but also continues to promote your business long after they’ve walked away.
Consistency is Key
Even some of the less impactful visual identities can be successful despite their lack of immediate appeal. This is because they are consistent across the board. The familiarity this generates and the appearance of everything being connected gives the impression of stability, reliability, and trustworthiness, three key qualities many customers appreciate in a company they’ve invested money into. Set you and your business up for the highest success by maintaining a strong consistency throughout your brand and its visual identity.
