THE 6 PILLARS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY

THE 6 PILLARS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY

To create a recognized, you need these 6 pillars.

If you want to be remembered as a brand that had an impact, you need to be aware of these 6 pillars I’m about to share with you.

This is crucial to brand building as you can’t build a brand without implementing some or all of these principles. I’ll tend to shift towards the design side of being consistent.

They may seem easy to the eye but require a level of discipline to actually execute them.

Visual harmony is the essence of brand consistency.

It’s the seamless interplay of visual elements that creates a unified brand identity across platforms.

Here are the pillars of brand consistency:

1. EMBRACE GUIDELINES.

A guideline as the name suggests is a guide.

They define your visual style, including your color palette, typography, and imagery.

When I say define your visual style,

I’m talking about whether the brand is vector image or bitmap image-based.

I’m talking about whether you have a feminine feel or a masculine feel.

I’m talking about whether you use rounded corners or sharp corner boxes.

These types of little details are the basis of a design style.

Questions like what kind of culture do I want?

What type of people do I want to attract?

Why I’m creating this brand?

Come into play when creating a visual style.

The joy that comes with doing this is beautiful. I do it every day!

The key takeaway should be that, your visual style will determine your color palette, your typography, your imagery and so much more.

The specific part of the brand identity where this is discovered is on the mood board or style scape(which are two different things by the way)

Below are two mood boards for the same project I did to choose the design style for the brand called “The Leading Voices”

2. STANDARDIZE ELEMENTS

Standardize key visual elements like logos, icons, and graphics.

These elements should be used consistently everywhere it has a function. Not to say that you shouldn’t switch between dark and light modes, but avoid more than 3 usages of the same logo in different applications often.

Maintain consistent proportions, spacing, and alignment to create a cohesive visual experience.

Remember, the important things in branding are the little details.

These details stick in the minds of your target audience.

Being consistent in your visuals is like writing a book. Every page is connected and passes on one idea or two.

At The Design Archive, you only see me using two of four logo options.

3. ADAPT FOR PURPOSE

While maintaining consistency, adapt your visuals for each platform’s unique characteristics.

If a visual does well on LinkedIn, there’s no fact that says it will do well on Instagram or Twitter.

Consider the target audience you’re trying to reach and the different beliefs that they have.

I say beliefs because Instagram lovers have different beliefs from Linkedin lovers, in most cases.

It’s important to consider screen sizes, resolutions, and user interactions to optimize visual impact.

4. UTILIZE TEMPLATES

Templates provide a pre-designed layout and structure, allowing you to focus on customizing the content and visuals instead of starting from scratch.

Time is one thing you can’t get back once it’s gone.

Leverage templates for social media posts, presentations, and other digital assets.

They maintain consistency while saving you time and effort.

Some people see templates as a lazy shortcut but I think it’s one of the greatest assets you can have.

5.  EMPOWER TEAM

If you have a team, educate and empower them to understand and apply brand guidelines.

If there’s one thing I know we designers hate is to see our work missued.

Not only does it hurt the designer, but it also hurts your brand image.

Using a different design style or tone of voice for your brand other than that in your brand strategy will hurt your brand.

So it’s important to stick to guidelines.

Organize regular brand training sessions.

They ensure that your visuals are represented consistently across all departments.

6. SEEK FEEDBACK

The only way to stay relevant is through seeking feedback and learning new things.

Regularly review, and refine your visual approach based on feedback and new findings.

Stay relevant and adaptable to maintain brand consistency in an ever-evolving world.

With these pillars, you’re on your way to creating a memorable and impactful brand.

See you next week.