Branding is more than just your logo and business name. There’s a lot of thought put into the design behind the scenes! Visual elements are pivotal in conveying brand identity.
There’s two distinct approaches that stand out to us – minimalist design, and vibrant imagery.
These elements are favoured by many leading brands and are so effective at engaging consumers. But why?
Minimalistic Design
Minimalist design has been at the forefront of design for a few years now, it’s become synonymous with modernity and is used by huge brands like Apple and Google. The design philosophy focuses on simplicity, clean lines, and functionality. It’s stripping away all of the excess to just highlight essential elements.
It works because it eliminates all clutter, leaving the main focus on the core product.
For example, Apple’s website features ample white space, concise text, and high-quality images of their products, making it easy for visitors to navigate and find information
This simplicity helps users quickly understand and process the content without feeling overwhelmed.
With fewer elements on the page, minimalist design creates a clear visual hierarchy, guiding users’ attention to the most important aspects such as calls to action (CTAs) and key information. This hierarchy helps users navigate the interface intuitively, reducing the time and effort needed to find what they are looking for.
By presenting information in a straightforward manner, users can more easily focus on key messages and actions, leading to quicker decision-making and a smoother user journey.
Enhancing User Experience
By using minimalist design methods, every element on the page must serve a purpose. A prime example of this is Google’s homepage. There’s no distractions your attention is on the search bar only. It’s in the centre of white space, uninterrupted.
By prioritising the sites overall usability, users engage more easily with the interface.
Putting user experience first in the design process improves customer satisfaction overall. So important if you want those customers to return! No one wants to return to a site that’s hard to handle.
Consistency
This simple design choice is much easier to keep consistent across all brand platforms – devices, websites, brochures, social medias etc. By doing this our brand identity is levelled up. Celebrate! This is just one way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. You’re creating a lasting impression in your customers mind. The likelihood is that there will be several of the same or similar products/services out there just like yours, make yours the one people remember.
Vibrant Imagery
In contrast to minimalism, bold imagery is used by brands such as ‘Nike’ and ‘Red bull’ to create an energetic brand image. With this approach, elements are considered such as striking visuals and vivid colours.
Bold features are much more prominent in crowded spaces. Nike’s use of photos of athletes in action, paired with lively colours, creates a memorable visual for their audience of active and sporty people.
Because they’ve created something that resonates with their exact audience it’s going to be much less forgettable.
Emotional Connection
Do you ever see that Cadburys purple and suddenly get really hungry for a sweet treat? Just Us? Well, vibrant visuals can evoke strong emotions, allowing brands to form connections with their audience.
Red Bull’s imagery often features extreme sports and adventure, aligning with their brands adventurous spirit and energising message.
You see the Red Bull logo, you want to feel that surge of energy you get from drinking their energy drinks.
Red Bull also utilises a popular font – Futura – which we’ve covered before in ‘The Story of Futura.’
How would you want your branding?
How you choose a design will depend on how you want your brand to be presented – Is it playful, professional, adventurous, innovative? What’s your mission? What broader impact will your brand have on your consumers?
These answers will allow your designer to work with you to create a tailored brand identity.
The reason these big brands are unforgettable is because consistency is key. They put their user behaviour at the forefront – Do. The. Same.
Fancy talking through some ideas? Our branding process starts with a meticulous discovery session to get to know your business inside and out. If you want that to be your business, get in touch.