Introduction
Graphics Management refers to the process of designing, producing, and managing the visual aspects of a brand. It commonly includes promotional materials like brochures, pamphlets, websites, and even digital ads, as well as packaging. In this blog lets examine the How to Plan and enhance the brand performance visibility through improved graphics management. The basic idea is to create a consistent and memorable visual identity of the brand, which helps customers recall it quickly. Ideally, a brand wants that recall to be associated with the right (rather than good or bad) feelings.
For example, take the swimwear company Speedo. The logo is simple, consisting of basic colors- red, white, and black, and straight lines in the logo that evoke a sense of performance, fair play, serious team work, and excellence. On its swimwear the logo is aligned in a way that accentuates swimmers’ lithe, streamlined figures when they are swimming, and is unobtrusive when they’re out of the water. The message is clear- “we support and enhance your performance, but it’s about you the swimmer. Our success lies in your success”.
Graphics Management Elements
Successful graphics management creates a series of interconnected visual messaging that tells a brand story. The basic elements of good graphics management are:
- Consistency: Logos, taglines, and all visual elements must be consistent across product lines, marketing and packaging materials, etc. They must reinforce brand recognition and drive brand awareness
- Cohesion: No visual asset stands in isolation. It is always one part of a larger whole, like characters, props, language and tone in a good story. Graphics management ensures the visual elements all tie together through carefully constructed cohesion. To use Speedo’s example again, the company signalled it’s eco-friendliness by introducing swimwear made with recycled materials. The clothing was decorated with graphics featuring marine flora and fauna. The graphics worked because they complemented the messaging and actions that Speedo was putting out as a whole.
- Differentiation: Graphics must also create a differentiated visual identity that is unmistakable. Some brands, prefer subtlety and simplicity, like Nike’s Swoosh or Mercedes-Benz’s Three Pointed Star. Others prefer bold to the point of being visually dominant- think Monster Energy or Harley Davidson. Either way, the impact is one of instant recognition.
The Brand-Designer-Imaging Expert Triumvirate
A brand’s visual identity is a collaborative effort, incorporating its origin story, values, vision, unique selling proposition, competitive positioning, and more. In other words, the visual identity is a representation of how the brand sees itself and where it positions itself vis-a-vis its competitors and the broader market.
Any good designer setting out to create a new visual asset first studies the brand, its activities and impact, and reputation among consumers, as well as its visual identity guidelines. These include previous logos, color palette, typography, iconography and design elements. Only then does the designer go about developing design concepts in alignment with the brand’s graphic design guidelines. This includes colors, fonts, and imagery. Finally, the designer drafts guidelines about how the visual asset should be used on different media, how it should be modified for different sizes and concepts, etc.
Experienced graphic designers, either freelancers or part of the artist team at mature image editing firms use the guidelines that designers establish to perform their edits, adaptations and modifications. Graphic designers in the larger organizations, like Manipal Digital, develop and follow their own workflows, often with sophisticated AI tools and automation scripts that let them create a huge number of variations of the original visual asset. They may also develop or expand on the guidelines based on their experience, especially with particular media or substrate shapes.
Thus, Graphic Management of a brand’s visual assets is a collaborative team work. It is a partnership that flows from vision and original design to practical application. When it is done right, it becomes iconic.
