Chances are you’ve heard of a brand, and the many definitions that people attribute to it. You may have also heard the Jeff Bezos quote; “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room”. However, In practical terms, your brand will probably be defined as a logo, colours, font, graphics, and perhaps a tone of voice.
I think visual identity goes further than this. It’s how your photographs look, how your videos are processed, how your packaging looks… Basically anything visual that people see when they come into contact with your business. It even includes how your office or premises is decorated, how you dress for meetings, how close you shave! All this comes together to make up an identity that people attribute to your business.
Why does it matter?
If any of the elements of your visual identity are inconsistent with one another, in turn you won’t come across as consistent with your message, which will lead to a confusing journey for your customers and clients. At F8 everything we do is rooted in our expertise in visual identity. This means we don’t just make pretty graphics, photos and videos (we do that too!), we understand how these elements all fit together into the bigger picture. We regularly see new clients that just aren’t getting the amount of enquiries they want, and so often it’s because of problems with their visual identity.
Typically prospective customers and clients will look for you if they need what you supply, or if they like the services you offer, but they will BUY from you if they find you credible, trustworthy and ‘right for the job’. The only way they can really judge this initially is from your visual identity.
Some (exaggerated) examples of an inconsistent visual identity
- If you’re a lawyer and you rock up to a client engagement meeting in a tracksuit with a scruffy business card, you probably won’t be given much credibility, or win many clients.
- You run a high end restaurant, but your furniture is more like that of a greasy spoon. This is confusing for customers and they are unlikely to eat at your restaurant. The prices on the menu vs the visual impression that they get when they sit down, will feel completely off and they’ll likely go elsewhere.
- If you run a garden centre, but your promotional video shows staff wearing high end suits, the tone of the video will feel ‘off’ and potential customers will feel uncomfortable about visiting
Yes, these are all very obvious examples, but now apply the same thinking to your headshots… your logo… your social media profile. Do they give the right impression? Do you look credible and consistent? Do they fit with the values that you attribute to yourself and your business?
We start most of our projects with a workshop where we dive into the details of your business – your values, personality, target customer etc. We then look at your current identity and see how consistent it is with what we’ve learned about you. The results are usually very eye opening.
If this sounds like something you’d like to take advantage of, give me a shout on greg@f8creates.com
