5 Steps for Creating an Effective Visual Identity

Worry less about “branding” and more about consistency

People like using buzzwords.

“Branding” seems to be one they’re especially fond of these days. Designers, marketers, and advertisers use it. Corporations use it. Entertainers, athletes, and social media influencers all use it.

One would think there is some mystical power within the word itself—as if by simply uttering it over and over, success is all but guaranteed.

Don’t get caught up in the hype but do give serious thought about how your business is presented to the public.

1. Start with the logo design

Whether you hire someone to design your logo or you do it yourself, use vector design software such as Adobe Illustrator to make it easier to export different versions of the logo in varied sizes, colors, and file formats for different applications.

“The role of the logo is to point, to designate—in as simple a manner as possible…what it means is more important that what it looks like.” – Paul Rand

The best logo designs are ones which endure the test of time, despite trends that come and eventually fade. They share the following characteristics:

Simple – look at logos for Apple, CBS, McDonalds, Nike, and Starbucks
Memorable – achieved through a unique combination of easily-recognizable design elements, including shapes and colors
Appropriate – the design should fit the business type and target market
Versatile – the logo should be legible on anything from a button to a skyscraper and look good in full color, black and white, and grayscale.
Timeless – longevity is the key when your business’ visual identity is concerned

2. Choose the right type

Like the logo, your choice of a typeface and fonts will play a critical role in conveying a specific attitude and evoking certain feelings from the viewing audience. But there are a few things you’ll need to understand and do to get it right:

Typography: the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed.-Wikipedia

Typeface – a family of font styles
Font – type styles within a font family
Pick the right pairs – choose a dominant font for titles and headings and a less-dominant one for body text to present your business in a bright light. In many cases, pairing typefaces of complementary styles helps achieve visual utopia
Appropriate – pick styles that match expectations for your type of business
Know your rights – make sure the fonts you choose are licensed for commercial use

3. Choose a color scheme

An effective visual identity includes color harmony—choices and combinations which engage the viewer and evoke feelings of acceptance and balance. Our eyes are drawn toward “warmer” colors and soothed by “cooler” colors.

“All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.”– Marc Chagall

There are four primary methods of achieving color harmony:

Monochromatic – a single color shaded or tinted to different values by adding black or white
Analogous – a color scheme using colors that next to each other on the color wheel
Complementary – high contrast achieved by using colors directly opposite on the color wheel
Triadic – uses colors evenly spaced around the color wheel

source: macrovector - freepik.com

Even if you don’t understand color harmony, there’s no need to worry.

Creating a color scheme has never been easier with online tools such as Coolors, Dopely, or Adobe Color. It’s worth the time it takes to experiment with generating color palettes using different harmony methods, view palettes created by other users, or save the values in the color space needed for your design—usually RGB for screen display or CMYK for print.

4. Use high-quality photography and graphics for marketing campaigns

When it comes to photographic images and graphics to market your small business, use the highest-quality ones you can find.

There are several well-known platforms for obtaining stock imagery. Unsplash and Pexels are two popular sites for royalty-free photography. And there are numerous premium image sites, such Shutterstock, iStock, Can Stock Photo, and Adobe Stock, who charge—sometimes handsomely—for their digital assets.

Whichever route you take, remember these points:

Find complements – use images that complement your visual design
Keep your audience in mind – if you’re trying to connect with a specific market segment, use images they easily relate to
Go for fresh and authentic – avoid cliché and use newer photos depicting real people engaged in real activities
Check terms – when using free images, be sure you understand whether attribution to its author is required and is licensed for commercial use
Get your own – never “steal” images from someone else’s website

5. Use a style guide to keep things consistent

Once you’ve finalized your visual identity, it’s smart to create a visual style guide.

Visual style guides define the way the visual assets will look and keep corporate graphics consistent and uniform in marketing materials, on websites, and social media platforms. This guide also includes typography details about fonts.

It can be as simple as one sheet or a multi-page manual. After the original visual identity is created the style guide is updated as needed.