The visual design has become one of the most used media in the current marketing and branding world. In advertising, you create messages, images, or videos that appeal to your audience and target market. Visual branding uses images and colors to create a feel of the product or service. The colors are integrated with creativity, where you see the image and feel the product (Aaker, D pg 54). Colour and images appeal to our hearts and feelings, it’s important to note that, at any given time you are buying a product, color and the shape of the products determines what you are going to buy then quality comes later in aiding that decision. The phrase seeing is feeling comes in handy when using visual branding. The texture and feel of the product can best be communicated using visual images. Visual images are more likely to invoke the feelings and tastes associated with any product or service.
Visual branding has been integrated into all company websites and billboards. They are so catchy to the eye that once you see them, you create a feel of the product in you. Most companies have succeeded in giving their products a visual appeal. When coming up with a visual design, brands must consider their target market cultural behavior, this plays a great role as what they see is what they perceive the product to be, and great caution has to be taken not to pass on negative perception through visual graphics. Some of the companies that have successfully used visual branding to their advantage are as follows.
Nivea
Nivea is a hand, facial and body lotion. There are several lotions in the market that serves the same purpose as Nivea, but to cut a competitive advantage, Nivea has come up with catchy images showing very smooth and soft skin of men and women who use their products. This is very appealing, as everyone would love to have soft and smooth skin. The blue color of their packaging is also very appealing and catchy. Anytime you open the Nivea website or view their billboards, the images are so catchy and appealing, and you can’t help but buy nivea products. Below is a snapshot of nivea visual image.
Pepsi
Pepsi is a popular soft drink; it has market presence across the world and faces a lot of completion from other soft drinks. Its logo is so distinct that even if printed in any colour including black and white, you will still recognize that the product is Pepsi. They have also integrated their distinct colours of blue, white and mild red that is so distinct to the product Pepsi. Their website is also so visual that you imagine quenching your thirst with Pepsi when on their site (Brunner, R.; Emery, S pg 45). Below is a snapshot of Pepsi use of visual branding.
Nike
Nike is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of sportswear. They have used one consistent logo and message for all their range of products including shoes, balls and sports clothes. By doing this, it’s the most recognizable brand in sports. Nike has over years used visual branding to create a feel about their products. They portray great sportsmen and women and the success is always associated with them using Nike products. Athletics and sports are always about feeling comfortable about what you are wearing when participating and Nike has succeeded in creating that feel among the sportsmen. Their logo just do it also emphasizes the success of their products. Below is an example of a Nike feel visual branding.
In conclusion, the success of visual branding lies in the successful use of emotional appeal of the graphics and colours associated with the product (Lockwood, T; Walton pg 34). Consistency is also key as it creates brand loyalty among the consumers.
Works cited
Aaker, D., Building Strong Brands, New York: The Free Press. 1998 Print.
Brunner, R.; Emery, Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company. Upper Saddle River: FT Press.2009 Print
Lockwood, T Walton T, Building Design Strategy, New York: Allworth Press. 2008. Print