Resonating with current and potential clients or customers is in every great company’s best interest. Businesses need consumers to see them, but even more importantly, companies need to be remembered by them.
We’re taught from a young age to not judge books by their covers, but we’ve all been in a situation where we judge something at face value. Why would brands be any different? Branding is a tool to establish a tone for businesses: Through font choices, colours, imagery, and visual systems, you can tell a viewer who you are and what is important to you without explicitly telling them. On the flip side, if branding is underutilized, it can be more challenging for a company to appear genuine or trustworthy.
When building a brand’s visual language, the two main concerns are recognition and storytelling. It’s common for smaller B2C companies to lean more in the storytelling direction because they are more intimate. In contrast, B2B or large companies tend to focus more on recognition, as it’s more professional and universally effective. Both have their strengths, and ideally, both should play a role in the look of a brand.
One of the easiest ways to make a brand recognizable is by using colour. Having well-selected and streamlined colours on everything your business touches can be a fast way of communicating your brand to a viewer. When you see red and yellow, you think of McDonald’s. When a purple and orange logo rushes past you on the street, you know it’s FedEx. This isn’t to say that other areas of design don’t play a significant role — the key to giving your brand sticking power is simplicity, consistency, and originality.
Being Original often comes from letting your business’ story make its way into the visual elements that represent it. Every company has a story, purpose, and something that differentiates it from the competition. A good graphic designer should be able to recognize these things and incorporate subtle elements of them into the design. Setting the tone and storytelling is all about creating a more engaging brand that will stay in the hearts of your clients or customers.
Branding is a powerful tool, and thoughtful branding can take your incentive or travel program from good to incredible. Let’s work together to build something that your employees and partners can get excited about!
Written By: Craig Durno