Design plays a significant role in the entire customer experience. It is what captures your brand and gives it life, movement and context. Without professional graphic design, creativity or artistic input, your brand will most likely lack the depth, context and visual language that comes with experience, knowledge and understanding of strategic design.
This is where first impressions count. Selection of colours, shapes, typography, graphics and layout dance together to create your unique branding footprint and, if done correctly, will create a lasting impression for your audience.
There are so many DIY online tools where anyone from beginner to advanced can create simply beautiful designs, but if you want to create brand assets that formulate a story, are aesthetically engaging, and communicate the right impression of your brand, it is worth investing in an experienced graphic designer.
So what makes good design, and what should you be looking for?
1. Space
Do you want to create balance or chaos? Negative space and even distribution between elements will create a sense of calm, sophistication and simplicity. The lack of this will create the opposite.
2. Colour
Arguably the best way to create the instant feel of a brand. Colour can speak a thousand words, just as a photograph can. It’s a great way to convey emotion without words. If you want to create vibrant, striking and playful you could use bold bright colours. If you want your audience to feel calm and relaxed you might select pastel tones. Each colour conveys a different meaning and should be considered when creating your brand.
3. Typography
Typography is the art of type layout. It plays an important role in how your brand or message is communicated. Selecting different fonts, weight, spacing, height and shape can create a drastically different look and feel. This can really differentiate good design. Your brand’s use of typography can convey different message. Font pairing and hierarchy also help define your brand and messaging. Find font families that work well together and give flexibility in terms of weights
4. Shape
Everything creates a shape, so it is important to think about how each element of your design interacts together. This includes the negative/blank space.
5. Size
This is a useful way to make certain elements stand out. What do you want people to see first and where do you want their eyes to travel?
6. Texture in Print Collateral
Textures help create depth and perspective, creating a three-dimensional appearance on a two-dimensional surface, especially across digital platforms. On print materials, this is really important to create a tangible feel. For example, artwork printed on thick paper with a soft matte finish alludes to a sense of luxury. If you printed the same design on butchers paper, the perception of quality would be very different.
It is important to remember that each of these elements do not work in isolation, it’s only when the various aspects are considered in unison that a strong and consistent brand emerges.If you need help putting your ideas together, schedule a free scoping session to learn how we can help.
