Reilly Newman | In the world of brand design, the term “visual identity” is used as a catch-all in regards to all things visual. As you can imagine, this starts with brand essentials like the logo, color palette, typography, packaging, business cards, etc. and quickly extends into other not-so-obvious visual elements like icons, menus, signage, attire, and imagery.
Yes, it is all things that visually represent the brand. These visuals can flex and change depending on the type of business and — more importantly — the brand.
Making Sense
Since the visual identity is the collection of all things visual for the business, why would the brand determine what is deemed necessary? Just as the type of business you have determines how you report taxes, your brand determines how you portray your business.
For example, if you have a premium business model that focuses on the high-end market, the brand would be foolish to have elements of its visual identity that don’t align with such an audience. The brand determines the best signal for the business to attempt to market to the desired audience. Just as most stores will have paper bags available, it may not be the best move for a store that has a brand of being eco-friendly. The visual identity is a very strong signal to its audience because humans are visual creatures. We take in a lot of information about our environment through our visual input (the eyes).
The Four Other Senses
Similarly to the importance of a brand’s visual identity, it’s just as crucial to think beyond just the visual because humans are more than just visual creatures. Although our visual sense dominates, there are four other senses we must consider that I’m sure you are familiar with. These senses are hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Hearing
Brands can make sure of hearing just as they do with the power of visuals. The sound of coffee grinding, the chime as you enter a mini-mart, the notification sound on a phone, a jingle melody, the way trained employees respond to customers (such as Chick-fil-A’s “…My pleasure.”). These audible cues have carved their place in our minds just as visual elements have.
Smell and Taste
Smell and taste are both unique and more intimate of the senses. These could be a custom scent that a brand uses such as in Abercrombie & Fitch stores or Play-Doh; or perhaps the smell of freshly ground coffee like Starbucks pumps into the air. When the former CEO of Starbucks returned to run the brand, he was mortified that the smell of burnt cheese dominated the aroma in the storefronts. He came to the conclusion this was from the parmesan cheese bagels they offered customers. He instantly removed these from the menu to regain the beautiful coffee scent Starbucks is known for.
Taste is a huge aspect of consumable brands as tasting good is not enough for some brands. Sometimes brands can dominate by having a very distinct taste that the consumer remembers. This can be uniquely delightful like the seasonal Pumpkin Spiced Latte or painfully memorable like Pepto Bismol or Jagermeister. These are remarkable flavors that are different enough to build brands off of.
Touch
Finally, touch is a very nuanced aspect of a brand. When we think of touch we sometimes simplify it to human contact, which would be pretty odd in any business transaction. However, touch can be much more. It can be the feeling of the mat under your feet when you step into a storefront, the feeling of the chair when you sit to enjoy your meal, or the feeling of the velvet bag when your purchase a bottle of Crown Royal. Beyond just the visual of any of these tangible aspects, we must consider their feeling. Just as a suede business card will feel different than a standard glossy paper stock, these little touches make all the difference.
The strength of your brand is grounded in a consistent and well-thought out visual identity, but your brand can also extend beyond that realm if you look to find ways to connect with the marketplace using some of the other senses. To ignore simply their potential just doesn’t… well… make sense.
