Your Brand is More Than Your Logo - Understanding Visual Identity
While a well-designed logo is the foundation and centerpiece of any brand or business, there is so much more that goes into a considered and effective brand as a totality. As a designer, I always relish the opportunity to work with clients who are looking for a fully fleshed out visual identity that can pay dividends for their company immediately and down the road.
A visual identity is the full set of visual elements that create the entirety of a consumer’s visual perception of a company (or individual). Everything associated with the brand from business cards to letterhead to merchandising to websites. Designers like me often provide either designs for each piece of this visual identity directly, or create a document called a ‘brand guide’, that lays out rules and stipulations that can be used down the road to create future pieces of collateral that fit and contribute appropriately. The scale of how much a designer provides on this front usually comes down to project scope and timeline, but I can say that for me personally- the more I can contribute- the better!
Below I’ll lay out three reasons that a full visual brand identity is more meaningful to consumers that a single gorgeous logo:
TELL A STORY
Logos themselves can (and often should) tell a story- but what is a more compelling tale: a sentence? Or a whole chapter? A full brand identity uses it’s many pieces to tell consumers far more about the brand than a single piece like a solitary logo ever could. Brands are often most successful when they become associated in a consumer’s mind with an emotion or feeling. Each piece of collateral is an opportunity to add something a little different to that story that creates that pathway link in a consumer’s mind. When hired for a branding project, I like to ask the client: what sort of emotions do you want your brand to evoke? What sort of connection do you want to create in the consumer’s mind? What is your brand’s story and unique value proposition? From there it’s about using the each aspect of the brand identity to tell the appropriate story. The longer and more fleshed out this story becomes, the more your customers know who you are, and understand your offerings and community.
2. CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT
Providing multiple elements (and better yet- a brand guide), allows every piece of visual data associated with a brand to be consistent, and therefore often perceived as more professional and reliable. For big companies this is essential due to the sheer volume of applications of their visual identity; but for smaller businesses or new businesses, it is an important way to visually signal that while you are a small team, or a new kid on the block, you are just as serious and effective as established brands. Each considered and consistent piece of collateral is another example of the brand’s commitment to tackling problems from start to finish, and is a great way to establish yourself quickly in a saturated market. While a good logo can be eye-catching, a complete visual identity says: “We are for real”.
3. DIFFERENTIATION IN THE ATTENTION ECONOMY
In a world where consumer’s time is the single most important commodity, gaining access to and maintaining attention from potential customers is paramount. While a good logo can sometimes be enough to initially attract a consumer’s attention, a fully fleshed out brand that is both consistent, and emotion evoking (as discussed above) can contribute strongly to holding that attention long enough to create memory pathways and forge a connection. In social media parlance, this represents the difference between ‘views’ and ‘engagements’, with engagements being the superior target for marketing. Whether this theoretical customer is a design minded individual or not, they will be subconsciously drawn in to the community and story that is represented by a complete brand, giving the business more time to deliver the messaging for which the visuals are the vehicle.
When I’m lucky enough to work with a client on a visual identity project, the most important phase of the project is the first portion- understanding and researching the client’s vision. I need to have a rock-solid grip on the client’s customers (age, demographic, spending), the brand’s value proposition, and the kind of emotions that the client envisions the brand representing. All of this information is key in allowing me to work with the client to create a visual identity that is hitting all of these key aspects consistently and at each potential touchpoint.