Defining Visual Identity

How do you stick out in a sea of competitors and contenders?

Princeton University did a study where they observed people judging other human's likability, trustworthiness, competence, attractiveness, and aggressiveness by their faces.

One of the conclusions of this study? The average person takes about .01 of a second to form their judgments.

Leonard Kim, a professor at Princeton said, "With that reaction time, you need a clean and crisp visual representation of your brand. Otherwise, people may associate your brand with being cheap, unreliable, or even untrustworthy.” You have one shot to have a great first impression. Don't miss your shot.

If you find yourself asking, 'What exactly is a visual identity? And how do you create one?', keep reading.

Part of building your brand is turning the traits and attributes of your business into visual content that aligns with your business. “A visual identity should amplify the intended message of the brand so you want to learn more and follow along with the story. Then the story should sell customers into why they should do business with your brand,” Kim at Princeton University said.

At the core of visual identity are your visual branding ingredients: logo, colors, type, and imagery. However, before designing a logo, you need to have identified the colors, type, and imagery.

A logo is a huge part of visual brand identity. It is a graphic or illustration that conveys what you do. A logo can be a combination of your color palette, type, and design. You have to identify your color, type & vibe you want to give off before you design a logo.

Color

“Your color palette needs to fit what you are trying to convey,” Kim said. “If you’re promoting a luxury product, you may want to use blacks, golds, and silvers. If you have a financial product, you may want to incorporate greens and golds.”

Credit to ColorPsychology.org

Color psychology is REAL, ya'll! My best tip in regards to picking colors for brand identification (or even content) would have to be: pick one main color and then see what other colors in similar ranges look like with your main color.

Learn more about color psychology by clicking here.

Need some inspiration in regards to color schemes? Click here.

Type

Beyond what the words in your logo say, the size, typeface, and hierarchy of your text are directly related to your visual identity. Using the same 1-2 typefaces will also help reinforce brand identity when posting content online. Keep this in mind as you establish what your visual identity will be.

Imagery

You know the saying, ‘A picture is worth 1,000 words.’? This still rings true in this case. Photos inspire, remind and trigger emotions within. The right imagery will set the tone for the entire deliverable or idea. This is why it’s important to put photos of what inspires you on a mood board. Knowing the imagery that inspires you is a step closer to understanding what type of illustration or vibe you want your logo to have.

Have you established the basics of your identity? Then you are ready to create a mood board.

Mood boards are a vital staple in a brand, goal, or event. After the identity is established, a mood board is used to reference when you or others are designing marketing materials, ads, social media, or other content in the future. Referencing your mood board will always ensure that the content you make is on-brand and consistent matter what.

Another thing that mood boards are great for? Chasing your goals!! Putting a mood board on a fridge or bathroom mirror, etc. is a great way to keep your eye on the prize.

Check out some of my more recent mood boards!

Nina Kay Digital x Moon Child Events

Nina Kay Digital x Whatnot Boutique

Nina Kay Digital x Dave & Lindsay’s Wedding Mood Board