| p>Your Visual Vocabulary is an essential tool in | | | | treatments: For very special text that you want |
| your business's brand identity toolkit. It is made up | | | | to highlight, such as your tagline, marketing bullets, |
| of all of the graphics that supplement your logo, | | | | sidebars, or bullets that detail your specialties, |
| forming the graphic "face" of your business and | | | | consider specifying a special face, size, and color |
| anchoring your brand identity. | | | | to use in all of your materials.o Paper type: Printing |
| Think of your logo as the "superhero" of your | | | | your materials on a special type of paper can |
| brand, and the Visual Vocabulary elements as its | | | | make them look even more interesting. Papers |
| "sidekicks"; in many design applications and finished | | | | come in different colors, textures, and |
| materials, your logo won't appear by itself. It will | | | | thicknesses that can contribute to your material's |
| have the help of all of these Visual Vocabulary | | | | uniqueness. |
| elements to accomplish its job of communicating | | | | To create a Visual Vocabulary for your business, |
| and connecting with your target market. | | | | you should create a set of specifications for the |
| Your Visual Vocabulary can include design | | | | types of design elements you will use in all of |
| elements such as:o Font styles: You should have a | | | | your marketing materials. Once you have laid out |
| small collection of typefaces, font weights, and | | | | the set of "rules" for your Visual Vocabulary, use |
| styles that you use regularly in your materials. | | | | the same elements consistently throughout your |
| Consider fonts for both print and web use, and | | | | materials. When trends change, or when your |
| specify styles for headlines, subheads, and body | | | | business grows or your materials become stale, |
| copy in each case, at minimum. For each style, | | | | you can simply change some or all of these |
| you should specify the font to use, the color it | | | | elements to create a new, fresh look. |
| should be, and its paragraph alignment: whether it | | | | Specifying the qualities of these design elements |
| should be centered, left-aligned, or justified (where | | | | and using them consistently throughout your |
| the text lines up with both sides of the column).o | | | | marketing materials will have many benefits, |
| Colors: Creating a color palette for your business | | | | including:o Increasing your brand's memorability: A |
| can add flexibility to your materials and give you | | | | Visual Vocabulary gives your marketing materials |
| an easy resource to go to when choosing colors | | | | more designed visuals. Adding more visuals makes |
| for illustrations, graphics, or any other part of | | | | your materials, and your company, more |
| your Visual Vocabulary. If you keep your colors | | | | memorable.o Making your brand designs more |
| consistent and limited, then you'll develop a more | | | | flexible: A Visual Vocabulary can provide you with |
| focused palette that will be easier for your | | | | a set of visuals that are more loosely tied to your |
| audience to associate with your business.o Shapes: | | | | business than your logo, which means that you |
| The shape that you use for your bullets, callout | | | | can exchange and recombine those visuals for |
| boxes, color-blocked areas, and even borders in | | | | different campaigns, service offerings, or |
| your materials can create a strong visual | | | | products. You can also redesign your Visual |
| component that will contribute to your | | | | Vocabulary elements during the lifecycle of your |
| memorability.o Layout: The layout of a piece is | | | | business, updating and refreshing your materials |
| how the different elements are laid out on the | | | | as necessary, while still backing them with a solid |
| page. This covers elements like the number of | | | | logo and brand identity base.o Adding to the |
| columns and the placement of all of the other | | | | consistency of your marketing materials: When |
| Visual Vocabulary elements.o Backgrounds: Using | | | | you use your Visual Vocabulary across all of your |
| background screens or shapes, or even a specially | | | | marketing materials, the repeated elements add |
| designed watermark, can give your materials an | | | | to your visual consistency.o Making your business's |
| extra bit of flair. You can also develop a special | | | | materials stand out from the competition: Your |
| background that will make your materials stand | | | | Visual Vocabulary can add a lot of personality to |
| out.o Photographs: Photos can add a lot of | | | | your materials, differentiating them from your |
| personality to your materials and really help you | | | | competition's marketing pieces. It can also add |
| to make a connection with your target audience. | | | | visual information to your materials, to help tell |
| You can purchase stock photography | | | | your business's story.o Making a small business |
| inexpensively these days; buy a few shots that | | | | look larger: By expanding your brand design with |
| are compelling and really match the rest of your | | | | more surrounding graphics, you'll expand your |
| Visual Vocabulary. Make sure that you buy the | | | | designs and make your small business look like a |
| highest resolution and largest size that you'll need | | | | bigger business. |
| for materials down the road.o Special textual | | | | |