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List the terms “brand” or “branding”; most individuals not related to marketing will consider iconic logos. Brands like Coca-Cola, Apple or the Ferrari horse come to mind. These three brands have one thing in common: all of them profit from a powerful visual identity.
Anyone who comes across their logos and other visible representations of the brand will routinely understand which company these images discuss with. Although brands are about greater than their visual identity, it might be a mistake to underestimate the importance of logos and other elements of brand name recognition.
While the designs of leading brands and people just starting out still differ significantly, recently one trend has dominated brand identity design – the tendency to simplify the visual identity. As increasingly more brands overhaul their look, one overarching goal unifies their efforts. Everyone seems to be in search of a more recognizable and memorable brand image.
Advantages of simplifying visual identification
Before we take a more in-depth take a look at the benefits of simpler visual identities, it’s price explaining what we mean by this term. Visual identification is greater than an organization logo. These are visible representations of the brand, including the colours used on the corporate’s website, social media channels, physical store designs, and as a part of a company’s logo set.
For small businesses, having a logo and selecting one or two corporate colours could also be enough. Nevertheless, the larger the organization, the more likely the corporate can have a visible identity consisting of a variety of elements. In these cases, marketers normally develop brand manuals to make sure consistent application.
But why simplify visual identifications? Listed below are a few of the predominant reasons:
- Easy recognition
- A stronger emotional bond
- Greater brand trust
Visual identities have the facility to make a brand immediately recognizable. The simpler a logo or other element is, the faster customers can remember and discover it. It has never mattered greater than today. On average, Americans see in between 4,000 and 10,000 ads for day. This amount has doubled since 2007 and has increased five-fold for the reason that Seventies. Simplifying visual identity allows brands to chop through the hype and get noticed by consumers.
Consistent, clear visual identities encourage trust within the brand and strengthen brand awareness amongst various recipients. This trust is the muse of the emotional connection between the buyer and the corporate, supported by a powerful visual identity. Proof of this are the corporate’s financial results: over 50% of consumers spend more on brands with which they’ve such ties.
Related: The right way to construct a brand identity that creates a high-value company
Case study
Simplifying a brand’s visual identity could make the difference between being immediately recognizable or leaving customers in suspense. They’re here some brands who’ve recently decided to extend the visibility of their companies:
- Pinterest and Airbnb have moved from using cursive logos to using clearer fonts. Each brands have also added a visible that might be used as a standalone icon.
- Payment broker Klarna, ridesharing app Uber and even search engine giant Google have also simplified the fonts utilized in their logos for a sleeker, more modern look.
- Coca-Cola may not have revolutionized its font or logo, but its marketing materials and packaging have develop into simpler in recent times, keeping the classic brand looking fresh.
Related: How brands can use authenticity and emotional connection to face out online
Best practices for simplifying visual identity
With the possible exception of Coca-Cola, these brands depend totally on a solid online presence. They have to be immediately recognizable across several platforms, not only by name but in addition by a smaller visual representation of that name. In consequence, Pinterest and Airbnb added the symbol to their logo.
These symbols are actually used as identifiers at the highest of browser tabs or because the equivalent of profile pictures. Google and Klarna simply decided to make use of the primary letter of their brand name for this purpose. What is that this best practice? Today, only a few brands exist without an internet presence. Constructing a visible identity must take into consideration all the weather crucial to represent the brand.
Other best practices turn on:
- Starting with mobile projects. Mobile devices generate a big percentage of the world’s web traffic using smaller screens. The simpler the visual identity of the brand, the simpler it’s to acknowledge it on a smaller screen
- Select easy, sans-serif fonts. These fonts could seem boring at first, but they have an inclination to face the test of time higher than more fun fonts and can mature as your enterprise grows.
- Leaving room for change. Brand identities which might be too specific can limit your enterprise. The simpler, more generic look allows the corporate to vary course without having to rebrand immediately.
The challenges of simplifying visual identification
Can simplifying brand visual identification go too far? Yes, you may simplify your branding.
Threats include lack of identity and making a brand indistinguishable from the competition. a few of the case studies above, you may already see that simplified brand identities make brands look more alike.
Brand marketing teams must simplify visual identities without sacrificing brand personality. Otherwise, the simplification process can hurt the brand. A robust visual identity allows customers to instantly see what the brand is about and the way it aligns with their values.
Easy yet powerful visual identities are created from clear brand identities. They take into consideration the history of the brand, basic design principles and are aware of the several media through which elements of visual identification shall be exposed. These unique visual identities mix brand personality, coherence and ease in equal measure to go away an enduring impression on customers.