Previously in the design corner of the Eyeflow blog, we went over the importance of brand design, from a company’s branding materials to its products, visually appealing and cohesive branding was the key to standing out in the sea of business competition. However, you may have been wondering,”Can someone like me achieve cohesive branding without going to design school or paying a fortune to hire a designer? Is it possible?” Well, the answer is: You can, and it is possible.
With the help of a few tips and a couple really great resources, you can piece together a strong visual brand, even on your own. Color and typography will be the main focus of this round of branding design tips .
1. Color Palette:
You should settle on a color palette and stick with it. When you stick with the same colors, it makes it easier for your clientele to recognize your brand, even without having to really look. Research has shown that people make subconscious judgments about a person, a place or a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing, and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. According to a University of Loyola, Maryland study, color also increases brand recognition by up to 80%.
Suggested Regulations for Color Pallets
- A rule of thumb: pick between two and five colors. Any more colors than that and you’re running the a risk of your branding turning into some rainbow-sorbet-haberdashery nightmare.
- Your color scheme should pair with the identity of your brand. Ex: A bakery may pick rich browns accented with cream tones and a soft rose color to bring thoughts of soft, rich, and sweet treats to their prospective audience.
- A great place to get inspiration, explore and create a color palette is: https://kuler.adobe.com/explore/most-popular/?time=all
Adobe Kueler Color Wheel
Popular Color Themes from Adobe Kuler
2. Typography:
As previously mentioned, once you have a typeface that you feel strongly represents the image you are trying to portray with your brand, stick with it. People will recognize the typography, and behind the logo and the brand coloration, typography is the next easiest way to create cohesive branding.
A few rules of thumb:
- You should keep fonts to a minimum, generally no more than three to five fonts should be used in any design, any more than five, and your brand can appear to have a personality disorder.
- The fontface you choose can really make or break your brand identity, so it is crucial you chose one that accurately represents what you want your brand to stand for.
- Strong, bold fonts are good for companies like gyms and mechanics
- Sweet, curly fonts are fitting for boutiques and salons
- A few good places to get inspiration are:
- For all kinds of typography and design inspiration: http://designspiration.net/tag/typography/
- For typography as it pertains to branding: http://logopond.com/
- For thousands of free fonts to sort through: www.dafont.com & www.fontsquirrel.com
- For a look at thousands of creative works and designs: http://www.behance.net/
Pulling it together:
Your color pallet and typography, pulled together as a logo, should be the main visual representation of your brand, but not the only one. You should have custom graphics that are interesting and work cohesively with your core branding. All of the materials that are used to display and promote the brand should work together harmoniously. Coloration should “go” with the branding. Matching is 100% essential, but everything (ads, the logo, the website, and the business cards), matching or not, should work well together and bring the brand to life.
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Briana van Craeynest
Director of Content Development|Briana is the Director of Content Development at Eyeflow. Her professional background includes copywriting and marketing in the US and China. She currently lives in great little suburb south of Pittsburgh.
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