At Accentuate Web Design and Marketing, it’s not a surprise that clients who come to us want an “attractive” website. As our team pieces together the elements of a website, we make it a conscious effort to go beyond the aesthetic preferences of our clients.
It is our passion to create a website that’s not only responsive and looks good to our clients, but to their audience as well. More importantly, it should tell an effective story about your brand.
Apart from creating a functional website, our highly experienced web designers will work with you to help you choose the right brand imagery for your website that your target market will love.
Standing out from your competition is a vital aspect of today’s business world. We can help you achieve this by creating and maintaining a strong brand image your customers can easily identify and resonate with.
What is Brand Imagery?
To put it simply: Your brand image is the way your customers perceive your brand. In contrast, brand imagery is the way how your product or services are represented through visual imagery, or how you use images to represent your brand. It is the visual storytelling component of your brand identity.
Brand imagery can appear in various visual forms. They can be through illustrations, photography, video, colours, social media content, print materials, and a lot more.
Regardless if you want to represent your brand as being minimalist, modern, traditional, or sophisticated, you can always use well-selected images to engage your audience in an emotional and meaningful way.
Why is it important to have Brand Imagery?
An adage from Frederick R. Barnard, which has already become a cliché, says “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Humans, by nature, are visual creatures. And our brains are wired to process images in milliseconds.
Fun Fact: We perceive images better than words. Once our brain learns a new word, we begin seeing it as a picture and not as a group of letters needing to be processed.
To be clear, we are not advocating prioritising imagery over words to communicate with your audience. What we’re saying is that images and words working together are much more effective.
Visuals for social media are no longer a luxury, they’re critical. They’re a vital core component of any successful marketing strategy since most social media platforms are visual-centric.
Social media posts that include images garner 650 percent more engagement than text-only posts. This also applies to some degree with any form of communication, not just on social.
We see thousands of images every day. Brand imagery has always had a spot in marketing. More so today, where it plays a major role because of social media.
Consistent brand imagery brings depth and evokes emotion to your brand. This helps you connect with your ideal clients in a much more meaningful and stronger way. It is part strategy, and part art that tells your brand story, and takes the conversation to a whole new level.
When consumers buy your products or engage in your services, they’re buying what it is your brand stands for. A great brand image is important for myriads of reasons, since it:
Establishes your credibility and builds customer loyalty
A good brand image helps your business establish credibility within your industry. It requires earning the respect of both your consumers and competitors through consistency, quality, and honesty. Consumers are more likely to support a credible brand over its competitors in its niche.
Effective brand imagery can convey a specific message about your business, and customers naturally gravitate towards credible businesses that are passionate about what they do.
Creates brand recognition
Recognisable brands attract new customers, making it easier for you to introduce new products under the same brand. New items you introduce immediately get recognition since they’re affiliated with your strong brand.
Being consistent with your images, may they be, in terms of using colour, scenery, or even the people you feature will associate those images with your business.
Establishes professionalism and adds value to your brand.
Brand imagery, like your logo, for instance, helps your customers visually recognise your brand easily. You create the story of your brand through imagery, and that’s what you get to show and tell the world. You can help reinforce your messaging with strategic brand imagery and show that your brand is a valuable one.
Tips to Select the Right Imagery for Your Brand.
Great brand imagery is important for various reasons. Keep in mind that when consumers buy your products or engage in your services, they’re buying what it is your brand stands for.
NOTE: Before diving in and choosing your brand imagery, you have to ensure that your brand identity is already clearly defined. These are tangible elements that make up your brand, such as your logo, your colours, typography, and messaging.
Without clarity, it would be a challenge to select imagery that will create an impactful perception and impression of your brand. That impression can either pull your customers closer or push them away.
Properly used, it can deepen a customer’s attachment to your brand. In selecting the right imagery, you have to think of your perfect customer. What’s important to him/her? What does a typical day for him/her look like?
If you can visualise this person and what it is they want, you will be able to source out images to create better visuals that your audience will respond to and resonate with.
Tip #1: Align your Brand Imagery with your Brand Identity.
Your brand’s identity is a foundational component in marketing and advertising, so you must establish the image and reputation you want to create for your business.
Ask yourself, how do you want your target audience to see you? How they see you, as well as your competitors, will impact your success in the marketplace significantly.
Tip #2: Align your Brand Imagery with your Target Audience in Mind.
It’s not easy to gauge what visually attracts or turns an audience off about a website, an ad, or a social media profile. However, the images you incorporate in your brand communication can impact the opinions prospective customers might have about your business.
To align your imagery, you have to know what is important to your target customer. Know what other products and services they buy, and what other businesses they patronise.
Tip #3: Create a Mood Board.
A mood board will help determine themes you’ll use for your brand imagery, colours, tones, and style before getting into the finer details. Mood boards are an efficient way to start, modify, and finalise your designs without spending too much time and energy.
Tip #4: Use Variety of Images
Any visual representation you use for your brand can be considered a part and form of brand imagery. However, imagery isn’t limited to just pictures. Graphics and video are also a type of imagery.
Final Note
You have a story to tell. But before you ever get a chance to talk to them with your voice or through your writing, you should appeal to them with brand imagery.
Establishing an emotional attachment by using well-chosen images will make your visual communication appealing. That can be a big contributing factor that can make a customer choose you over your competitors.
If you need more information or guidance with your brand imagery strategy, our experts are here to help you stand out. Book a FREE Strategy session with our team to review your brand’s visual concept and help you build a successful brand.
