Imagery is perhaps the most powerful tool in your arsenal to build brand recognition. As audience become increasingly visual, and attention spans are decreased – a picture literally speaks a thousand words. Here are some of our best tips to help you build brand recognition through imagery.

First, develop a strong brand identity

Before you can begin creating brand imagery, you need to develop a strong brand identity. This includes identifying your brand’s values, mission, and personality, as well as defining your target audience. Use this information to inform your design choices and create brand imagery that resonates with your audience.

If you fail to do these steps, your brand identity will be like your business – likely inconsistent and all over the place.

Be distinctive to achieve brand recognition

When creating your brand imagery, try to separate yourself from the crowd. Create a distinctive and memorable logo, and a unique color scheme. These elements reflect your brand identity and set your business apart from competitors.

For your brand colors, be aware that different colors can evoke different emotions and associations, so choose your colors carefully. Picking the correct elements also helps businesses establish an emotional connection with customers. By using design elements that evoke positive emotions, businesses can create a positive association with their brand in the minds of potential customers.

Your logo and colors should be used consistently across all marketing materials to help build brand recognition.

Consistency, consistency, consistency

One of the most important things you can do is is use consistent design elements. Consistency is key when it comes to building brand recognition through imagery. Use consistent design elements, such as fonts, shapes, and imagery, across all marketing materials to help customers easily identify your brand.

All to often we see new businesses using different types of imagery on different mediums, without mentioning the use of different fonts, shapes and icons. Spend some time creating a brand guideline for yourself (or get this done professionally), and then follow this principle on all of your materials.

For aligning your brand, there are many great online tools to help you. For fonts for example, a fantastic resource is Typewolf and Typescale. Perhaps we’re nitpicking, but even things like consistent font sizes across your materials creates a professional image.

Pick the correct types of imagery

If you have your brand keywords sorted, then this step of the process should be fun and easy. Remember to pick imagery types that align with these keywords. A great example of what not to do might be a luxury car hire app that uses cartoons, or a children’s clothing brand that uses dark and opulent colors. Unless these are incredibly quirky businesses, they simple don’t work with the brand identities. Pick the right types of imagery for your brand.

Be professional with imagery

This is a common mistake we see with brands – using pixelated images, different lighting and different filters. This also relates to the point about consistency above. We recommend finding a unique filter/imagery preset and then using this throughout your material. This is especially important if you’re selling products.

One of our favorite examples of consistent imagery is MyProtein. You will notice that all of their products have a distinctive look and format. This creates instant brand recognition.

We cover this topic more in our Growth Branding Programme.

Stay on the right side of copyright

A final important note about imagery is copyright. Be wary of appropriating images from Google and other search engines. If you’re going to be using imagery ensure that it is free stock imagery, or that you’ve paid for the image. Further, even if you do purchase the imagery on a stock website, you must ensure that any brand representation is legitimate. For example, if your business is leasing second-hand cars, you may face consequences if you build your website and prominently display a car manufacturers logo everywhere – this can be misconstrued and a the manufacturer may contact you if your business explodes.

Be wary, and seek legal advice if unsure.

Final notes

Brand imagery is an essential element of building brand recognition for new businesses. By creating a memorable impression, establishing brand identity, maintaining consistency, creating an emotional connection, and projecting professionalism, new businesses can effectively use brand imagery to stand out in a crowded market and establish a loyal customer base.

Next Steps

○ Review this reading
○ Build your brand pillars before tackling imagery
○ Get to know your target audience
○ Create a cohesive visual identity