Understanding the Importance of Consistent Branding
The way I see it, one of the more noticeable things these days is how quickly you can identify a brand, just by its logo or even a phrase it uses. It’s fascinating to see the impact that consistent branding has on customer perception - positive or negative, depending on which end of the spectrum you’re on. Whether it’s something as simple as a brand sticking to its designated colours or something more defining like using the same set of words everywhere, people remember consistency, it seems.
And I think that’s what makes consistency all the more important in branding. If your branding elements are in chaos and not aligned with each other, chances are that your audience will also perceive your company to be disorganised and unreliable. But if you want them to look at you as someone who’s trustworthy and professional, maintaining a consistent brand identity across platforms is essential.
A cohesive brand identity can also help your business differentiate itself from others within the industry by providing a unique voice and style for your target audience to relate to. Sort of. This can build loyalty over time, helping you establish yourself as a reputable leader within your niche.
Sort of. To be fair, audiences have gotten smarter over time so for brands to remain relevant, they need to ensure their design is easily identifiable regardless of where it is being used - social media posts, websites, billboards or packaging. Consistency is the key to creating a visual identity that elicits recognition from customers and inspires trust in your product or service.
Method 1: Establishing Brand Guidelines
There’s something about a business that knows who it is. It’s so much easier to trust a business with a clear, cohesive personality. But just how do you get to that point.
Sort of. That sense of self-assured style, evident both in person and online. Well, it all starts with developing a set of clear rules for your company’s overall look and feel.
This could be as simple as sitting down and having a good honest think about what values your business stands for. Or, perhaps you’re more of an aesthetic type - in which case, you might like to create a vision board filled with the images you want people to associate with your brand.
And then there are the more formal rules which might include specifying the typeface, colour schemes, fonts and other visual elements that are allowed on your website and social media pages. In addition to creating an instantly recognisable presence, you also want your brand to be distinguishable from its competitors. It’s important for a business to be able to stand out from the crowd - after all, if people can’t remember your company’s name at the end of the day then how are they supposed to become loyal customers.
But here’s an interesting thought: the only way a brand can become memorable is if its branding is consistent and unique. It seems like by putting some time and effort into establishing comprehensive rules regarding what is permitted on your website or what values your employees need to embody when they interact with customers, you’ll ensure that your company comes across as consistent and authentic every time someone comes into contact with it. And even if you don’t always get it right all the time (sometimes we miss the mark too.
) - at least people will know what you stand for. And at the end of the day isn’t that what we’re all striving towards. A sense of belonging.
A sense of knowing where we fit in within this world - not despite our differences but because of them. A sense of feeling like we matter because we bring something new (and real) to the table.
Method 2: Utilizing Visual Elements Effectively
Even if I don’t recall a brand’s name, I can easily recognise their brand with a simple look at their logo, colour palette, or font style. Brand identity is strongly rooted in visual cues. And this is how brands like Coca Cola have been able to maintain their consistency for over a century.
The way I see it, the first step towards using visual elements is creating a distinct collection of graphics, including their logos, mascots, colour themes, and font choices. But there are more ways to use these elements. They can nearly always be added to products through packaging, or reinforced through advertising. For example, something as small as showing the brand’s logo in one corner of the screen during their commercials can do the trick.
It’s not just about slapping their logo on everything though. Brands must use these visual cues in all areas and keep doing so over time for them to work as identifiers for the brand. The best way to create associations between visuals and the brand is through repeated exposure over time.
Sometimes, new brands use existing iconic visuals from other brands in different industries to capitalise on this association. This helps them build connections faster with their audiences but can also backfire. This doesn’t give brands permission to copy other brands’ logos and colours though. Just because yellow is often associated with fast food doesn’t mean every fast food brand can slap a golden arch on their menu.
And that’s where things get tricky for brands. While it’s good to draw inspiration from visual cues that have worked for others in the past, it’s important for your own visual elements to stand out and be unique from those of others in your industry.
Method 3: Maintaining a Unified Voice Across Platforms
Everyone’s building a shrine to branding, these days. Every designer or business is hardly ever out there worshipping at the altar of the holy logo, the sacred colour palette, and fonts to die for. But in this competitive age where everyone appears to be running a startup or an ecommerce business, a rather understated yet essential element of branding often seems like it’s been cast aside. A consistent tone, personality, and style are often what pulls clients in - that “je ne sais quoi” you want potential partners to instantly see and identify with your brand.
More or less. Visual elements matter - yes. But if you don’t sound like yourself on various platforms or your words don’t reflect who you are as a brand, all those logos and colours may be rendered meaningless. Consider the platform you’re on and how your audience interacts with each - adapt your language while keeping the core essence of your brand voice intact.
A creative brand persona should not be limited to just one platform - it should be reflected across social media posts, website copy, press releases, marketing emails, product packaging (if applicable), and every interaction point that connects you with stakeholders and customers. It really comes down to the fact that visuals can only create so much recall value and resonance for a brand. If what you’re saying does not sound cohesive, then all those pretty images can fall apart - quite literally.
Method 4: Regularly Auditing Your Brand Presence
Branding isn’t a “set and forget” affair, is it. Today’s digital platforms grow rather quickly and your own business tends to evolve as well. Which is why you should - ideally - audit your brand presence on a regular basis.
You’re right if you think this sounds a lot like those quarterly or half-yearly stock takes, because it absolutely does. Except this time, you’re not looking for missing inventory; you’re looking at what elements of your branding work, what don’t, and what needs updating.
The aim is to keep things consistent. But also adapt where needed - something as simple as updating the staff images on your website or even swapping out an older logo with the newer one to communicate “change” can make a difference. Using new messaging that resonates with emerging target audiences or simply shelving messaging that doesn’t (think weight loss promotions or discount codes for chocolate in January) will help keep things authentic.
And I think everyone agrees with me when I say finding outdated info is comparatively a bit of an ick factor nowadays. So, if anything else hasn’t convinced you yet, maybe embarrassing yourself in front of customers will. Auditing helps ensure everything is up to date and current.
For larger businesses, these regular checks can help ensure each department stays on-brand too. This sort of exercise helps maintain a cohesive look and feel across all digital channels and customer touchpoints. Especially since not everything ages well over time.
Case Studies: Brands That Excel in Consistency
Brand consistency is like the backbone of any strong business. When you start noticing how global brands keep their ethos alive across continents - that's when it becomes quite clear how important it is comparatively for them. It sort of serves as a clear idea of what makes these brands tick and why people are typically so drawn to them.
Take Chanel, for instance - their minimalist colour palette and iconic logo make everything they produce instantly recognisable. No matter where you see a piece from Chanel, it's just distinct because they're quite particular about maintaining their image and values. Then there's Apple - quite revolutionary but in the most subtle way. Every product launch, every store, every ad campaign tells a story that fits with the rest of their brand's narrative.
Sort of. What I think stands out about these businesses is their unique voice and presence. The iconic red aesthetic of Coca-Cola symbolises happiness just as much as the distinctive contour bottle does. There are also success stories closer to home - like Cotton On, Lorna Jane or even Koala mattresses.
All these big companies have something in common - they've managed to create a distinct visual identity and maintain it for decades. Consistency may seem boring but there really isn't anything more powerful than familiarity, especially when it comes to shopping for new products or brands.