When it comes to brand design, the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ often falls short.
Your brand gets judged almost instantly, so it's crucial to know how to shape that judgment in your favor. Effective design goes beyond aesthetics; it's a delicate balance between tradition and innovation. This involves using human psychology and tapping into the collective visual vocabulary effectively. When done well, your brand can greatly enhance engagement and conversion rates. After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Let’s explore how leveraging psychology and visual vocabularies can work to your advantage.
Did you know that there's a deep-seated, subconscious visual language that we all speak?
This vocabulary is embedded in your psyche whether you realize it or not. Imagine a vast puzzle filled with pictures and symbols contributed by everyone in society over time. When a new picture or symbol is created and widely understood, it becomes part of this puzzle. This growing puzzle is what we call a collective visual vocabulary in design.
If you don’t believe me, close your eyes and imagine a logo for a law firm. Chances are you conjured a font known as “serif”. This font has small decorative strokes at the ends of its letters and is associated with tradition and authority. Now, close your eyes again and picture a logo for a children’s daycare. Did you see bright colors and bubbly, fun fonts? If you did, this is because you are fluent in visual vocabulary. Understanding and using this language is of vital importance in design.
If you want your brand to conjure the feelings of innovation and technological advancement, then you need to make sure the colors, fonts and design elements you choose communicate those ideas, speaking the visual language. Likewise, you will want to avoid design elements that confuse the message.
Putting the mission of the brand above your personal preferences
You may personally love designs that incorporate hand-written fonts and soft colors. However, if your company is in the tech industry, you probably don’t want to use these design elements. This isn’t because there is anything inherently wrong with script fonts and pinks, but because using this aesthetic in the tech industry will most likely confuse your audience.
The public will pass judgment about your company within moments of looking at your website, logo, or brochure, far before they read any of the written words. It’s important that you use design and visual vocabulary intentionally, positioning your company strategically within the visual lexicon.
We’ve discussed how visual vocabulary plays into effective design practices and why it is important your brand “speaks the right visuals” to direct public perception. Now let’s discuss the importance of innovation within design and how to make sure your brand stands out. While it may seem contradictory to what was previously discussed, effective design also means that sometimes you break the visual rules.
Innovation and individualism are just as important as adherence to visual language
Imagine if every pizza chain used the same red and rustic, Italian-villa-esque font in their branding. Sure, you’d be able to instantly recognize that this company makes pizza, but you wouldn’t be able to distinguish Papa John’s from Pizza Hut. They would all become noise in a giant, generic pizza monolith. You want to make sure that your brand stands out from the competition while not deviating so far that your pizza place is mistaken for a cosmetics company. This can be accomplished by injecting the unexpected and memorable within your brand. This is a balancing act between embracing visual traditions and pushing innovation. It’s an art, not a science. Striking the right balance is what gives brands an edge.
The marriage of human psychology and visual design is not just a strategic advantage but a necessity. Understanding and leveraging the collective visual vocabulary of a culture can elevate a brand's identity and resonate with its audience on a deeper level. By balancing tradition and innovation, embracing the unexpected, and strategically using design elements, brands can create a lasting impact and stand out amidst the noise. Ultimately, effective design isn't just about aesthetics; it's about creating meaningful connections, driving engagement, and leaving a memorable impression in the minds of consumers.
If you're creating a new brand or revamping your current brand, let's set up a time to discuss how we can develop a branding package that uses the right visual language for your organization and sets you apart from your competitors.