Visual Branding: Make Your Products and Services Desirable

Everyone has heard of the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” before. That phrase has far more meaning when it comes to marketing your products or services. There is a lot you can say about what you have to offer, but those words can be taken to a whole new level with the right visuals. This is essentially where visual branding comes in. You want to create a positive emotional reaction in your prospect or customer on an implicit level while also supporting your explicit message.

When people talk about branding, it’s usually about the company’s image. But that doesn’t mean a product or service shouldn’t have a brand. There are many examples of companies that have built a brand for a line of products to showcase them in a particular way and to also distinguish them from their other products. So what can you do to create an effective visual brand for your products and services?

The first step is to really focus on product design. Everything from the typography, graphics, packaging, color, shape, and other aspects of its appearance all contribute to the product’s identity. You can see the perfect example of this happening in the smartphone market, where everybody starts to talk about the design of the newest product. Another example that you probably never noticed is cereals. Although many different kinds of cereal are produced by one company, each one has its own visual branding at work. They have their own mascot, package design, and copy.

The next step is to come up with a unique logo for the product or service. In the computer hardware market, you’ll see many manufacturers create a logo for a specific product line. Doing this helps these products stand out in this competitive space while also helping to target specific types of consumers. This is especially helpful if you have a product or service that targets a specific group. For example, a luxury product may have a different look and feel compared to a mid-range product that appeals to budget-conscious consumers.

Then, you want to create a visual story about the product or service. Sometimes it will be in the form of accompanying web graphics and copy on a website, package, or ad that represents what it is you want to say about whatever you are selling. Other times it will be in the form of a media-rich text presentation or video presentation that tells a story about the product or service. The key thing here is to create a story that resonates with your target audience. There are many case studies of companies that created stories that eventually turned into a successful viral marketing campaign.

Finally, you want to tie in your product or service with an authoritative figure if possible. This can help you leverage the brand of another entity into yours. You can say it’s sort of like a celebrity endorsement. And if you can get that on your product packaging or web marketing material, you will be able to transfer that credibility, likeability, and authority onto the identity of your product or service.

Branding a product or service is incredibly useful, but too many companies do not jump on the opportunity to do so. The great thing about building a brand for a product or service is that you can create one out of thin air that fits with the audience in your marketplace wants. This is not something you can easily do with a company brand as it has a long history that people connect with. Creating a new brand identity for a company out of the blue will only serve to confuse and abandon your audience.