SEEING IS BELIEVING - BRAND DEVELOPMENT

We take it for granted, but seeing really is believing.

Around 80% of our sensory impressions are registered through our eyes.

Some 50% of our brains are dedicated to making sense of what our eyes are telling us. They can take in 10 million pieces of information per second.

Visual communication is therefore an integral aspect of brand development and management.

That’s particularly important when it comes to graphic design because a visually-appealing design will encourage more people to engage with you.

There’s science behind this because, certainly in most Western countries, we read from left to right.

Our brains are hot-wired to do this, and graphic design studies prove that our eyes start at the top left corner and end at the bottom right corner. You, therefore, have to ensure that the top left corner of whatever you’re designing entices the reader in, while the bottom right corner should leave them with a clear message.

But make your design dull or confusing, from printed articles and websites to social media, signage, advertising and packaging, and people will turn away.

Also, another no-no is to put too much information into your design. Empty space can be visually appealing because it draws the reader’s eye to what is actually there – the core messages you want to convey.

That brings into play the visual hierarchy of what you’re trying to say, using different colours and font sizes to draw the reader’s eye to what’s important. Without a clear visual hierarchy, your design will simply be confusing. The lesson is: simplify whenever possible.

Most Importantly, every company or organisation is a brand, with clear guidelines on how that brand should be projected. Good brands have written documentation on how their corporate logos can be used. So don’t be tempted to tinker with that brand’s core visual attributes. Think Amazon’s smiley logo or the Nike swoosh.

As an example, some years ago, a friend of mine was working for a major US cigarette brand that used a white and red triangle to make it instantly recognisable. (You can guess which company!)

They were sponsoring a boat race on the Thames, and Crown came into the name of the race. My friend niftily added a crown to the top of the brand’s white crown.

The result?

A senior executive from the cigarette company flew across the Atlantic to personally give my friend a dressing down. The lesson for graphic designers? Don’t mess with a brand’s visual identity – and always, always ensure consistency across all materials.

Many people consider graphic design as a career because they’re creative people who know how to draw. But graphic design is a skill that has to be learned. It’s about the psychology of communication, and then understanding how to communicate key messages.

Colours

The importance of understanding how different colours can generate a variety of emotions, and how those colours can create visual harmony or a sense of chaos. This all depends on the brand and its brand values. Colours should work in harmony.