Why visual identity of your brand is so important?

If you own a company, and you’re not sure if you should invest in visual identity, you should definitely read this entry. Branding is one of the most important elements of building a brand.

What is visual identity?

Although a lot of people think that way, visual identity is not just a company logo. It is a group of many different visual elements that create a brand, for example: colors, logotype, banners, product packaging, a look of your website, font, etc. It has to be consistent, and coherent on all the channels. What does it mean? Branding should be adjusted to your blog, shop, and website, but also to your social media profiles. Your audience should recognize your brand immediately when they enter the site.

Do you need branding?

A well designed branding is an important element of almost every company’s strategy, however, it is not always necessary. If your company is really small and you’re not a well established business yet, it’s simply not worth to pay a professional graphic designer. When you want to develop a firm, you can definitely put that money elsewhere, for example in product development. So when is the best moment to contact a design agency which will take care of making your visual identity? In my opinion, a good moment would be when you’ve already established who is your target group, your brand is recognizable, and you plan to start a marketing campaign. This is when you will start to need good visual promotional materials, which will help you to stand out from the competition.

Pros

Visibility – with a well designed visual identity, your brand will be recognizable. Imagine your potential clients see a color combination, a symbol, or a graphic, and immediately think of your brand. Think about what Coca Cola would be without their characteristic logo and color story.

Character – branding will add an individual character to your company. If your logo is good, people will see it and immediately they will know what your firm does.

Professional look – it’s obvious that branding makes any organization look more professional. Coherent visual materials encourage people to interact with a company, and the fact that you invested a lot of money in branding, proves that you think seriously about your business. Remember, first impression matters.

Standing out from the crowd – if your niche has a lot of competition, visual identity can be one of your best chances to attract clients, for example with beautiful, unique packaging of your products.

How to get visual identity?

Think about what you want. What values do you represent as a company? What are your goals and premises. If you work with a good graphic designer or agency, you don’t have to have a clear plan, just trust the professionals.

Make a budget for that purpose. Remember that a good visual identity costs a great deal of money. Of course, you can find a cheap solutions, however, it may turn out that it is a waste of money anyway. Do a research, look for different freelancers or creative agencies and compare their prices and portfolios. This way you can find the best deal for you.

Find a designer. When you think that you know what you may expect, choose a particular place, where they design your visual identity. The most important thing in the process of creating is communication between a designer and a brand owner. Also, make sure the style of the designer’s work matches your vision.

What a good visual identity should be?

Visual identity can make or break the first impression. So what is the key to a good branding?

Branding should be unique and it should match your company. It means that the more original it is, the better, however, there are business sectors in which it’s better to stick to traditional standards and particular colors. Additionally, visual identity should fit the organization character.

A good branding should also be designed in a way that it is easy to modify, add elements, print it on different materials (as business cards or posters). Sometimes even the smallest change can make a huge difference, however, you don’t have to stick to this one particular branding for the rest of the company’s life. If you need a rebranding, you can always prepare your clients for the change, and your graphic designer will help you.

Summary

Visual identity is not necessary, however, it is still an important part of a brand. Colors, typography, promotional materials, or infographics show people your company’s character, before they even decide to talk to you. It is worth to invest in visual identity, as this is an investment for years.

I hope you liked today’s entry and you’ve found what you were looking for. If not, let me know. I wish you a wonderful day!