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Everyone has heard the term “first impressions matter.” The way we speak, dress and present ourselves to others creates a lasting impact. According to Psychology Today, it takes approximately seven seconds to create a first impression. A first impression determines whether another person walks away with a negative or positive assessment of our character.
We interact with brands in the same way.
Whether your brand lives on the shelf or the internet, it makes thousands of first impressions every day. This is where branding can make or break you. Your brand could look uniform, be concise and elicit trust with customers. Or it could look cheap and even make your customers question your legitimacy. This is why understanding how you want your business to appear across different platforms, or “brand identity,” is so important. A clear brand identity can set your business up for long-term success.
Logos, color palettes, typography and messaging may come across as trivial parts of a business. However, these elements are key to showing character. Let’s look at two examples:
These two logo concepts say the exact same thing but have completely opposite branding. More importantly: they convey two different experiences. It would be safe to assume the restaurant on the left would be fine dining with an expensive menu. Conversely, the restaurant on the right reads more casual and could be a place to bring young children.
Conveying all these complex ideas without many words comes down a few key elements. The first is the color palette. Color is your best tool for evoking emotion. How do you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business? Happy? Important? Amped up? A study done by the University of Rochester found that color can influence our psychological functions. For example, participants in the study reported that blue increased a website’s trustworthiness. Or a male wearing the color red was reported to be more dominant and aggressive. So, when selecting your color palette, be sure to keep your ideal customers’ perceptions in mind.
Next is font choice, better known as “typography.” Typography can tell the story of your brand in mere seconds. Take a look at these two below:
Again, same phrase with completely different personalities. Typography is an extensive and exciting way to further flesh out your brand’s identity. Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, are commonly associated with tradition and authority. Sans Serif fonts, like Helvetica, are viewed as modern and versatile. Choosing the right typeface could attract or deter potential customers before they even come across your mission statement.
The most prominent feature of your business, from website to t-shirts, is your company logo. Designing a logo combines color theory, typography and iconography into one very important package. As always, human psychology comes into play. A Frontiers psychology research article reported that participants associated certain shapes with different perceptive characteristics. Angular logos were perceived as more vigorous, durable and competent whereas round logos evoked a sense of unity and happiness. This played a part in attracting consumers with similar attitudes.
Why does any of this matter?
Because you want your brand’s identity to attract the correct audience. Meaning, you want to attract the people who will perceive your brand positively and convert to loyal clients. This all starts with a recognizable brand identity. If your brand identity works to attract, retain and promote your business, you have set yourself on the road to success.
Having difficulties with branding? Reach out to your Exact representative today to see what creative services can benefit you.