Your brand makes your business instantly recognizable to your customer. They don’t have to think about it, they immediately know your company.
To a first-time viewer, your brand gives them cues so they can infer what your company is about. A company selling kitchen supplies should have a very different brand than an amusement park.
In either case, a first-time viewer should immediately know what this company is about and whether it’s something that would appeal to them. Do they connect with your branding? Is this something I want in my life? The answers to these questions are determined within seconds for a first-time viewer and, in the case of your web design, it can lead to them digging deeper into your site or clicking away.
Your brand should touch everything on your website. It should be clear in the phrasing you use, the logo, and through consistent imagery and design techniques.
A memorable brand will build a connection with your site visitor. A connection that can become a lead, and eventually, a customer.
1. Connect With Your Brand Story
Your customers want to know you/your company/your brand. They don’t want to be sold to nonstop. Tell your customers what you’re about on a powerful about page. Create a mission statement and mix pieces of it around the site. What is your company about? What are your goals?
This may be a deep personal story, your site may have the goal of teaching thousands of children to read. It may also be that you love tacos and want your customers to have a fun space to hang out. Create a brand story. Everything you do should build out from that.
Is your brand fun and cheery? You will choose design elements that support this story. Is your brand serious? Edgy? Silly?
2. Use Your Brand Colors
Colors evoke emotion. That may sound like nonsense if you haven’t thought about it before, but you know that browns and greens bring up an earthy feel, like a bright yellow is cheery, and black and red feel edgy.
Once you have chosen your brand’s colors, they should be in everything you do.
3. Put Your Logo Where it Belongs
Don’t simply repeat this everywhere, but make sure to strategically place it on your site so visitors will see it and remember it.
4. Don’t Make it Too Complicated
Don’t overdo it. This is a common design mistake. You want your customers to know you, which means revealing the simple truths, not slapping together everything you can think of. Keep a simple and easy-to-use navigation bar. Make the most of white space for visual relief, and to give your logo and other design elements room to stand out.
5. Consistency is Everything
In every detail, on every page, consistency is the key. If something doesn’t fit with your brand story, then it should either be cut or changed to fit. A talented web designer will have an attention to detail that learns your brand story and knows how to tell it. You want a polished and cohesive web design that will pull all the details together to tell your story and connect with your customers.
