In the current consumer market, decision-making extends beyond the features of products and services; it deeply intertwines with the values represented by a company. And this trend has become increasingly prominent in recent years.
There are two key points to consider:
- Consumers are increasingly opting for companies whose brand values resonate with their personal beliefs.
- People are inclined towards brands that project values that potentially meet their expectations of a product or service.
Simply writing your values in text blocks on your website may not impact your customers as powerfully as through design. But why?
The process of reading text requires significant cognitive effort. In contrast, non-verbal communication is more easily absorbed. People subconsciously interpret visual messages and associate them with a brand's mission. Thus, customers quickly and easily identify familiar visual attributes from other brands, and it helps them decide if your brand matches their needs.
How does design convey brand values?
Let's explore how design attributes make brand recognisable and communicate its values. Here are a few examples.
Colours
Colours possess psychological impact, attention-grabbing and memory-enhancing abilities, and serve as universal non-verbal communicators, effectively conveying messages across cultures.
The Bouba-Kiki Effect
Bouba represents rounded, smooth shapes in objects. These forms are soft, visually pleasing, and friendly. Kiki denotes pointed, sharp, or spiky shapes. They are perceived as precise, determined, energetic.
Case Example
When we worked on the AtlasVR rebranding, we aimed to create a design that reflected the brand's values. The brand needed to be perceived as approachable, understandable, friendly, innovative, and technologically advanced. The challenge was that the brand works in training people who have never encountered such technology before, so it was essential to make a connection.
We used many rounded Bouba shapes and fonts to convey the accessibility and friendliness of the company. At the same time, we made blue the primary colour to translate reliability and stability. A lot of bright accents emphasise the brand's technology and innovation. Blueprints and neon colours also emphasise the high-tech character of the brand.
