How to create a graphic identity that makes sense?

Photo de profil de Amandine Loiseleur

Par Amandine Loiseleur

Image du cas client How to create a graphic identity that makes sense?

A visual brand identity is not limited to a logotype, on the contrary, the identity encompasses a whole assembly of elements of typography, colors, patterns and layout systems to create a universe truly unique to your Brand or Product. And to do this, the Artistic Director creates meaning around all these elements resulting in a precise, effective and unique graphic charter. Let’s go into more detail on the subject.

Colors

Colors are a real emblem for a brand. A flagship color can sometimes even be a very representative element: Coca-Cola and its red that we no longer present or Spotify and its bright green ideal for our screens. This unique color technique offers a simple and trusted dimension to your brand. Conversely, it is also possible to create an exclusive, more dynamic and energetic color palette.

But how do you find the perfect palette? Color inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere, we are surrounded by nuances on a daily basis… Keep an eye out! Your primary palette will come down to your personal preferences and what works with your brand values.

It’s time for your brand to change its identity when your customers no longer know how to differentiate your service / product from its competition: differentiating yourself by color can be a real solution.

💡 Stay informed:

– Each year, Pantone selects the color of the year as a benchmark of trends based on current societal perspectives. The Pantone Color Institute works on these forecasts based on analysis, psychology and advice from around the world.
In 2021, Pantone has chosen a colorful duo: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow.

– The dictionary of color combinations straight from Japan is a reissue from 1930, no doubt: the colorimetric matches contained in volume 2 are timeless.

Fonts

Although a typeface may seem like a trivial choice, your typography alone already says a lot about your brand. Serif, sans serif, light weight, condensed… All these tiny factors for you are essential keys ensuring a well-thought-out selection for the designer in charge of your identity. Just like wine, the adjectives to qualify a glyph (particular design of a typeface) can be extremely precise and depend on your own personal interpretations. Dare to stand out from the competition by choosing original and unique typo combinations.

Artisanal, contemporary, daring, refreshing… the foundries offer a wide choice of paid or free typefaces, for all desires and objectives. Some brands even choose to design their own “custom font” in-house (Airbnb, Netflix, etc.). In short, it is possible to play with typography and what it suggests about your service: your textual content can then add a profitable visual dimension.

💡 Stay informed:

Typewolf: lists the best typographic associations by browsing the most creatively accurate websites.

Fonts in Use is a site to spend hours discovering graphic projects and introducing the fonts used for them.

Forms and symbols

The written logotype is often embellished with an element called a monogram, distinctive on its own in a literal or sometimes pictorial way. The advantage of adding a few shapes to your logo is to make sure you can play with it on the different communication media: the monogram can live on its own, become the loader for your website, your profile picture for your Instagram account, come in patterns to create more imposing brand atmospheres… These shapes don’t need to be complex to attract the attention of your potential customers.

3 different universes using the principle of additional simple shapes
Icône de validation par la communauté

Composition

Once the basic elements have been gathered, the challenge is to create a homogeneous, understandable universe that can stand out in its own way. And for that, we can have a little fun.

This can be clearly seen on the sites listing the redesigns of logotypes (Brand New for example): the majority of logos are refined, rounded beyond being modernized. We play with the brand name, we break the codes, including case: who said that a brand must necessarily have capital letters?

Some recent logotype redesigns (spotted by Brand New)

This is also the case for Kelloggs which, in 2019, is taking a major graphic turn on all the packaging of its cereal range. The Landor agency favored a simple and effective distinction of the range on the shelf rather than an excess of information and this, even daring to cut the historic Kelloggs logo which now overflows on the right side of the box. The color code is also very important in this redesign, which provides additional readability.

The new range of Kelloggs packaging (It’s Nice That)

Who really plays the main role?

Little by little, we are witnessing a change in brand visual universes: we are leaving the model of complex logos to favor a richer and truly differentiating global graphic universe.

At the same time, we are seeing a real change on the brand side, refocusing their communication on their messages rather than their logo. The posters are upgraded, we create variations of business cards as if to collect them, we play with letters, large shapes, patterns, formats.

The final identity of our Loire Valley Lodge project, its main and responsive logos, its system of declinable pictograms and its different poster compositions (see our Loire Valley Lodge case study)

We carefully select a typography to embellish it with colorful compositions, original illustrations, declinable graphic systems to make brand media attractive beyond the brand: lots of posters that catch the eye, surprising packaging , new layout codes for an Instagram page…

The visual universe of the brand expands, the designer can see further and think of real scenarios of specific uses. In short, it is your identity in its entirety that will make you a brand in its own right that really stands out.