Everyone knows about the power and influence of visuals, but what about the significance of visual branding? Branding should be incorporated into every element of your eCommerce strategy, from the way you market your products, to the fonts and graphics you use on your website. Successful visual branding can lead to increased engagement, higher sales, and a stronger client base. We’ve compiled a list with the best tips including how you can define your visual branding, the importance of remaining consistent, and how to incorporate your brand voice.
Defining your Visual Branding
From your logo to the color palette to image style and even typography, every visual element of your marketing, storefront and packaging contribute to your visual brand. Every choice you make will affect how your brand is perceived by your audience. cNot only is it a way to convey your personality, but it’s also the ideal way to set yourself apart from fellow competitors.
A great starting point is developing a brand style guide. By laying out all the visual choices including how your photographs, videos and animations are styled, you can use the guide to ensure every visual you create is on-brand.
Here are some examples of elements you should add to your personal guide:
Color palettes: Colors communicate emotion, personality and mood, and so it’s best to ensure that the palette you create will intentionally reflect these qualities. There are some basic rules you can follow that never fail, for example if you’re wanting to convey peace and calmness, pastels will never fail, or, if you’re a vibrant, energetic brand, then neon colors will support your personality. If you’re in need of some help putting together a palette, KittyKat has a great blog on how to use color theory to your advantage.
Typography: Think about your fonts. Is your brand elegant like a classic serif font or more casual like a rounded sans serif? A font is capable of sending strong messages to consumers, and conveying a brand’s personality. Choose wisely..
Photography: In visual branding, images and videos have to pack a punch! Distinctive visuals and styled shoots are the way to make your brand stand out from competition. Customers are able to resonate with brands that promote original and unique imagery, and the reason why is simple, it makes them stand out and leaves an impression!
The Role of Product Photography
Quality product photography is vital to your brand; and there is far more to it than just taking a couple clean, aesthetic shots. Keep these tips in mind to ensure product visuals support your brand.
Storytelling: Visuals are capable of attracting the customers first by being aesthetically pleasing, and second by telling a story like demonstrating how your product fits into their lives. Storytelling can establish an emotional connection with customers, by creating a narrative through visual imagery.
Think about the technical elements: Lightning, angles, camera lenses and setting are all vital to defining and supporting your visual brand. Consider 360° product images to show your product from all angles to help shoppers get a complete picture. .
Use videos to your advantage: 55% of consumers watch videos when making their purchase decisions. Whether they’re on your website, in an online-ad or across your social media platforms, implementing videos that demonstrate the functionality and quality of your product, will customers build confidence in their purchase.
Product photography by KittyKat
Building a Connection With Your Customers
Strong visual branding connects with customers. We all want brands we can trust and rely on, and we appreciate when brands make it easy for us to recognize them quickly whether in the shopping aisle or the social media newsfeed. There are simple ways to help your customers connect with the visual side of your brand.
Establishing a brand identity: A brand identity will grant your customers with everything they should possibly need. Your brand persona, mission and ethics can all be reinforced through the way its identity is visually depicted. Visuals have the power to evoke emotion, and as a result they enable customers to form trusting relationships with your brand.
Consistency is key: Consistency is crucial to building a reputable, trusted brand that customers recognize. If you’re consistent with your visuals, you’ll be regarded as credible and dependable.
Working with content creators: UGC creators are great at supporting brands. Shoppers appreciate seeing real people using products and giving honest reviews. Often that means letting go of some brand control. Still, it’s possible to offer suggestions to creators to include certain colors or visual props beyond your packaging that you feel are distinctive for your brand.
