Brand styling has become a valuable tool to create a perfect brand image in online environments. Today we share useful tips to create a sophisticated styling concept for a brand.
Brand image and brand styling are useful tools to communicate our brand identity, reach new audiences, and get possible new clients. Any business, or design project, can develop an image strategy that reflects a certain type of atmosphere to connect with the personal desires and tastes of their clientele.
Emotional connection through images and sensations is mandatory to develop a long-term relationship with customers. When we build a brand, we do not only consider the product characteristics, we try to create a visual story to go along with it.
The dynamic between product and storytelling is supported by a physical brand design that can be reflected in catalogs, website layouts, look books, corporate identity, advertising campaigns, and social selling promotions to name a few.
Whether you are developing a branding project or an image consulting project, below you will find valuable knowledge and smart tips to grow your project, furthering your understanding of the importance of brand image and styling.
1. A Brand Stylist Is a Designer and a Strategist at the Same Time
If you want your brand to stand out from the competition, you must develop an authentic visual proposition for it. However, being visually outstanding is not the only requirement for a successful path. You must think strategically about the brand purpose and its vision; ask yourself what the main values and the top brand’s product attributes are, and, especially for whom we are developing this precise branding image.
Graphic designer’s skills are a must, as you will be in charge of the creation of the brand visuals such as logo, colour palette, proportions, brand icons, or standard graphic brand layouts. You have to be visually creative, taking all the brand’s hard information and turning it into a visual reality. Design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator are essential design tools. Also, online tools and apps, such as Canva, can be of great help to beginners.
2. Match Your Brand With a Perfect Look and Feel
To start, you should research a lot on the soft areas of the brand to understand its essence and personality. With that in mind, we must collect visual inspiration images such as photographs, textures, forms, typographies, proportions. We can create our own image too and mix-match with the inspirations to build the brand’s mood board. Then, we can edit its final version.
The term “look and feel”, covers a wide range of aspects applied to a brand, as it has to resonate emotionally with the customer in order to make them feel attracted to it. If we define our “look and feel”, a certain type of decisions would be easier to make such as casting, model’s attitude in a photograph, graphic balance, and aesthetics. When we find our “vibe” we will have found our treasure.
3. When You Style a Brand You Must Think as a Creative Director
Creative direction rules every visual aspect of a brand, sometimes including the product and the visuals attached to it. Also, a brand stylist can be involved into the communication strategy, as their role can be useful to “activate” the brand’s aesthetic in a powerful way.
For example, think about developing creative campaigns and creating an emotional claim; those aspects are part of the job. If we integrate all communication aspects, in the end, we are going to deliver a consistent message and a sophisticated curated image to support our brand goals.
4. Define a Visual Tone and Keep It for the Long Run
If you are tempted to radically change a brand’s image, think it through. Rebranding is a necessary part of a brand’s aesthetic evolution, however, it must be created for the long run. If we style a brand and define its visual tone and visual expressions, we must be consistent
5. Being Instantly Recognizable Is Brand Value in Action
If the brand aesthetic and the styling concept are well received by the target, our job is done. A powerful image can build brand awareness and loyalty, as the customer will feel connected to the brand’s visual representation. A recognizable brand image can increase our brand value and strengthen our brand positioning.
Creating a brand styling and building its visual identity are one of the most challenging and creative stimulating parts of branding, and a great area to unleash our creativity.
Do you want to learn more about this topic? Find more in the Master in Fashion Marketing program.