A quick how-to guide on how to choose the right colour and font for your brand strategy
Picture in your mind, evergreen brands such as Walt Disney or Tiger Balm. What do you associate with these companies?
Don’t these brands evoke such strong feelings, and even without aggressive marketing customers still remember them!
You must be thinking, it’s probably because these brands have been around for decades now, but they didn’t manage longevity from staying silent.
Branding is critical because it distinguishes you from your competitor, and gives your consumer a reason to purchase from you. Strategising how you brand your business and keeping it consistent leads to higher brand value or, in marketing terms, ‘brand equity’.
As defined by Investopedia, a brand is “an intangible marketing or business concept that helps people identify a company, product, or individual.” A brand extends beyond a logo or a slogan. Instead, these are aspects of branding that help people recognise your brand.
Therefore, careful consideration of how you want to represent your company matters. Whether you hire a brand strategist or do-it-yourself, you must consider how your customers perceive you. Not just in your store, but online, and even at the feedback stage – at every touch point, your brand identity will shine through if you have thought it through carefully.
Your brand is your story, identity, and about a promise to your customers. In this article, we’ll cover the two simple but important areas of branding that first-time business owners have to consider: colour and font.
Why is branding so important?
Simply put, branding creates loyal customers. With good branding, you can personify your brand and keep it relatable. You can appeal to people’s emotions through branding, making them feel more connected to your business.
Developing a solid brand involves in-depth market analysis to determine what draws customers to your business.
It will convince customers that your products or services will fit their needs. In addition, customers tend to be loyal to a brand they trust.
Why does colour matter in branding?
Colour palette branding is essential because it’s a substantial part of your brand that people first notice. Your colours also play a significant role in how your brand’s personality is perceived.
First, it’s essential to understand why colour is crucial for brands and identity. This is the foundation of building out your brand’s colour scheme.
Colour arouses emotion, and there has been extensive research on the position colour plays in purchasing decisions. Brand colours also assist with brand recognition, which directly affects consumer confidence.
If you don’t have a colour scheme already, start thinking about what your brand colours should be.
How do colours affect customers?
How customers feel about a brand has a deeper impact than even they realise. So when choosing your brand colours, remember your brand’s personality and what you’re trying to communicate. Understanding what colours convey is necessary to ensure you pick appropriate hues.
For instance, “cool” colours appear more calm and relaxing. Likewise, a blue and white logo will remind one of the ocean, evoking a soothing response from a consumer.
On the other hand, “warm” colours tend to appear more vibrant and remind us of the sun’s light. Also, warm colours “pop” from the surroundings a little more.
Look at how Qashier’s client Axe Factor designed their logo. The imagery of two axes smartly replacing the letter “x” in “Axe” in bold red tells customers what they’re offering at a glance. The red pops, against the rest of the letters, and a red signifies it’s a pastime not to be taken lightly.
So think about the colour you want to convey, or the combination of colours, cool or warm, that will definitely elicit a different feeling in your customers.
How the right font can impact your branding
Just as important to your colours are your fonts as they too make up the initial customer impression.
Before you choose one, here are some examples.
(Source: The Visual Communication Guy)
Serif fonts convey a sense of tradition and respectability. Sans serif fonts feel more modern, neat and relaxed. Script fonts offer the elegance of handwriting, while decorative fonts can help your font really stand out, if that’s what you’re going for.
How do I choose a perfect font for my business?
There are a few critical factors to consider when choosing a font for your logo.
- You need to consider your brand personality
To choose the perfect font, you must consider your target market and brand purpose. Then, choose one that aligns with your customers, and how you want your brand to be perceived by them.
If you’re marketing to children, picking a serious serif font will not attract them to your business. Look at how Qashier’s client Bear and Friends, which sells gummy bears, has an adorable child-friendly sans serif font for their logo. One look, and you can expect a fun, vibrant experience with the store!
Depending on your audience, the right font has a profound psychological impact on them. Read up on what your customers like, and spend time, with or without a brand strategist, to find the right type.
- Think about where your logo will be
Your logo will appear in digital and print. To maximise its impact, consider this: Where will your logo be seen?
Ask yourself how and where customers will see your logo and adjust your font to have the most significant impact in these settings.
- Prioritise readability
Unless you’re in an underground Norwegian extreme Black Metal band, you need to prioritise how readable your logo is. While you might want to create one with a fancy type, it will be better to find a balance between readability and something creative and unique.
- Simplicity is key to perfect logo design
Overcomplicating your logo with details will make it feel cluttered. Instead, keep it simple and powerful!
As a small business, branding is the first step to success.
Once you have drawn up your brand strategy, keep it consistent across all your marketing channels. Make sure you communicate similarly, whether online or in-store.
Check out the other articles on Consumer Psychology:
As a small business owner, you have many things to consider. Let Qashier ease your to-do list with our smart point-of-sale solution.
At Qashier, we provide multiple digital solutions for your business in an all-in-one device for your startup.
The smart POS system can streamline operational aspects, from QR code table ordering to table management (F&B), employee management, customer relationship management (loyalty programs), inventory management (retail), data analytics, and cashless payments.
Find out how Qashier’s Smart POS can meet your business needs. Schedule a meeting with us here, call us at (+65) 3165 0155, WhatsApp (+65) 8882 8912, or email [email protected].