How visual brand language elevate physical product

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In this article, we will explore the importance of visual brand language in physical product design and how it can be effectively used to create a consistent and compelling brand identity.

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Visual brand language is a crucial aspect of product design, specifically when it comes to physical products. It refers to the way a brand communicates its identity and values to consumers through visual elements all relating to product semantics and aesthetics.

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First, let's look at the importance of visual brand language in product design.

Physical artifacts are tangible products that consumers can manipulate with their senses and ultimately use; they play a crucial role in building brand recognition, product attachment, and customer loyalty and trust. A well-designed physical product with a strong visual brand language can create a memorable, satisfying, and recognizable user experience. By consequence, this generates brand recognition and attachment, directly leading to increased sales and customer loyalty. A strong visual brand language can help a product stand out in an oversaturated and crowded marketplace, making it more likely to be noticed and repeatedly chosen by consumers.

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There are several key elements within visual brand language that are important to consider in physical product design. These include detail elements, color palette, imagery, and overall design aesthetic.

• Detail elements refer to specific design elements that are unique to a brand and can help to create a distinctive experience in terms of look and feel. These elements can include things like patterns, textures, finishes, and shapes. They can be used to add personality and character to a product to make it iconic, memorable, and easily recognizable. In physical product design, detail elements can be used on the product itself, but also on its packaging, and even extend to marketing elements such as labeling.

• Color palette is another important aspect of visual brand language. Colors can evoke emotions and associations in consumers, and the colors used in a brand's physical product design can communicate a lot about the brand's personality and values. For example, a brand that uses a lot of bright, bold colors might be seen as fun and lively, while a brand that uses a lot of muted colors might be seen as more sophisticated and elegant. This element can also be applied to the product itself, but also its packaging and labeling.

• Imagery is another impactful aspect to be taken into consideration when it comes to physical product design. The images used in a brand's design can communicate a lot about their strategy, identity, and values. For example, a brand that uses a lot of nature-inspired imagery might be seen as eco-friendly and sustainable, while a brand that uses a lot of urban-inspired visuals might be seen as contemporary and edgy. 

• Overall design aesthetic is the final important aspect of visual brand language. The overall look and feel of a brand's physical product design can communicate a lot about the brand's personality and principles. For example, a brand that displays crisp, clean, and minimalistic traits might be seen as modern or sleek, while a brand that includes ornaments and strong visual details might be seen as more classic or traditional.

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It's also important to consider how the physical product itself is designed in relation to the brand itself visual language.

The shape, size, texture, behavior, or material of the product itself can all hint at something relating to the brand's identity. For example, a product made of sustainable materials and with unique detail elements might communicate that the brand values environmental responsibility all while having attention to detail.

Therefore, it is needless to say that, in order to effectively utilize the impact of visual brand language in physical product design, it is essential to have a clear understanding and definition of the brand's strategy, values, identity, projections, and objectives. In addition to the brand itself, a deep understanding of the target customer is imperative.

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In order to adequately define all those complex elements, multiple tools are available, such as the ones utilized in our Brand/Client Strategy workshop.

For example, brand objectives can be identified clearly using bipolar scales with adjectives and descriptive terms. Brand visual language plays a significant role in conveying the brand's identity and values through visual elements. Brand positioning can be specified through conducting market research including competitor products but also indirect competitors, and by analyzing them on organizational matrixes. Market research also enables a better understanding of the target audience through building user personas with detailed wants, needs, frustrations, and aspirations, and so on. All these ingredients, once organized and combined, can help brands or startups establish a set of design guidelines to ensure consistency across all projects and products. 

Lastly, it is not important to adequately define the brand’s identity, values and objectives, but to continuously update the visual brand language as it grows, especially as the market itself - and by consequence the customers - evolves. The brand visual language should evolve alongside the brand to maintain relevance and effectively communicate with the target audience.

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