Visual branding consists of the visual elements that a company uses repeatedly to present and represent itself. It’s made up of the company logo, colors, typefaces, and other graphic elements to create a recognizable and distinctive brand identity.
“But wait!” you say. “We’ve got a great logo. Isn’t that our brand?” The answer to that is no. A brand is much more than your logo. Your logo is one element of an overarching visual branding system—it’s that entire system that works together to establish a strong and memorable visual identity for your company.
Visual branding communicates the values and personality of the business, and helps to create a lasting impression on customers. And that lasting impression can increase brand recognition and loyalty. When choosing a branding agency, you should look for one that has experience in creating visually appealing and effective brand identities. This includes understanding your brand’s values, mission, and target audience, and developing a visual identity that reflects these elements.
A branding agency works with a client to create a visual identity system using a process that involves research, strategy development, and creative work. No client or brand is the same, and so neither is the process for building a company’s visual identity. At TMC, we tailor this approach to each individual client’s needs.
We any employ any or all of the several following steps when working on a visual identity with a client:
In 2018, The Library approached TMC about a brand refresh. It had been 10 years since the visual brand had been updated. Building off of the Library’s history of the learning tree, TMC developed a new logo and brand guidelines to modernize the Library’s visual identity. Iconography, color utilization, program logos, and patterns were developed and brought into the brand.
An important part of the branding work we do at TMC is ensuring that all features of a new/refreshed brand are reflected in each client’s assets. With this in mind, TMC designers developed a vibrant and versatile newsletter template and variety of flyer templates with a clean, updated, engaging design that will serve the library network and its surrounding communities for years to come.
Visual identity is important to a company’s overall brand strategy for several reasons:
A good branding agency should have a team of skilled designers who have deep experience creating visual identity systems. You’ll want to look for a creative team that has a solid background in developing branding systems that reflect a company’s personality and values. They should be able to provide guidance on how to implement the visual identity across all of your communication channels, both print and digital.
In addition, the agency should provide guidance on how to maintain consistency in your visual identity to ensure that the brand is easily recognizable and memorable to customers.