We all have emotional reactions to images. Just take one characteristic—color, for example. Red evokes aggression, action, and urgency. Blue has always represented thoughtfulness, calm, or even intelligence. This is why we see so many automobile and motorcycle racing teams utilizing red while many banks and financial institutions use blue in their visual identities. Most of us would prefer a financial advisor who was calmly and rationally building a solid financial future for us rather than an impetuous, aggressive one!rnrnTherefore, a Graphic Identity that accurately reflects the Brand Identity enables the customer to “see themselves“ reflected in the brand. In short, this reinforces trust. For new customers, “This is a brand that I can relate to,” and for existing customers, “I’m glad I encountered this brand; it’s the right one for me” are inherently targets of a good brand design process. Without a pre-existing environment of trust, it’s impossible to consistently pitch prospects for new business, and increasingly challenging to grow business with current customers.
You don’t need to throw your logo in the trash. But you do need to ask harder questions about what your brand is doing—for your customers, your team, and your business. The best branding work doesn’t start with aesthetics. It starts with clarity. And clarity starts with someone willing to ask what all this is really for.
rnWe’ve helped companies reframe, rebuild, and sometimes redesign their brands once the strategy actually called for it. If your visual identity is doing all the talking because your brand isn’t saying much, we should talk.
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