10 reasons why investing in your visual brand is so important.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” when referring to people. The big idea is that there is often more than what meets the eye. Another way to say it is “It’s not what’s on the outside that matters, but what’s on the inside.” These sayings have some merit when considering the people around you–who have limited control over their physical attributes–but they tend to fall short when it comes to organizations.
The reality is, for brands, both the inside and the outside are just as important.
That’s where visual branding comes in.
Yes, we know: branding is a loaded term. It definitely means much more than simply your logo and company colors. However, for the sake of this post, we want to really focus on those visual aspects of your brand: logo, colors, fonts, imagery, website, print items, signage, swag etc. For many companies, investing time, money, and thought into their brand's visual identity seems shallow, “surface-y”, and generally a waste of resources. But the truth is (back to the book metaphor) we do judge a book by its cover when it comes to brands. And sometimes that quick glance at the cover is the only chance you get to compel someone to interact and engage with your organization. Thus, with visual branding, we seek to make the book look as good on the outside as what’s going on the inside.
Here are ten reasons why we believe investing in your brand’s visual identity is so crucial to your organization’s success:
1.First impressions matter.
Let’s pretend you’re going to a networking party (ew), and you’re about to potentially meet some folks you’d like to do business with. You’d be foolish to not invest an ounce of thought (or money) into what you might wear to an event like that. You might buy a new outfit. You might get a haircut. You might make sure you have business cards on you. In the same way, we all have the opportunity to invest time and money in the first impression that our business might have in the broader networking parties of social media, the internet, and beyond.
2. Stand out in the crowd.
Faces are helpful—especially in a crowd. Think of your visual brand as the face of your organization. You may not love your face, but it’s a great service to others when they’re trying to pick you up at the airport or find you in a dark movie theater. Without a distinct face, it’s hard to know who we’re talking to and know how they’re different from someone else. Many people think that their name and logo need to be completely unique, novel, and truly one of a kind. However, this kind of originality is nearly impossible in our overly saturated world of brands. It’s more important to associate and contrast yourself from others in the market with your visual identity.
For example, just because the Twitter logo features a bluebird, doesn’t mean you should never use a bird in your logo, for fear of copying Twitter. Maybe you’re a law firm–not a social media empire–and a bird logo would really stand out in your market. Perhaps a slight association with an innovative tech company might be a positive association with your audience. There’s nothing new under the sun, after all. It’s all in how we mix, match, combine, and juxtapose the existing elements in clever, fresh, and memorable ways. Being known as the Twitter of law firms, might not be the worst thing, after all. Investing time and attention in your visual brand can help associate you positively with other brands, and differentiate you from others.
3. Consistency conveys trust.
Organizations that fail to invest in visual branding, often suffer from a lack of consistency. Sometimes an organization uses a specific font and certain colors, sometimes it uses something completely different. There’s an old version of the logo on its brochure, but a completely different one on its Facebook page. Sadly, this kind of scattered visual branding conveys an image of a scattered organization. (Or as I like to call it, a disorganization.) When something appears messy, inconsistent, or erratic to a viewer, a lack of trust is conveyed. “If they can’t figure this simple part of their company out how can I trust them to solve my problem?” You may feel like this is an unfair accusation. After all, the reason your branding is so scattered is precisely because you’ve been working so hard on what you’re best at: solving your customer’s problems! But regardless of how you justify it in your mind, viewers will inevitably compare you to other trustworthy brands they’ve interacted with and yours doesn’t match up, visually. Investing in your visual identity means investing in visual consistency and ultimately a feeling of trust.
4. Tell your story.
If you own a mission-driven organization, chances are you want to be able to communicate your mission with the world. A strong visual brand can often give you the ability to do just that, in a simple and universal way. If you invest in a rebranding campaign, you have the opportunity to create a visual mark that represents an essential part of your organization that many may not know by default. If you invest in renaming your organization, you get an amazing opportunity to convey what you’re all about, in an even more obvious way. Well-named and branded companies can convey what they do in memorable ways.
At Fruitful, we recently named and branded a new coffee shop and roaster in Pocatello Idaho. Glean coffee tells its brand story this way:
Glean | (glēn) | verb (with object)
To gather (leftover grain or other produce) after a harvest
Glean Coffee was founded with a mission to roast delicious coffee and make a true impact on our community. We do this through focused giving campaigns that change as goals are met. Bit by bit, gleanings from every cup and bag purchased are gathered with a purpose: to benefit causes that matter to you most.
Through our research and collaboration, we discovered that the word “Glean” could help represent something very important to the mission of their organization. Now they are using the term “gleanings” in everyday conversations when describing what they do. Their name tells the story, and the visuals of the brand support, confirm, and enhance that story.
5. Do what you’re good at.
Let’s face it: non-designers don’t enjoy trying to figure out which fonts and colors to use in a company-wide document. They don’t want to hunt for branding assets for an organizational email, or a presentation. Investing in the visual aspects of your brand, means investing in assets that are easy to share and use for your team. That way, the sales, and finance guys can focus on what you hired them for (namely, sales and finances). Invest in professional assets so that your team can do what they do in a professional way. Think of all the valuable time (aka money) wasted by non-designer employees trying to get company documents and presentations to look right, when they still look off-brand in the end. Hiring professional designers to create easy-to-use, consistent visual assets and systems may seem expensive at the outset–but it will save you a world of headaches in the long run.
6. A banner to rally around.
Can you imagine Apple without the apple? Or Windows without the window, for that matter? A clear visual representation gives a company an image to represent, and identify with. That’s why a logo is often referred to as a “brand identity”. Of course, a logo is not the purest essence of your brand’s identity, but it is the clearest visual representation of it. This reality is more important than you might think. When people love an organization, they voluntarily bear the banner of that brand. This is why you see people shell out the kind of money that they do for Patagonia and North Face jackets as opposed to just buying knock-offs from Amazon. The quality and reputation of those brands are mystically transferred to the brand bearer. The same goes for people who love to wear their company’s logo on (quality) swag. If someone loves their work, they are excited to share that with the world. This is a timeless grassroots marketing strategy. Invest $25 on a custom YETI bearing your logo mark, and a loyal employee will bring that to every life function until that drinking vessel is lost or marred beyond repair.
Investing in a recognizable brand mark means investing in a banner for your audience to rally around. When someone says “Nike”, the iconic “swoosh” flashes in your mind. When someone mentions their iPhone, the iconic “apple” may flash in your mind as well. Icons are powerful. Big brands harness this power to stay on top of your mind, and you can harness this same power when you invest in a strong visual brand.
7. Innocence by association.
We’ve all heard of guilt by association, but what about innocence by association? We all associate with professional brands every day. Even if we aren’t paying attention, we know what a professional sign, truck wrap, or email design should look like. That’s why, when we see a poorly designed email bearing the brand of a reputable company, we get suspicious fast. Premium brands have a certain look and feel. When you invest in your look and feel, you gain that premium look and feel of other reputable companies. It’s not usually a conscious thing, but people automatically will sort brands that feel professional in a special category in their mind. You want your brand to be in this category. You want your company to be in good company.
8. Look more desirable.
We’ve all had that moment when we’re being marketed a specific, irresistible lifestyle product on Instagram. (For me it’s always high-end coffee supplies and leather goods.) The imagery is always so captivating and stunning, the fonts are gorgeous, and then the logo appears: perfection! Everything is so cohesive and beautiful. Deep down, you probably don’t really need it—but now you want it. And when you see that the Merino wool socks cost $50 a pair you hardly blink because, after all, they’re such amazing quality, sustainably created, eco-friendly etc.
Earlier we said that your visual brand is your face. Now, we’re not advocating for plastic surgery here, but let’s face it: we’re attracted to certain faces more than others. Making your face more attractive (makeup, beard trim, teeth whitener etc.) can make you look more desirable. For a brand, that desire can translate into value. When a company looks like something someone desires or wants to support, they are willing to spend more money on it. And perhaps even more important than that initial sale, people will want to be associated with your brand and tell others about it. We all invest in our own visual appearances, to some degree, in an effort to appear more attractive. This is not a vanity exercise, it’s a survival technique. Being more visually presentable enhances our chances with a mate, with an employer, with a friend group, and with opportunity. The same is true when you invest in the visual appearance of your brand. You are strategically positioning yourself in a better position for your audience to engage and do business with you.
9. Communicate that you’re growing.
Can you think of a company that’s in need of new visual branding? Unless you’re a professional designer, you probably can’t. That’s because those companies are easy to forget about. They don’t work very hard to get your attention or communicate their message to you. Not changing your visual identity for decades, conveys an unintentional message of stagnation and a lack of self-awareness. There are so many technological changes over the past couple of decades that have forced intelligent legacy brands to develop new visual standards in order to stay relevant. Brands need to look good as a website favicon, an Instagram profile picture, and a navigation bar, among countless other digital mediums. Investing in new visual assets communicates that you care about your audience. It communicates that you’re aware of the changing world and that you’re willing to move, change and grow with the times to better serve and communicate to your audience.
10. Attention to detail matters.
As the owner of your organization, no one expects you to be a visual branding expert, but they do expect you to have attention to detail and a certain level of depth in your area of expertise. When your visual brand communicates a sense of attention to detail and depth, this reflects positively on your organization. You want a visual brand that well represents the professionalism and effectiveness of your organization. Investing in a strong, sophisticated visual identity can go a long way to convey a level of thoughtfulness and expertise to your audience.
In summary, you’re a professional. Invest in a professional visual branding identity for your organization.
When your car needs repair, you take it to an expert mechanic. When your plumbing backs up, you call a licensed professional. In the same way, why would you trust the very face of your organization to your neighbor’s cousin who recently downloaded photoshop? You deserve a name, logo, and brand guidelines that convey consistency, attention to detail, and trustworthiness to your audience. At Fruitful, we are experts at crafting visual brands for professionals in many industries, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. We offer services ranging from company naming, logo systems, websites, to brand guidelines, so that you can focus on what you’re best at, furthering the mission of your organization.
