Conveying Your Brand Through Graphic Design
There are many things we see or read day to day that can influence how we feel and react. But one of the lesser-known, but by no means less powerful, ways to invoke emotion is simple, colours!
The psychological effects of colours have been a focus of study since the Middle Ages, but you only need to look around you to see the impact they make on everyday life. Every colour brings out its own unique response from the viewer and any graphic designer will know, personally, the effect of each colour. Also something a practiced individual will be aware of is how and when to use each colour to set a specific tone.
While the discipline of colour theory is expansive, the foundations are easily learned and implemented i.e. how to use colour and contrast to make solid first impressions on users.
How can you ensure that your finished graphic design reflects your brand?
Ensuring that the design of your printed material is aesthetically balanced and visually appealing is important, but making sure that it is true to your brand identity is equally vital. Your printed material should advertise your business and inform prospective customers about it, so it’s essential that its style is evocative of your business’s persona. We’ve come up with a list of tips to help you make sure that it is.
But before we delve into the emotional implication of graphic design and colour we need to make a quick note about vibrancy.
In basic terms, a colour's vibrancy is how light or dark a colour is. The complex part about vibrancy is that, as each colour has its own properties, so does each shade of that same colour. While light blue and dark blue have more in common than red and green, they will still have a smaller, more subtly different effect on the user.
While brighter shades tend to be more upbeat, darker shades are known to have a more relaxing effect. The brighter shades call-to-action attract the eye, while the darker shades in backgrounds help create an alluring effect.
Just choosing the right colour is not enough to make something substantial – the next important thing to consider is the tone. Keep this in mind as you read about each colour below.
Pick a colour that reflects the tone or mood of your brand
Every brand has its own distinctive tone. If you run a financial advisory business, for example, your brand’s
tone will be subdued and professional. In contrast, if your business sells youth-oriented entertainment
products, your brand’s tone is likely to be upbeat and energetic. So apply these rules of thumb in your leaflet
printing (http://printuk.com/leaflet-printing) and design to ensure that you exude the right tone within your
brand message.
Colours can evoke different tones and moods, so it’s worth your time choosing a colour scheme that matches your brand. If you wish to evoke a calming and professional tone, you may wish to use soothing blues alongside dark, rich colours which hint at respectability. If you want to create a more exuberant aesthetic, consider using brighter colours such as yellows and reds.
Choose a brand-appropriate font
The font you use in your printed material can have a huge effect on how it is perceived. Some fonts are more staid and trustworthy, such as Times New Roman, while others are simple and approachable, such as Ariel and Calibri, and still others are playful and quirky, for example Invite SF or Mithal. Think carefully about the font that resonates best with the message you wish to send about your brand.
Deploy imagery with care
Photographs and images can have a major impact on the tone of your printed media. For example, images that show customers or employees smiling and looking happy while dressed casually create a more approachable, open aesthetic, whereas images that show people with a more serious demeanour create a more austere (but also more respectable) tone. By choosing the right images, colours and fonts, you can ensure that the design of your printed materials will always reflect your brand identity.