A company’s brand is visible throughout all types of media. You see it in product packaging, TV commercials, print ads, and in-store decoration or displays. Of course branding also applies to web design. Earlier in this series we briefly touched on branding as it relates to general design, but now let’s dive in a bit deeper and discuss how your website can actually help build and boast your company’s brand from an overall business and marketing perspective.
Color:
We’ve already mentioned how keeping colors consistent on your site is important, but it goes far beyond aesthetics. Colors can trigger emotions and conjure up experiences in humans. We associate colors with particular subjects. What feelings and thoughts and associations do you want to evoke when people visit your website?
Personality:
Does your brand have character? Giving your brand a little personality can help you portray what it stands for. Just like with colors, many people gravitate towards certain products and brands because they identify with them in some way. If your company is about financial stability, does your brand make people feel like they will be safe in your care? If your company is about travel adventures, does your brand make people want to get away from it all? Shape your brand’s character towards something which your audience will like to associate themselves with.
Voice:
We’ve spoken extensively about content, and the way your brand “voice” brings the color and character all the way home. It’s not just about what you say, it’s about how you say it. The language you use on your website needs to reinforce your brand’s personality as well as directly speak to your target audience. The website of a hot new coffee shop may have a more hip, fun, informal tone than say that of a new medical practice specializing in Alzheimer’s care.
Effective branding will help set you apart from the competition and make your site and your business memorable. How do you use your website to make your brand stand out? Let us know!
