There are four design elements of the good corporate branding that you should be aware of. You see, your company’s brand is the heart of its marketing efforts. Your brand determines how customers see your company and their willingness to use your products or services and even promote them. It’s hard for a marketing effort to overturn a company’s negative perception, no matter how brilliant that effort. Customers develop biases and instinctive reactions that frame how they react to any marketing from your company.
Frequently, people form an impression of a company purely from the brand, without ever consuming any of its products or services. Knowing what the four design elements of good corporate branding are will help you win over customers. In that split second that you have before they form an opinion about your company, they decide to give your company a shot.
Colors
Colors convey very different meanings and emotional or even intellectual tones, and they can be a crucial feature in how customers recognize your brand. There are many factors that you need to have in mind when considering what colors to use, but the most important are:
- Their meanings: not only do colors have different meanings and elicit different emotions, but the intentions behind colors can also differ according to what country you are in. understanding the meaning of colors will help you guide your customers towards an emotional response that is very positive towards your company.
- Contrasting colors: Depending on where color is on the color wheel. Contrasting colors can elicit different reactions. Blue is often seen as being “warm,” for instance. So if you want to elicit a specific reaction, you have to contrast colors that work together. So, for example, you put two warm colors together if you want to channel warmth.
To make the association stick, you must use the same colors consistently across all your materials. When you use Pantones and associated RGB/CMYK colors and enforce their use across all your company’s print and digital media, you will achieve consistency.
Example: Coca-Cola’s iconic red is instantly recognizable and evokes feelings of excitement and energy. This consistency across products, advertising, and even packaging has helped the brand become memorable worldwide.
Fonts Design Elements
As with colors, you should be consistent in having a definite font, or fonts, across all the company’s print and digital media. The fewer the fonts, the better because it becomes easier to associate a specific font or group of fonts with your brand.
Many companies prefer to use serif for body content and sans-serif for headings. You should also consider having a web-safe font if you do not do so already. There are a huge number of fonts to choose from, some very old and some exceptionally modern. Whatever font you use, use a font that reflects your company’s brand.
Example: Apple’s use of a clean, minimalist font across its branding echoes its dedication to sleek, user-friendly technology. The simple typeface contributes to Apple’s image as a forward-thinking brand.
Imagery Design Elements
The company’s use of imagery is a vital part of its marketing efforts. This is even more so in a digital world where images have grown tremendously in use. You will have to use images as part of your marketing. Again, consistency is important, not so much in using one specific image, but in using a few themes or treatments across all your images.
You have to think about the company’s brand and find themes and treatments that reflect that brand.
Example: Airbnb’s imagery focuses on community, connection, and authentic experiences. Their visual style shows real people in real places, conveying a welcoming and adventurous brand ethos.
Emotions
Ultimately, corporate branding is about building an emotional connection with your audience. Every design choice—color, logo, voice, and layout—should work together to create a unified experience that resonates with your audience emotionally. When customers feel connected to a brand, they’re more likely to become loyal supporters, share your message, and return as repeat customers.
Tips for Creating an Emotional Connection: Design Elements Corporate Branding
- Be Authentic: Showcase your brand’s core values honestly and transparently to build trust.
- Engage with Your Audience: Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to interact with customers, showing you’re more than just a company.
- Tell a Story: Build a narrative around your brand that highlights your mission, vision, and the impact you want to make in your industry.
Example: Patagonia’s brand emphasizes sustainability and environmental responsibility, fostering a deep connection with eco-conscious consumers who value these principles.
Logo Design Elements
This is the most visible, most recognizable, and most easily shared and disseminated component of your company’s brand. The company logo is the stamp that seals everything that your company touches or is involved with. Any materials your company shares with the public or uses internally will have your logo. One thing that you should observe when designing a logo is that it must be easily visible regardless of size.
Whether it’s an icon on a browser or a logo on a massive banner. Customers must not strain to see what the logo is. Apart from this, a good business logo design should remain easily visible even when there are restrictions on color. So, if, for instance, you are not able to use one of your brand colors. So, you should still be able to use your logo, say, in black and white or in a single color.
