Let’s explore how custom brand design can be the secret superpower to captivate your audience

Investing in custom brand design is really an investment in the next 5-10+ years of your business. While this is absolutely true, let me back up: Investing in a strategic, tailored brand identity is also investing in that very first impression. Potential clients judge your brand in less than a second. That first impression determines whether they are interested or move on. 

Don’t believe me? Take this true story as a prime example of the impact branding has on perception.

A family is on vacation in Spain. The 22-year old, shopaholic daughter completely avoids going into a store solely on the impression she got from the logo design on the storefront. Based on this snap judgement, the daughter perceived the business to be a home interiors store. The reality? It was a fashion store and when she finally ventured in days later, she made several purchases. That’s the power of strategic branding at work to instantly repel or draw in your ideal clients.

In this article, we’ll uncover surprising facts about how first impressions work in brand design, namely why design choices matter so much in those split-second judgments. We’ll also explore how a strategic custom brand design can become a powerful competitive advantage for your business.

Surprising facts about custom brand design in first impressions 

A combination of three studies examined how rapidly people form an opinion about a website’s visual appeal. These results highlight the importance of custom brand design in first impressions: 

1. A website’s attractiveness is evaluated in 50 milliseconds by the audience. That means your brand or website gets approved (or overlooked) in a blink!
2. A first impression is almost exclusively shaped by visual design elements (such as color, layout, typography) and not by content. (Sorry, copywriters! Your time to shine comes a few seconds later…)
3. A first impression is an emotional response: an appealing brand design activates positive emotions towards the brand and its content.
4. First impressions are hard to reverse. Even if the actual content of your website or brand is strong, it’s difficult to change that first judgement. A first impression sticks and influences how your audience later judges the brand’s trustworthiness. 

Today’s social media content, for example, is constantly adjusted to attract people’s attention as fast and intensely as possible. It’s designed specifically for the average attention span of modern audiences. As a result, first impressions are becoming even more decisive and essential to draw in your ideal client.

Here comes the increasing importance of brand design in the picture: brand design can become a strategic advantage to captivate your audience from the very first moment.

Turn your design from looks-only into a true business strength

Struggling to connect your brand design with your brand identity? Finding it hard to create a design that instantly captures your audience’s attention? If that sounds familiar, you might be stuck at the point where custom brand design could make the difference. Does your business need a rebrand? Take the quiz!

How exactly does brand design play a key role in those critical first impressions?

The key role of brand design in shaping your audience’s perception is undeniable. Going back to the shopping story, that could have easily been lost business for the fashion store.

In short, a developed and intentional brand identity is an underestimated advantage to draw the eye of your ideal client. Why? Because that split-second first impression is often subconscious, one that is inherently connected with the very essence of your brand.

A brand that wants to attract high-end clients will struggle if their styling doesn’t exude luxury. The business that wants to stand out in a powerful way will struggle if they are using the same fonts and templates as everyone else.

The subconscious impact of color in brand identity

The visual impact of your brand doesn’t just happen instantly, but subconsciously. That means, to some extent, you can influence what your audience perceives beyond their conscious control through the visual elements you implement into your brand design. This is where custom brand design (versus DIY or a template) can truly help you shine and communicate your brand values visually. 

Effective brand design depends on subtle, complex factors that require expertise, market research, and the skill to execute it. Those design details (typography, spacing, color palettes) create subconscious judgments so quickly. Yet, their significance is often underestimated.

Let’s look at one of the key ways that brand styling influences the first impression on a subconscious level: the color palette

Brand Design Case study #1: Kendra’s Events

Firstly, the importance of color psychology is often a key player in the role of a rebrand. As a brand pivots, they want their visual identity to pivot with them. That often includes a shift in the brand color palette.

In the rebrand of Kendra’s Events, changing the color palette had a significant impact on her audience’s attitude towards her business. Refining the color palette to include shades of purple reflected the brand’s vision and depth. It also added a sense of prosperity, aligning both with the luxury wedding industry and Kendra’s own pursuit of quality as a wedding florist.

The result? After the rebrand, she started getting more qualified leads and requests to join preferred vendor lists, which led to increased brand visibility. From the color palette to her new website design, the perception of her brand was instantly elevated in the luxury wedding space.

Brand Design Case study #2: Summit Dental

Moving away from the bolder, saturated colors to a more muted, soft color palette helped the brand reflect the caring, approachable side of this all-female staff. This example illustrates that color palettes need to be considered in a broader framework that is industry-related and brand specific. That is where custom brand design shows its value: the tailored approach considers the psychological effect of different color combinations in general, but also in the context of specific brand values.

Different industries require different approaches: a wedding planner doesn’t have the same needs as a dentist. That is exactly where the advantages of a strategic, custom brand design experience excels above template-based solutions every time.

Brand Typography that communicates more than words

Secondly, the fonts used in branding also play a big role in brand perception. In fact, I dare say that font selection is THE most underestimated aspect of brand design. Typography can make or break your brand’s perception.

For example, a stronger, bolder type can be a difference maker in a business that wants to communicate more personality and confidence. Even the use of licensed fonts over free fonts can be a powerful, subconscious way to differentiate your brand.

Brand Design Case study #3: Alex Blair Photography 

In her own words, Alex’s brand looked “too pristine” and lacked personality. One of the ways we were able to bring in more personality and communicate her spontaneous playfulness was through the typography. Strong, but sophisticated fonts that feel high-end but still make a bold statement in an industry that typically leans light and airy.

Strategic brand design as a competitive advantage for your business

Although branding might seem like a DIY project that you can tackle yourself, the DIY approach often misses the foundation of it all: the brand strategy!

Having a strategy not only helps your brand make a strong first impression, but also ensures that your efforts have a long-term vision in mind. It can create an experience that drives potential clients’ future decisions as well. That’s why custom branding is an investment, not an expense. It’s an investment in the future growth you’re hoping for in your business. Let’s dig a little deeper. 

Custom brand design is anchored in brand strategy

In a first impression, even in 50 milliseconds, a brand communicates its essence almost exclusively in a visual way. Those design elements that are often overlooked as merely “aesthetic features”, actually hold the keys to a strong business strategy.

This boils down to two main things: building brand recognition and building connection with the right people. Custom brand design can be a powerful tool: not only to create an attractive, confidence-boosting brand design, but especially to make sure that all those design elements are working in harmony to nurture connection and recognition. Without a solid brand strategy, design risks becoming disconnected from the brand’s true identity. 

Let’s break down these design elements in more detail and why each one needs to be strategically selected to represent your business:

The Logo Design

Logo design is often the focal point of branding, but in fact, its just one of the many moving parts of an effective visual identity. As we learned from the shopping story, even a logo design that missed the mark can influence buyer decisions. Having a set of logo variations can also show more professionalism and create a more seamless experience across client touch points. Learn more about using logo variations in your business.

Brand Color Palette

Colors trigger an instant emotional response, so it’s important that these are chosen wisely! They are also highly important in helping businesses stand out from competitors. In fact, contrary to what design school teaches, this is where we start bridging the gap between strategy and visuals – not the logo design!

Typography

Brand fonts must be part of the conversation, literally! All the painstaking efforts made to build connection through well-written copy are ultimately going to be displayed by a font. They are literally carrying your brand message and showing its personality at the same time.

Brand Patterns & Graphics

Think: custom packaging design or an animated illustration on your website. These are fun ways to show brand personality, create a more engaged audience, and further differentiate your brand from competitors.

Custom brand design isn’t just a visual rebrand. It’s a brand transformation that goes to the core values of your brand identity to set it apart from the competition in your industry. 

The competitive advantage your business has been missing

DIY design can look appealing on the surface, but it often misses the strategic layer – the one that’s crucial to creating a brand design that resonates on a deeper, more intuitive level with your audience in the blink of an eye. While your competitors rely on pieced-together templates or trends, custom brand design communicates your authentic brand values that instantly connect with your audience. It’s a tailored approach that adds charisma to your business and makes it stand out in a competitive industry.

In the words of client Ami Swanson: “The rebranding adds a spark to my business that was not there before. I’m just blown away by the value!”

Brand design as a strategic advantage in first impressions 

Knowing that potential clients judge your brand or website in a blink, investing in a tailored brand design experience can be the strategic advantage you’ve been missing. Custom brand design is a broader approach that goes way beyond visual aspects: it is a brand strategy that is in touch with the essence of the business. 

Ready to invest in that split-second impression that shapes how your audience perceives your brand? Reach out here to book your no-obligation discovery call with our design team!