I Mean What You See

When a customer picks up your product because of its look or appearance, a designer somewhere beams with pride, but the researcher sips wine on a beach. The researchers job involves more than being a talented artist, its only a small bit of their job.

Knowing what appeals to your customer base or clientele is essential to the 4Ps (Product, price, promotion and place).
If the design is essential, then the research into that design is crucial. Creating a well thought out communication strategy involves managing design elements actively.

Colo®

Relaying color is a part of visual language. It involuntarily coerces the human eye into perceiving an idea or emotion. Humans are weird creatures.

For shoppers and retailers, it is apparent that the color red is everywhere during the Christmas holiday. In the early 1900s, according to Fabrik Brands, Coca-Cola ingrained the color red into the minds of Americans with their version of Santa Claus.

Research into the relevant colors is vital to a brand, especially when targeting a specific demographic.

These are all valid questions to consider when creating a communications strategy and essential enough to incorporate into the brand’s design.
In reality, revenue is what it is all about. It’s the ultimate measuring stick for most employers and clients. In most cases, choosing color is a commitment to the bottom line. So choose wisely.

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Imagery

What images are being used are also an important element of design and its communication strategy. Take for instance these images of a stick figure in different actions. Without the heart illustration we’re left with a stick figure(s) doing uninteresting actions. You could place any image in the heart’s place and it could convey a completely different message.

• the heart imagery conveys love
• the heart imagery conveys care
• the heart imagery conveys compassion

There’s a reason Southwest Airlines chooses to use a heart in its logo. Amongst an airport of varying airlines for customers to choose from, Southwest uses the’ heart’ imagery to sway customers to fly with them. The heart helps convey “Heart & Hospitality”.

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Space & Composition

Space is at a premium in any design. The area of the paper, screen or banner limits you. Good strategic planners utilize space to create the size and the enormity of the message, which can take the message to heights that far supersede the size of the medium—saving a few dollars in printing costs.

When a design scales back to a basic shape (familiar) without text, we see a minimalist design with a powerful message. Here are some others mentioned by Jami Oetting at Hubspot that are clever. Call it coincidence or fate. Some would call it brilliant.

Logo

Here is the logo I created for my DJ company. I felt that the circular nature of the logo represented a turntable platter. This is the design I have worked with for a few years now. I had stickers printed of them and the printer really hated the ‘saw blades’ around the sticker. The bubble look conveyed fun. However, there are many elements to choose from to incorporate into other visuals for the brand (letterhead, stationary, etc.).

Below, I started with a circle and worked my way into what you see above.

Sources

Color & Consumer Behavior Infographic. Insights In Marketing. (n.d.). https://insightsinmarketing.com/how-does-color-affect-consumer-behavior/

Hodgson, S. (2023, February 13). The history of Christmas colors and what they mean. Fabrik Brands. https://fabrikbrands.com/the-history-of-christmas-colors-and-what-they-mean/

Oetting, J. (2016, January 6). 24 Minimalist Print Ads to Inspire Your Creativity. Hubspot. September 9, 2023, https://blog.hubspot.com/agency/minimalist-print-ads

Pure heart: The evolution of the southwest corporate logo. Southwest 50 Years. One Heart. (n.d.). https://southwest50.com/our-stories/pure-heart-the-evolution-of-the-southwest-corporate-logo/