Here’s a great animated video to get you thinking about visual branding and brand identity

Visual Branding

Visual branding is what you probably think it is… yes, think about the poor grazing cattle that ranchers want to claim as their own. So they burn a mark into their hide so anyone looking at their cattle knows it is theirs. To take the thought a little further, if the rancher had a reputation of being a loving, caring rancher, people finding his or her lost cattle would return them—knowing they would be cared for. On the other hand, if the rancher had a reputation as a mean, nasty, lowdown (you get the point) cowpoke who treated his or her cattle poorly, someone finding their cattle might set them free or hide them in a barn. People will react to each rancher’s reputation.

Get the point? The brandmark on the cattle carried with it the reputation of the rancher. The reputation became synonymous with the brand mark. Every company has a brand mark (logo) that consumers assign a reputation to—the reputation that we assign to it becomes the company’s brand (in our mind). Each person has their own perception of different companies, but many of us tend to think alike and share our opinions with others. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most powerful marketing and branding strategies a company has. If we trust a person, we will listen to their opinions—and we tend to buy products and services that trusted friends and family recommend.

There is a flip side to the cattle/rancher example. Companies also try to assign a reputation to themselves. That is, they try to define their own brand (reputation) BEFORE customers do. In the business and marketing world, this is called branding. Companies use marketing strategies, advertising, and graphic design to communicate their brand to their customers (target market).

Own a feeling in their hearts and minds

Branding is simply: What people think and feel when they interact with your company.

“Interact” could mean seeing your logo, web site, packaging, print ad, etc. It could be trying your product or service. Or it could be interacting with your products or services in a retail store setting. When I taste your coffee, eat your sandwich, use your web site, call on your phone, get my car fixed at your garage, etc., I am forming brand opinions about your company. It is this brand reputation that I remember when I go shopping again, or when I tell a friend which products of services I like.

Consider your own experiences with branding… What brands are you loyal to right now? Phone, Music, restaurants, clothes, cereal, beverages, cars, TV channels, radio channels, coffee, toothpaste, college, sports teams, computers, software, fast food, etc. What “brand words” do they own in your mind? Where did your brand loyalties come from? When?

Building a Visual Brand Identity

Graphic designers work with companies and marketing people to design an identity that people can grow to like and get to know.

Brand identity includes a logo, packaging, web site, advertisements, vehicle graphics, posters, signage, brochures, business cards, letterhead, apps, etc. Everything that visually represents the company or organization.

Designers use color, shape, words, typography, art, photos, layout, and repeatable design elements to create a brand identity.

Like this:

Branding assets

Let’s identify the elements the designer used to design the Windhill Books brand above:

1. Color: c40 m10 y80 k0 Green, c5 m40 y80 k0 Orange
2. Shape: Rolling hill
3. Words: Tagline–Children’s books and gifts to inspire…
4. Typography: Source Sans Pro family
5. Art & Photos: Rolling hills, b/w photos cropped close
6. Layout: White space, single large image, light & airy mood
7. Repeatable design elements: Color, logo, white space, b/w photos featuring real customers – up close, rolling hills, transparent areas, dragonfly brandmark, and limited gradients – mostly solid, flat colors.

It takes time, but once people begin to recognize your logo, packaging, web site, etc., you begin to achieve brand recognition. Brand recognition, with a quality, in-demand product, then leads to brand loyalty.

How is Brand Loyalty Built?

First, and foremost, you have to have a product, service, or idea that people want or need on a consistent and ongoing basis. No amount of marketing, sales, or amazing graphic design work will keep a product successful if the product isn’t liked by consumers.

However, if you do have a good product, service or idea, three things can help your visual branding campaign build brand loyalty in your customers.

1. A Good Product
   No amount of advertising, branding, cool logo design, celebrity endorsement, etc., will make a product or service a success if people don’t like it. Period. To be successful a business needs repeat customers. It needs customers to like the product and buy it more than once.
2. Community Involvement
   Good stewardship in one’s community is an important part of any business or organization’s marketing and business plan. you can usually tell what a
3. Consistency
   Always use the same brand elements: type, color, art, layout, photos, etc. ALWAYS! This is why brand style guides and brand standards manuals are created.
4. Exposure
   Get your brand message to your customers using appropriate and differing types of media: the Web, email, newspaper ads, TV, radio, billboards, trade shows, brochures, posters, direct mail, etc.
5. Repetition
   Find and clarify your brand message, then keep it in front of your customers as often as possible. Don’t over-saturate their lifestyle, but keep your brand message in front of them and fit it into their lifestyle often. For example: If your customers like baseball and your product is a sporting goods retail store, get your name in front of them by buying advertising space at a ballpark, or on the local team’s printed schedule.

So, where does a Graphic Designer Fit into this Picture?

Graphic designers help companies communicate their brands to target markets using their expertise as visual communicators. We create the “look” that customers see when they interact with the company’s brand—this is known as the Brand Identity.