Graphic Design in Brand Building

Graphic Design has undergone a paradigm shift unlike before. Graphic Designers worldwide have been using 2D effects for a very long time. With 3D Art and illustrations getting momentum with the internet and technology, there has been a great leap in the way we see things visually. However, this little article isn’t about the 3D effects. It is more about the intermingling of technology to visual ambrosia.

Realism is the key word used these days. The 3D effects were cosmetic in nature but now with emerging technologies it is getting more intuitive, visually better appealing and incorporated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sense the customer base and the target audience and thereby behave accordingly by fitting the graphic design that fits that particular target audience. So fitting is AI with graphic design and consumerism that we are increasingly becoming realistic in the digital world.

When we talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) we keep thinking about ecommerce or shopping websites only. THIS IS WRONG! Why? This is because you are limiting yourself from the immense possibilities that AI has to offer.

AI can be used to create images that factor in the user analysis and their behavioral characteristics. This renders the merging of graphic design into the AI wherein all else is already being integrated. If you take Facebook, Instagram or eCommerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart – all of them are making designs that are working on the tunes of the AI algorithm. Even the logos are designed with the AI data integration of the cognitive abilities of the end-users.

This can make you feel so enamoured by the way AI is enabling more customer-centered design and advertising but given the future – one day it shall be a normal thing.

Based on our long-standing experience in the field of advertising and design here are a few of our thoughts on how you can steer both brand building and graph design to work for you:

1. Plan your marketing budget. Yes, the digital spends in 2020 will continue in 2021. So you need to factor in more digital ways of capturing your audience attention and do it with meticulous care.
2. Think of relatable content. Your brand content should relate to your target audience. It should draw them in and they should be tempted to make a purchase. Using digital media for this is one of the more engaging ways to do it.
3. Think of safety and regulations. Covid19 isn’t over and a new virus strain is detected. Ensure that your brand is conscious of your customers and stays true to the hygiene protocols.
4. Work on your local spotlight. Think local and stay global. Get your brand the online presence it deserves at local level as well as global level. Ecommerce and websites are now garnering more attention than before.
5. Analyze metrics and be fluid. Adaptability and agile decisions is the key. With things taking a new turn every moment since our experiences in 2020, it is better to keep the brand awareness and outreach fluid, flexible and yet impactfully tuned to the prevailing scenarios.

If you have these 5 points in place, you can sail through the combined strength of graphic design thinking and brand strategy for brand building.

Brand building is like building your core strength and here are the ways you can make people fall in love with your brand. What makes them loyal to your brand? Brands now have to think beyond good products and great services. It is about representation too. Graphic Design helps you ensure that people fall in love with your brand however there are also other factors that help you get them to stay loyal –

1. Focus on Experience – No matter how good looking your product is, with the reviews and customer sharing of experiences it is of importance for the customers to feel and experience your brand. User-experience is not just a tech word but now what the customers want to feel. Customers want to experience what the brands can do to them.
2. Do your research – Research is not the work of designers alone. Brands that are consistently working on improving their experience with the customers need to engage with their research so as to keep themselves abreast of the changing trends and update the products.
3. Be Engaged – Customers cut off with brands if they find them unresponsive to their queries and comments. Ensure that you are engaged with customers and reply to their questions or queries within 24 hours. The quicker your response is the better is the conversion roll out.
4. Bring solutions to the table – It is not always that customers want your products. Sometimes they might be stuck up with some question or query which might be related to your industry. Don’t push your products all the time. Give solutions too so that customers feel that you are genuinely interested in being invested in the customer experience.
5. Give a little more – It doesn’t hurt to put in a surprise discount or a sample into the whole product experience. It can be quite an investment on your part but it does help to gain brand loyalty from the customers.
6. Study the distribution – Digital or print, your brand has to be used in accordance to the most used channels of a particular target/age group. While mobile marketing is for the young people, sms and whatsapp is also prominently being used by senior citizens.
7. Storytelling – Time and again, stories gain importance each day. It is the stories that connect the customers with the brand. Think Paper Boat. They connect with the childhood memories through mini stories. The recent #YouAreMyParleG campaign has stories on Youtube channels to engage customers.
8. Visual Impact – Visuals will always be there no matter how you promote your brand. Images, Gifs, Videos all make your brand more relatable to the customers because of the visual appeal.
9. Think beyond online – There are groups online where your target audience might be seen. But there are many offline groups too wherein your customers can be found. You need to get to identify the cluster pockets of where your target audience is found offline.
10. 360 Degree – It is important to think of your brand in 360 degree format. Not only digital but print format too helps keep the brand presence everywhere. However, you need to think that it should be relevant too!

We hope these 10 points help you keep up with your customers and give your brand the much needed advantage to bring in the loyalty factor. Come, let’s make people fall in love with your brand with a good mix of your strong brand identity and unparalleled graphics design. Connect to Ideation Solutions: