CORE
August 2024
Five principles for a compelling B2B visual brand

Five principles for a compelling B2B visual brand

The word “brand” covers a broad range of meaning. A powerful visual brand may be sufficient to sell, say, a soft drink – but B2B purchases are typically based on more concrete criteria, which the message conveys.

Not to say that the visual brand is secondary – in fact, it should be the visual articulation of the company’s positioning. When well executed, it can evoke emotion, portray experiences, and communicate benefits. Message and brand go hand in hand.

Arketi Group’s branding process was honed across more than 200 engagements with B2B tech companies. We’ve refined our methodology over two decades, from which we’ve distilled these five principles for building a knock-their-socks-off brand.

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Are you looking for some examples of our branding principles in action? Download our ebook featuring case in point examples for each of the following principles!

#1 The logo sets the tone

Say the word “brand,” and most people think “logo.” It’s understandable – beyond a spelled-out name, logos are typically a buyer’s first impression of your overarching brand identity.

That is to say: a logo shouldn’t fall out of a vacuum. Marketers must factor in critical decisions around color palettes, fonts, typography, shapes and forms, imagery, and other visual elements into the development process. Consider…

  • If it isn’t broken – don’t fix it! A logo update isn’t always necessary, and often, a new brand can be built around an existing logo to preserve continuity.
  • Name game – If you’re considering a new name for your brand, do that first. Your
    logo design is not the place to start that conversation.
  • Streamline, simplify, strengthen – Review your logo with a critical eye. Even if a total do-over isn’t in the cards, if your logo uses more than two colors, includes dated elements like drop shadows and swooshes, or can’t scale in size, it’s time to pare it back.

#2 Use color to conjure emotion

Setting aside personal preference, we all know color can create a mood. Choosing a palette for your brand means striking a balance between what’s expected, which helps instantly place the brand in context (say, green for an environmental play), and what’s not, which can help differentiate (like picking pink for a construction product.)

However, there are also practical considerations to keep in mind. Such as…

  • You don’t need a rainbow – We’re often asked, “How many colors should be in the palette?” Six to ten is about right: enough to provide variety for most applications without becoming a free-for-all. Lead with two or three.
  • Consider contrast – It’s best if your color palette “works” with black or white text on top. And remember to ensure sufficient contrast between each to help those with
    color blindness.
  • Expand with tints and shades – Adding white (technically known as a “tint”) or black (a “shade”) can expand the range of your palette while keeping things harmonious. But avoid a free-for-all. Stick to two or three tints and shades for each color. It’s all about “managed variety.”

#3 Fonts: subtle signifiers

While we all know color conveys personality, only some notice fonts. Yet they do the same, albeit in a subtler way.

Picture for a moment the font used by the band ACDC. Would that look appropriate on a condolence card? An extreme example, perhaps, but we all instinctively know that the look of a font conveys emotion.

Choose fonts that align with your brand’s temperament – rigid or relaxed, angular or curvy, familiar or unusual – and then…

  • Pick two – For most brands, two fonts are all you need. Select one for headlines (often called a “display” font) and another for body copy. The display font, which tends to be displayed larger and sparingly, can have more personality compared to the body. Long copy in a vibrant font is often tiring to read.
  • Or pick one – Sometimes the same font works for both headlines and body – especially if it has multiple variations of boldness (what typographers call “weights.”) Using a single font like this can create a clean, modern feel that expresses simplicity.
  • Does it compute? – For the body font especially, it is wise to pick a font pre-installed on PCs and Macs. Few people will download and install a custom font just for your brand. While some larger organizations commission their own unique fonts, for most, the marginal impact isn’t worth the considerable cost and effort.
  • Offer a fallback – If you run with a custom or non-standard font, offer users a simple, widely available alternative. Think: Calibri, Verdana, or Arial. That way, when the brand font isn’t available, people know exactly what to do instead of selecting their own (Comic Sans or Papyrus, yikes!).
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The 18th annual Tech CMO Roundtable returns to Atlanta on the morning of Thursday, October 17!

Each year, the Tech CMO Roundtable brings together 80+ B2B marketing and communications executives for a morning of candid discussion, inspirational learning and meaningful connection as we forge new professional and personal ties.

#4 A thousand words

Perhaps even more than colors and fonts, images drive the look and feel of a brand – they often take up the most visual real estate, and they’re almost always what readers look at first.

Few brands have the luxury of using only their own exclusive photography. Most will need to use stock images a majority of the time. But they can…

  • Make stock less stock-y – When everyone’s pulling from the same stock images, how do you make yours distinctive? First, pick a style and stick with it. Perhaps your brand is all about soft-focus images, abstracts, photos with people (or without), “candid” shots, or visual metaphors.
  • It doesn’t even have to be a photo! – Illustrations can be a powerful differentiator. But still: pick a style – or even a particular illustrator – and use it consistently.
  • Apply a treatment – A second way to elevate stock is to apply a visual treatment to your images. The options are infinite: a color wash, a gradient, a blur, a “torn” edge, black-and-white, an overlay, a grid, or a montage. Use a consistent treatment to make every image distinctly yours.
  • Think twice about generative AI – Audiences demand authenticity from brands they trust. AI technology simply can’t achieve that level of substance (yet).
  • It’s iconic – Don’t leave icons to chance. Designate a style that fits your brand identity. Consider how line weight, corners (sharp/rounded), shape, and fill align with your logo and fonts. Bold icons complement bold images; if your palette and imagery are playful, a sketchy-doodly style may be a perfect fit.

#5 Make it easy to be consistent

Everyone in the company uses the brand. From PowerPoints to letterhead to collateral, you want all your brand content to be on-brand and in style. Most people want to do things right, but if the rules are complicated, they may not have the time or patience to do so.

Giving your team easy-to-use templates ensures brand consistency and buy-in throughout the organization. What that means is…

  • Start with what’s most used – A handful of assets likely account for 90% of your brand’s design needs. A PowerPoint template, a Word doc, a landing page template.
  • DAM it all – One way to ensure company-wide consistency is a Digital Asset Management system. With a DAM, there’s a single location for all brand assets – templates, logos, fonts, icons, and images – with the latest version available to all instantly. Version-control headaches are a thing of the past.
  • DAM + templates = self-service – Some DAMs include templating functionality that lets anyone (with access rights) load text and drop images into an outline with just a few clicks. Then – voilà – instant, customized collateral, on-demand.
  • One more DAM advantage – built-in tracking and analytics can point out which assets are most used, to help your creative team determine priorities for updates and additions.

Look like a million bucks

The visual brand expresses who you are and what you stand for. Logo, colors, fonts, images, icons, and templates – together with other non-visual elements – all work in concert to communicate identity, personality, and values.

Good branding is more than aesthetics. It builds the vibe you want and stimulates an emotional and logical connection. Easy? Not always. Doable? Certainly!

B2B branding that adheres to these five tried-and-true principles… well, that’s when marketing starts generating revenue!

Need help building a brand that compels and engages audiences? Let’s talk. Reach out to Mike Neumeier at 404.451.7832 or mneumeier@arketi.com.

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