Understanding the Psychology of Branding
Your branding will shape how people perceive you, which influences their decision to explore what you offer.
But to hook them with your branding to investigate further, you need to create an emotional connection.
This is where the psychology of branding comes in. Utilising colours, font types, positioning and images can work together to establish a brand identity in the minds of your audience.
This is why nailing your branding is important because it creates trust, and credibility while positioning your brand in the competitive market and pointing to its differentiations. These can inspire brand loyalty and repeat purchases too.
Colour Psychology
One of the biggest tools in your branding is colour psychology.
Different colours will have varying impacts on people, without them even realising. This is because they evoke different emotions and perceptions.
For example, red is often used to create excitement and urgency in Western cultures. And in Eastern cultures, it can be used as a colour of luckiness and happiness. While, white evokes feelings of simplicity, perfection and purity.
The colours you use should reflect the feelings that you want your clients to feel when using your products or services. If you are a brand that looks to help people with anxiety, blue colours can help them feel calm. If you have a USP around sustainability or being eco-conscious then green reflects that.
Typography
Believe it or not, the font used in a brand will influence how your audience thinks of you. It communicates your personality, your values and who you are.
Cursive writing can be viewed as feminine, and soft, while bold capitals will be seen as a more shouty, loud company.
Choosing a serif font can indicate that you are based on tradition, elegance and sophistication which is why you often see luxury brands using these styles.
Meanwhile, sans-serif fonts are more modern, clean and minimal, making you seem a little more simple, clear and innovative.
Of course, when selecting a font type for your brand, there are basics you want to consider.
- Legibility – people need to be able to read it.
- Space – particularly in your logo, you need to be aware of how much space a font type takes, as you want something that is flexible and can be used across a variety of situations.
- Font pairing – you will need more than one font for your brand, so make sure they look good when sat together on printed assets, or a webpage.
Shape
The shape of your logo, much like typography, will also impact how your company is viewed. Different shapes have different connotations, meaning they tell a lot about your brand.
Angular shapes, such as triangles and squares depict strength, stability and reliability giving an overall feeling of confidence. This creates feelings of aggression or edginess.
However, circular shapes and curves are softer, demonstrating harmony, friendliness, and flexibility. These create calmer and more tranquil emotions for your brand.
Consistent Messaging
Away from the visual looks of your branding, your messaging is important too.
Keeping your language and messaging consistent builds up brand trust. People like to know what to expect; it is natural to fear the unexpected. So, make sure people can see what is coming from your brand. This will help them trust you, as they can rely on you.
Of course, this also helps your brand identity as it means your audience receives a clear and concise message about what you are offering, grabbing attention and hooking them in.
Storytelling
Everyone loves a story, especially one of success. And for a business, a story brings the human element to your products or services.
Make sure your story is part of your branding because it will help you create emotion, which will help audiences identify and relate to you, your values and what you are offering.
