Design is not just about making things look good. It is also a powerful way to communicate your brand identity, values, and message to your audience. In this article, you will learn how to use design to express your brand in your advertising campaigns, and why it matters for your business success.
Before you start designing, you need to have a clear vision of what your brand stands for, who your target customers are, and what you want to achieve with your advertising. Your brand is not just your logo, name, or slogan. It is the sum of all the associations, emotions, and expectations that people have about your business. To understand your brand, you can use tools such as a brand audit, a brand persona, a brand voice, and a brand story.
Another important consideration is the name that you choose for your business and the URL that you register for your web site and email. It must be memorable and easy to type in correctly.
If your brand can tell a story without digging too deep or at least peak interests by clearly leading to an idea or ideal(s) then mission accomplished. A brand should convey the goals/mission, identity, and application(s) upon first glance. For example, I always say, when a webpage loads, without being too busy and overloaded with information, that initial page should answer all those points above and clearly define the brand without having to scroll or click. PS, always start with a strong yet simple brand logo.
Once you have defined your brand, you need to choose the design elements that will convey it visually. These include colors, fonts, shapes, images, icons, and layouts. Each of these elements has a different impact on how people perceive your brand, so you need to choose them carefully and consistently. For example, colors can evoke different moods and emotions, fonts can suggest different personalities and styles, shapes can imply different meanings and values, images can show different aspects and benefits of your product or service, icons can simplify and clarify your message, and layouts can organize and prioritize your information.
Everything that you do needs to be consistent and instantly recognisable. That includes message headers and footers, stationery, web pages, social media, packaging etc. Recipients need assurance that they are still looking at the same company.
After you have selected your design elements, you need to apply some design principles to make sure they work well together and create a coherent and effective advertising campaign. Some of the most important design principles are contrast, alignment, balance, hierarchy, repetition, and white space. Contrast creates interest and attention by using different colors, sizes, or shapes. Alignment creates order and harmony by aligning elements along a common edge or center. Balance creates stability and symmetry by distributing elements evenly across the page or screen. Hierarchy creates focus and clarity by using different sizes, colors, or positions to show the importance of elements. Repetition creates consistency and recognition by using the same elements throughout your campaign. White space creates breathing room and elegance by leaving some areas empty or blank.
Anything you design must be easy to read, Different considerations apply when designing for print and screen, Your brand needs to be recognisable wherever it is used but tweaked to suit the media used and adapted to different sizes formats.
Finally, you need to test your design outcomes to see if they achieve your advertising goals and resonate with your audience. You can use various methods to test your design, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, usability tests, analytics, or feedback. The main questions you want to answer are: Does your design communicate your brand identity, values, and message clearly and effectively? Does your design appeal to your target customers and motivate them to take action? Does your design stand out from your competitors and create a memorable impression? Does your design fit the context and format of your advertising medium and channel?
Design is a crucial part of your advertising strategy, as it can make or break your brand image and reputation. By using design to express your brand, you can create more engaging, persuasive, and memorable advertising campaigns that connect with your audience and grow your business.