Visual Design and Branding Considerations – So What? | Travel Research Online

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Visual Design and Branding Considerations – So What?

This week we have been discussing the visual system used by companies to identify their brand. We have spoken about matters as big as your logo and as small and seemingly unimportant as font and white space.  The very valid question remains: so what?

After all, it really is your skill set clients seek out, right?  Your 20 years in the business means your clip art logo and Hotmail or AOL email account don’t really matter so much to clients.  They know you for the travel genius you are and the rest is really just padding.

Well, not so much. Let’s look at Starbucks for a couple of lessons.

There is a reason Starbucks spends so much time on visual design – they want to sell you $4.00 cups of coffee.  Would you be inclined to stop by your neighborhood Starbucks and pay that type of price for a cup of coffee if it was any less the harmonious environment that it is? What if you weren’t sure it was a “real” Starbucks because the logo was different, because the baristas seemed poorly dressed and out of uniform?  Doesn’t your willingness to participate with the brand have something to do with the promises made by their visual design?

Your existing clients may well know you, but each and every day they are targeted by competitors willing to out-do you.  BestTravelDeals@AOL.com you may be, but RuthParsons@TravelFarther.com has your clients in her sights.

This may be your logo:

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And to think it cost you nothing and only took an hour!  Unfortunately, here is your competition’s idea of a logo:

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So what?  You may sell the greatest coffee in the world. But if you are not creating an inviting environment that inspires confidence, don’t try to charge $4.00 for it.  You may also be the most talented travel professional on the block….

Your visual designs do matter.  Your visual system, which includes everything from your logo to your email address to the way you dress, matters.  Your visual system pulls together your brand in a more or less cohesive whole – and you must decide if it’s more or less.


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  One thought on “Visual Design and Branding Considerations – So What?

  1. Sheryl says:

    I agree that visual design is important, which is why I’m working hard to develop one cohesive look that explains who I am and what I do in one look.

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