Do you remember growing up and hearing, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, I hate to break it to you, most people do. First impressions are formed within milliseconds. Studies show that it takes about 50 milliseconds for someone to form an opinion about your website. This will ultimately determine whether they stay or leave your site. Visual branding plays a huge part on what visitors first impression will look like. Lets look at some elements of visual branding that contribute to creating that great first impression.
The Power of First Impressions
First impressions are one of the most important things a business owner should think about when thinking about how they are acquiring new customers. This will set the tone for a customer’s entire experience with your brand. Let’s look at Apple for instance. When Apple rebranded in the early 2000s, it transformed into a brand that focused on simple design but conveyed innovation and quality. This helped them increases their pricing and set them apart from other companies, but it also took their business to a whole new level. That branding is still that to this day.
Key Elements of Visual Branding
Visual branding has a whole lot of elements that work together to create a brand’s image. Here are some of them:
Colors
The psychology of colors plays a significant role in branding. Colors can make a customer feel a certain way and can influence how they are making their purchases. For example, Lowes Home Improvement store uses blue for their main branding color. The color blue is often used to convey trust and professionalism, this resonates with contractors and professionals that Lowes targets.
Choose a color palette that aligns with your brand's values and appeals to your target audience.
Typography
Typography has to do with the fonts, sizing and text types of a brand. This impacts readability and the tone of the messaging. Fonts can help your brand stand out. Using consistent typography in your branding helps your customers find you. For example, Google’s use of the custom font Product Sans in its logo communicates a modern, clean, and user-friendly brand.
Imagery
The way you use images on your branding helps you tell your story. Think about when you read a book, especially as a child. To keep a reader’s attention, children’s books use images to portray what the story is telling them. It’s the same for adults and marketing. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements and messaging. If you remember an advertisement that you saw last week, then more than likely it had some good imagery. For example, National Geographic’s high-quality images align with the brands focus on exploration and nature.
Use high-quality images that resonate with your audience and reflect your brand's message. Consistent imagery helps reinforce brand recognition.
Logo
Going along the lines of imagery, your logo is your foundation. This is what immediately makes your customers know who you are. Making sure that you have a logo that doesn’t confuse your customers is a major part in making sure that your customers keep coming back. Nike’s swoosh logo is a prime example of a simple design, but it symbolizes movement and speed.
Create a logo that is simple, memorable, and versatile. It should look good in various sizes and on different platforms.
Consistency in Visual Branding
No matter how you decide to brand your business, one thing is important, Stay consistent! Visual branding is effective when your brand is easily recognizable across all platforms. Branding guidelines are a great way to put down all your branding in one place so everyone in your business knows what the appropriate way is to brand your business. This branding should be similar across all digital as well as physical marketing materials.
Conclusion
Visual branding is a major part of creating a memorable first impression. This is how your customers are going to see you. By making sure you’re consistently applying your colors, typography, imagery, and logos across all your marketing channels, you can create a strong and recognizable brand. Take the time today to look at your current visual branding strategy and make improvements where necessary. Your brand’s first impression could be the difference between making a new customer or losing one.
