Visual identity represents a product, service or organisation in a unique way. Visual branding is displayed by a number of components such as colour, typefaces, symbols, spacing and so on. A visual identity is generally associated with a logo and a name, however, these are commonly combined as one thing. For example, Facebook is the name, but the logo is the ‘f’ component of the name.
Visual identity sometimes becomes complex is large organisations where they have subsections of the company. They might overcome this hurdle by having unique colour palettes for the subsections and various combinations of the same logo.
Visual identity not only effects any printed material for a product, service or organisation, but more importantly, their only presence. It is important to establish a style guide for the visual identity of a product and document all components involved that create it. This ensures wherever the identity is published, it is consistent.
A good example where visual identity is applied well is Twitter. The name uses the metaphor of a bird ‘tweeting’ for the general concept of the site. This is reflected in the logo, the function of the site (tweeting different things throughout the day) and also can come down to the old saying “a little birdy told me so”.
Twitter has kept colour to a minimum, blue and white, and the bird logo does not have any gradients or great detail. This design ensures that it is easily rendered across all devices and browsers and is also suitable for print where necessary.
The connection with the name and the symbol helps users become quickly familiar with their visual identity and therefore their site is remembered, and easily accessed.
Lists to do
Lists to-do is an iOS application that helps you organise tasks, lists and reminders. This type of app is found on many peoples phones. In order to be competitive and stand out from the crowd, the visual identity of the application must have a memorable name and meaningful and unique logo. ‘Lists to do’ is not a memorable and catchy name and would be hard for the user to distinguish it from its competitors. Their logo is a simple tick, which is hard for the user to understand its meaning and is similar to many of the applications competitors. This is an example of where the visual identity may be affecting the products ability to sell and compete in a high demand market.
