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A brand starts with a
message about why your company is valuable. The message
should communicate this value clearly and consistently.
The message should be
repeated in your advertising, Web site, collateral,
press releases and every form of contact you have with
your customer.
A brand is more than a
logo and colors, but the look and feel of all your
communications is a big component of your message. Once
you've defined what your company's core values are, how
can you translate that message into an appropriate image
tailored to both Web and print?
The Right Feeling
Colors are the most basic
visual component of your company's branding.
Colors inspire emotion.
There are some basic, well-known formulas: red, orange
and yellow are high-energy and stimulate interest and
excitement; blue and green are more stable, calming
influences; neutrals communicate confidence.
You don't have to be a
psychologist to get the message; for most people, these
are intuitive reactions.
Pick the colors that
create the atmosphere you want associated with your
company. Neutrals evoke a patrician, confident aura, as Nordstrom's
branding does. Primary colors create an energetic,
fast-paced feel, as McDonald's
look does. Pastels suggest a clean, feminine, soft
image, like that of Clinique
cosmetics.
Your True Colors
High-contrast colors
create energy and movement; they cause an optical sense
of vibration when paired. FedEx,
for example, uses orange and purple for branding.
Because these colors are near-opposites, when
graphically adjacent, they create an impression of
vigorous movement: your package, speeding on its way
courtesy of FedEx.
Low-contrast colors tend
to be subtler and visually quiet, even when intense
shades appear together. If you like the look of strong
colors but don't want them dancing in front of your
eyes, use low-contrast accents to create a solid,
confident effect. Christian
Dior uses this approach to convey the sense
of classic haute couture.
Colors can incite a
strong response and, when mixed, they can create an even
stronger effect. McDonalds' use of red, orange and
yellow creates a lively reaction in the viewer by mixing
several colors.
Conversely, by narrowing
the palette to a single color, you can keep the effect
simple and classic. Elizabeth
Arden uses a high-energy color, red. But by
keeping the color scheme simply red, the company conveys
the brand value of understated elegance.
After you've chosen a
palette with color, contrast and depth, it's time to
think about the font. Fonts comprise a subtle tool that
has a big effect.
If a font is used
properly, it's rarely noticed by the viewer. If used
improperly, it's always noticed. The first and most
important factor in choosing a font is readability.
Serif fonts — for
example, Times New Roman — are classic, strong and
very readable; most books still use serif fonts. If your
marketing relies on a good deal of printed text, use
serif fonts consistently. But visually, sans-serif fonts
look more modern, flexible and dynamic. They're also
more readable on a computer screen.
If you rely more heavily
on Web marketing, or you don't need large amounts of
text, use sans-serif fonts. You can see examples
of each online.
Globes and Gators
When developing a logo,
you can also create an icon that represents your
company. It can be a literal illustration of your
company name, as in Apple
Computer's apple. Or it can be an abstract
symbol, such as Verizon's
swoosh.
The benefit of adding an
icon to your logo: You can repeat this design element in
layouts, as bullet points, texture or repeated shapes,
for visual interest.
If your branding is
strongly developed, the icon can be built into visual
shorthand for your company to aid recognition. The Nike
swoosh, the Izod
alligator and the AT&T
globe are prime examples.
But an icon is not
necessary for good image design: Microsoft,
Nordstrom, IBM
and Levi's
have built strong identities through creative,
consistent use of colors and fonts.
In choosing your colors,
fonts and logo, context matters. Colors will appear
differently on a computer screen than on a printed page
or a television screen.
Decide which medium will
be your primary marketing vehicle, and adjust the color
and font choices accordingly. You can fine-tune these
elements for new mediums if necessary, as long as you're
consistent.
For instance, if you
choose a color for printed collateral that might not
display properly online, choose the next-closest match
from the limited 216-color Web palette and use that
color.
Weave It Together
Whichever fonts, colors
and icons you choose, be consistent. Subtle consistency
in font face, size, colors and headings creates an
underlying professionalism to every letter, memo, press
release and collateral piece.
Consider creating a text
and graphics style guide for your company's
communications. It should cover which font face and
sizes should be used in headers and body text, and it
should list appropriate color values for text,
backgrounds and logos in Web and print values. Usages
should be defined for full-color printing, Web palettes
and two- and four-color contexts.
While developing the
logo, the designer can create these simple style guides,
or even create templates for memos, faxes, electronic
letterhead and slide presentations.
This might seem like
bureaucratic overkill for a small company, but it's a
simple process that saves time in the long run.
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