A brand is one of the most amazing phenomenons in business. A great brand is a living, breathing specimen that must be cared for. Even in businesses that aren’t brand-heavy, such as non-chain restaurants; graphic design can play an important role in brand perception. A great graphic designer will be fully aligned with your businesses future, as well as your target demographics needs.
However, what many businesses don’t understand is how fragile a brand can be. Poorly planned graphic design, whether it is a website, promotional material, or marketing collateral can tarnish a brand image.
Not Designing Around a Target Market
Failing to create a design that hits home with your target market is ineffective for your company, but also potentially detrimental for brand image. A brand survives on consistency. If your designer doesn’t understand what your brand needs to be saying, your final product will confuse people.
Conveying the Wrong Emotion
One of the most common beginner mistakes with design is failing to account for the emotional aspects of your pieces. Here is a brief color guide for typical emotions regarding each color
Red– Exhilaration, vigor, enthusiasm, love, intensity and passion.
Blue– Calm, serenity, faith, truth, confidence, and conservatism.
Green– Scenery, eco-friendly, good luck charm, youthful spirit and potentially envious.
Yellow– Hope, sunshine, optimism, hazard and friendship.
Black– Power, sophistication, mystery, death, fear, and elegance.
Orange– Loud and demanding attention.
Gray– Security and modesty.
Color isn’t the only thing that conveys emotion. Symbols and fonts also will say a lot about your graphic design. Keep your color, symbols and fonts consistent with what your business offers.
Trying to do Too Much
Every great graphic designer knows, less is more. Now this may not be true for your business if it is edgy and loud, however you still should beware of doing too much graphic design. Too much of anything can cannibalize a brand. If you own a website and you have too many moving parts, it will be ineffective from a user experience standpoint.
Another common mishap is trying to do too much with graphic design fonts. If you are using more than 3 different fonts in your piece, it limits the chances of your design being labeled good. In general, a humble graphic designer should be able to select appropriate fonts and symbols, and even more importantly decide when they shouldn’t use something. Your business should convey humble confidence in every design.
So whether your business is a highly branded t-shirt company or a local diner, be sure to meticulously plan out your branding and design strategy. Having your branding and design expert working together will ensure that your corporate/business image aligns with your value proposition.
Is your design looking out of place and conveying the wrong message for your brand? What are your reasons for being in this situation? Voice your opinions below
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