Trigger 3

Visual Brand Identity

(PBL session 4, closing trigger 3. 17.9.2014)


We started by looking through a case study "Steep this" and how their logo and the visual brand was developing. There were several different steps starting from inspiration boards and sketching ending up with the finalised logo and visual brand. 


1. What are the elements of visual branding? 

Overall, branding creates credibility, consistency, trust and familiarity for the stakeholders. Visual branding is a big part of how a organisation presents itself to the employees and customers. The brand defines what people most commonly associate with an organisation.

"Great brands find relevant ways to tap the emotional drivers that already reside deep within us. A brand is a metaphorical story that connects with something very deep - a fundamental appreciation of mythology. Stories create the emotional context need to locate themselves in a larger experience." (Scott Bedbury, A New Brand World)

The elements that create a visual brand are; logo, websites, store signage, business cards, flyers, marketing materials, social media profiles and product photos. In more detail; the graphic design, the colour scheme, typography and the pictures used etc. Basically, everything that could be seen by the audience; the stakeholders. 

The Miniml

2. The importance of visual branding

It is important to stand out visually, as it's so easy to get lost in the crowd, and the content, colours and images of your brand are often the first things the audience will see and notice.  

The visual part of the brand is a reflection of the organisation is all about; uniqueness, differentiation and values. It has to present the same factors as in text, audio and/or video. If it doesn't match it'll lead to inconsistencies in the communication. (Artversion, 2014) 

How to integrate company's values/identity into visual branding?

Companies, especially small and medium-sized who might not have the resources should think about investing in a graphic designer/ outsourcing the creation of the visual brand to a PR/advertisement agency.

The Miniml

 
3. How to use visual branding effectively?

5 easy tips for visual branding in social media (The Next Web, E. Futterman. 2014) 

-Keep it consistent across all platforms used. 

-Be aware of the best practices for each platform.
 videos in Youtube, pictures in Instagram etc. 

-Simple and consistent profile picture
 The most visible part of the social media profile

-Keep the profile fresh 
 Old information gives a bad impression

-Use space creatively 

The Miniml

 


What aspects to consider when creating a visual brand identity?

5 key aspects of visual brand identity (Wave, G. Hardy. 2012) 

- Choose the right brand name 
Should sound and look nice

-  Create a consistent visual style 
Overall brand identity should be uniform, expectations can be done in individual advertising campaign

- Develop a compelling logo
"The flagship" 

- Pay attention to color 
Influences emotions and differentiates from competitors 

- Select appropriate typography 
Playful fonts don't work for serious businesses and the other way around, can affect whether the right message gets through



+ Failed 

Ikea Saudi Arabia 

Adweek

"The furniture retailer took some heat in September after Ikea Saudi Arabia decided to use Photoshop to remove all the women from its catalog. Ikea later apologized, saying, "We should have reacted and realized that excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalog is in conflict with the Ikea Group values." (Adweek, 2012)

Sources

Adweek, 20 biggest brand fails 2012. 2012. Accessed: 16.9.2014

Artversion, Visual branding and brand development. 2014. Accessed: 16.9.2014

Big Ideas Blog, S. Payton, How to build a strong visual brand. 26.62014. Accessed: 15.9.2014  

Slideshare, A. Pavkov, Visual Branding. 5.3.2012. Accessed: 16.9.2014 

The Miniml, Perfect visual brand identity examples. 30.3.2013. Accessed: 16.9.2014

The Next Web, E. Futterman, blog post: 5 easy tips for visual branding in social media. 26.6.2014. Accessed: 15.9.2014

Wave, G. Hardy, blog post: 5 key aspects of visual brand identity. 27.7.2012. Accessed: 16.9.2014