5 Elements of a Visually Consistent Brand
There is one thing that all successful businesses and brands have in common - visual consistency. Not only does it determine how recognized they are by their clients, but it also simplifies and makes things easier for anyone looking to buy from them.
Achieving visual consistency isn’t a mystery and only requires that you give the following aspects of your brand some thought and intention. In this post, I’ll walk you through 5 key points that define how consistent your brand appears online and how to achieve success in each area.
1. INFUSE YOUR PERSONALITY
Finding your voice both in terms of the text you use and the look of your imagery is the first, and very important, step to achieving visual consistency. Being authentic is key here. What do you enjoy? What type of things are you drawn to? What interests or passions do you have? If you’re a bubbly happy outgoing person, it doesn’t make sense for you to pretend to be somber and introspective, no matter how much you might think that would resonate with your audience. You images should reflect WHO you are. If you’re generally extroverted and always smiling, your portraits should show exactly that. Not only goes this guarantee that you’ll attract an audience who you can honestly connect with, but also allows them to get to know the real you simply by looking at your Instagram feed or website!
When you work with a photographer, it’s so important to feel comfortable with them. I personally know how tough and vulnerable it is to be in front of the camera, which is why I provide direction and reassurance during every session. It’s not fair to expect people to know what to do, how to look good, and to provide authentic smiles on command - in reality, that rarely happens without a lot of practice. So if you’re thinking of hiring a Personal Branding photographer to create portraits and brand imagery for you, meet them first. Chat on the phone or meet in person, so you know you can work well with their personality and approach.
2. COLOR
Do you have a signature color? Or maybe a color palette that you always find yourself wearing or wanting to be surrounded by? The worst mistake people make with COLOR is to copy someone else. It doesn’t matter what the world at large is doing, what’s trendy right now, or what you think (intellectually) would be best. If you always wear green and feel a deep connection to that specific hue, try to infuse it into your brand as well. Color can say a lot in images and can set you apart to the point where someone can look at an image and know instantly that it’s one of yours.
I try to infuse brand colors into every single shot. After all, it’s one of the most defining features of a business or personal brand. We might have even spent a lot of money working with a designer to create that logo and style guide, so why not use it to its full extent? This is also where props come in. You probably already have a lot of things around your home or office that reflect your brand colors and it’s really easy to include those items in your photoshoot. The main thing is to be intentional and to put color first when thinking about settings and backgrounds.
3. STYLE OF VISUALS
Is your brand light and airy, dark and moody, organic and natural, cheery and bright, or something else entirely? Can you see how different all of those are? If you jump between styles or simply can’t be bothered to define a style to begin with, you will undoubtedly leave your potential clients confused in the end. Some of the most prolific personal brands have an incredibly consistent style. Their customers know what to expect and their images are instantly recognizable.
You don’t have to be a huge brand like Target or Apple to take advantage of a consistent style of visuals. And if you’re just at the beginning of your journey, it’s okay to switch up styles to see what feels right. But having a defined look, even if you’re still working towards it, will give you a leg up on your competition and will clarify your messaging for potential clients.
4. CONSISTENT USE OF FONTS
Do you have a font (or a small number of curated fonts) that you use on all your media channels? It’s not unusual to see smaller businesses posting quotes on Instagram that are all over the place. Yes, it takes more effort to lay out the text using your brand’s font, but it also looks a lot more consistent. The other mistake I see all the time is bringing in an accent font that doesn’t really match the brand. If your style is clean and modern, it makes no sense to have a decorative serif font anywhere on your website. We might admire the look of the fonts that other businesses use and think that it will look great for our brand as well, but that’s simply our boredom and desire for variety and excitement talking. Your clients don’t want you changing every month, they’re actually a lot more comfortable buying from someone who can show that they are steady and reliable.
Fonts might seem inconsequential, but it’s those little inconsistencies that trigger unconscious warnings in us. Humans are wired to subconsciously scan their environment and look for things that don’t fit. We’re very good at reading people and figuring out whether something is safe or not. Keeping all your fonts consistent, along with the rest of the things outlined in this post, will make it easier for potential clients to trust you.
5. KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE
Keeping your imagery and messaging as simple as possible is one of the most important things to keep in mind when creating content. If there are too many things going on in a photograph, the viewer will get lost and confused. If you stuff your post with too many ideas, the reader will get overloaded with information. Keeping things to ONE idea is key.. whether that’s a picture or the words.
When I structure a Personal Branding session, it’s all about the story behind the image. And the story doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to communicate to the viewer in the simplest and most effective way. For instance, a scene might be about working with a client. We’ll photograph all aspects of that process, with different expressions, but will never cross over into other storylines, like being a pet owner or relaxing on the couch. Sticking with one idea can sometimes be tough as we think that having one image that accomplishes several goals is better than having an image that only communicates one thing, but it’s exactly the opposite. So any time you feel compelled to stuff your posts with more information, resist the urge, and trust that quality is always better than quantity.
I hope you found this post helpful! Please let me know what you thought or if you have any further questions or comments in the box below. And if you’re interested in learning more about Personal Branding photo sessions and how I do them differently, feel free to visit https://nlalorphotography.com/personal-branding.
