Does your brand increase your business’s value? If it doesn’t, then it is actually decreasing its value.
Does your brand tell your story? If it doesn’t, then it’s just words and pictures.
Does your brand differentiate your business from the competition? If it doesn’t, then there’s no reason for customers to choose you.
Here are a few pointers to see if you’re on the right path, or if you’re just getting started, things to look out for. Does your brand fit into the left column or right?
favorite
symbolism
Like writing, using metaphor and symbolism is more powerful than literal imagery. Review your brand to see if your logo and collateral are using symbolism to engage deeper levels of thinking, more meaningful messages, and originality.
dashboard
balance
Far more than the other categories here, balance is something that you have to “have an eye” for. But sometimes it’s obvious if something is unbalanced or feels off. If you ever hear designers talk about use of white space, visual weight, the rule of thirds, or compositional harmony, it has to do with balance.
brightness_medium
contrast
Contrast can either be the range between light and dark colors or placement of more important objects near less important ones. It is one of the best tools to create visual interest.
color_lens
color theory
Another area where some have a better eye for color connections, a simple rule is to limit your brand pallet to 4-5 colors maximum. Use at least one very light color and one very dark color or one bright color and one dull color in your palette to create contrast.
font_download
typography
I could write entire books about good typography practice—and there are many—which can make an astounding difference in making design that looks amateur or professional. Typography is 25% art and 75% science; there are firm rules that make it appear better or worse. In general, do not use system fonts (like Arial or Verdana), and limit your entire brand to 2 different font families total.
reorder
order
The easiest way to create order in a layout is to use a grid or temporary guide lines. Every element that is added to a layout creates invisible lines that the eye uses to link one element to the next. If elements are not aligned properly it creates a disorderly look.
apps
uniformity
Uniformity creates a feeling of cohesiveness, familiarity, and professionalism. Repeating your logo and design elements across collateral creates uniformity and brand standards/guidelines keep them in place. There is a line however; too much uniformity can become mundane.
line_style
data hierarchy
Hierarchy refers to the order of how the eye views a layout. Done correctly, this means the most important piece of information is the first thing that draws the eye, the second most important is second, etc. It’s tempting to want to highlight everything as important but consider the saying “if everything is bold, nothing is bold.” Make a simple text list of all the content in your project and reorder them with the most important on the top.