Designing infographics for branding refresh campaigns is a powerful way to communicate the essence of a brand’s new identity. A branding refresh typically involves updating visual elements, messaging, or both to align with the evolving business goals, market positioning, or target audience. An infographic can simplify complex changes and deliver them in a visually compelling and easily digestible format.
Creating an effective infographic for a branding refresh campaign involves several key steps, from understanding the purpose and goals of the refresh to selecting the right design elements and tools. In this detailed guide, we will explore the process of designing infographics for branding refresh campaigns, focusing on the objectives, strategy, design considerations, and tools you can use to create impactful visuals.
1. Understanding the Branding Refresh Campaign
Before diving into the design process, it’s essential to understand the underlying purpose and goals of the branding refresh campaign. A branding refresh isn’t necessarily the same as a complete rebranding; rather, it’s a slight alteration or update to existing brand elements.
Key Goals of a Branding Refresh:
- Stay Relevant: Brands often refresh their identity to remain relevant to changing consumer preferences, technological advancements, or market trends.
- Modernize: A refreshed brand look can give the company a more contemporary, polished, and professional appearance.
- Clarify Messaging: Updating visuals or brand language can help a brand better communicate its core values, mission, and vision.
- Appeal to New Audiences: A refresh may target new demographics or psychographics, shifting the tone, style, or design to appeal to a fresh audience.
- Internal Alignment: Sometimes, a brand refresh aligns with shifts in company culture or internal direction, making the brand feel more cohesive and true to its mission.
The purpose of the infographic is to communicate these updates and why they matter, both internally (to employees and stakeholders) and externally (to customers and the public).
2. Identifying the Key Message of the Refresh
Your infographic should communicate the essence of the branding update clearly and concisely. To achieve this, first identify the key messages you want to convey. Some important aspects to highlight include:
- Visual Changes: How the logo, color palette, typography, and imagery have evolved. If the changes are subtle, it’s helpful to show side-by-side comparisons (before and after).
- Core Brand Elements: How these elements reinforce the brand’s mission, vision, and values. For instance, a fresh design might emphasize innovation or sustainability, depending on the brand’s new direction.
- Target Audience: Who the brand now aims to engage with more effectively. This could involve communicating changes in tone or language that better resonate with a specific demographic.
- Brand Personality: A refresh can also be a chance to clarify or update the brand’s voice, tone, and personality. This could include showing a shift from formal to casual language, or emphasizing transparency over exclusivity.
- Brand Story: If the refresh reflects a broader narrative or shift in how the company views its future, this should be clearly communicated. For instance, a brand refresh might align with a new company milestone or expanded product/service offerings.
3. Choosing the Right Design Elements
When designing infographics for a branding refresh, the visual elements should stay true to the essence of the new brand identity. These elements must reflect the updated brand aesthetics while still being recognizable to existing audiences. Here’s how you can integrate the right design elements into your infographic:
i. Color Palette
Color is one of the most impactful elements in any branding strategy. In a branding refresh, the color palette may shift to reflect a more modern, vibrant, or minimalist aesthetic, depending on the brand’s new direction.
- Consistency: Ensure that the new color palette is consistently applied across the infographic. This reinforces the updated brand identity.
- Contrast and Readability: Make sure the color choices provide enough contrast for text and other visual elements, ensuring the infographic is easy to read.
ii. Typography
Typography can speak volumes about a brand’s character. A refresh might involve updating fonts to align with a more contemporary or sophisticated image.
- Choose Legible Fonts: Use clear, readable fonts for the primary text in your infographic. If the refresh includes new typography, showcase it in the infographic to help audiences get accustomed to it.
- Hierarchy: Establish a clear hierarchy of text. Headlines and subheadings should stand out more than body text, guiding the viewer through the content logically.
iii. Logo Evolution
For many brands, the logo is the most visible part of the identity. Your infographic should highlight the before and afterof the logo redesign or update, and explain why the changes were necessary.
- Side-by-Side Comparison: Present a clear comparison of the old and new logos to emphasize the differences.
- Explanation: Briefly explain why certain design choices were made, such as simplifying the logo for digital spaces or updating typography to reflect modern trends.
iv. Imagery and Icons
The imagery and iconography used in the infographic should reflect the refreshed brand’s personality and visual style.
- Use Consistent Imagery: Ensure the imagery is consistent with the updated tone of the brand, whether that’s minimalist, vibrant, or sophisticated.
- Icon Style: Icons should follow the new visual language of the brand. If the branding refresh includes more geometric or organic shapes, incorporate this into the iconography.
v. Textures and Patterns
If part of the refresh involves introducing new textures or patterns into the branding (e.g., abstract geometric shapes, gradients, or subtle textures), ensure these are integrated into your infographic.
- Subtlety: While patterns can be visually striking, they should not overpower the primary message. Use them sparingly to add depth or interest.
4. Structuring the Infographic: How to Tell the Story
To communicate the changes effectively, your infographic needs to have a clear structure. Here’s how to structure the content and layout of the infographic:
i. Title and Introduction
Start with a title that clearly indicates the purpose of the infographic. For example:
- “Introducing Our Brand Refresh”
- “Our New Look, Same Values: The Evolution of [Brand Name]”
Following the title, include a brief introductory section that explains the core purpose of the branding refresh. This section can be a simple sentence or two summarizing the intent behind the changes.
ii. Visual Comparison (Before and After)
A great way to immediately show the changes in branding is through a before-and-after visual comparison. This could include:
- Logo Comparison: Show the old logo and the new logo side by side.
- Typography Comparison: If the typography has changed, display the new font next to the old one.
- Color Palette: Display the previous and new color palettes, explaining why certain changes were made.
iii. Key Visual Elements
This section should highlight other critical elements of the branding update. For instance:
- Brand Mark or Symbol: If the symbol or brand mark has been redesigned, give details on what it represents.
- Imagery Style: Showcase the type of imagery now used to represent the brand (photography vs. illustrations, for instance).
iv. Messaging and Tone
If there is a shift in brand messaging or tone, explain this shift clearly. For example, you might show:
- Old vs. New Tagline: Showcase the evolution of the brand’s tagline and explain the reasoning behind it.
- Brand Voice: If the tone of the brand has shifted (e.g., from formal to conversational), provide examples of this shift in messaging.
v. The Brand’s New Vision or Values
Brand refreshes are often about realigning the brand with its mission, vision, and values. If these have changed as part of the refresh, include a section highlighting the updated brand story and core values.
vi. Audience Impact
The final part of your infographic should emphasize how the refresh impacts the target audience. For example, you could explain:
- Improved User Experience: How the refresh will benefit customers, such as a more seamless digital experience or a more user-friendly website.
- Connection with New Demographics: How the refresh will resonate with a new demographic or psychographic.
5. Tools for Designing Infographics
Several design tools allow you to create professional-quality infographics that align with your branding refresh. Here are some popular ones:
- Canva: A beginner-friendly tool with templates, icons, and fonts. Canva offers pre-made templates specifically for branding refreshes.
- Adobe Illustrator: A more advanced tool for creating highly customizable, professional infographics from scratch.
- Visme: A versatile tool with templates, charts, and the ability to create data-driven infographics.
- Piktochart: Another easy-to-use tool for creating infographics with a variety of templates and design elements.
- Infogram: Ideal for creating interactive infographics and data visualizations, especially if you need to show performance metrics or analytics alongside your branding updates.
6. Best Practices for Sharing and Presenting the Infographic
Once your infographic is complete, it’s time to share it with your audience. Here are some best practices:
- Multi-Platform Distribution: Distribute the infographic across multiple channels (social media, email, websites, presentations) to reach a broader audience.
- Keep It Engaging: If your infographic is being shared on social media, consider creating multiple versions tailored to different platforms (e.g., a square version for Instagram, a long vertical one for Pinterest).
- Interactive Elements: If appropriate, consider creating an interactive version of your infographic that allows users to click through sections or explore different visual aspects of the refresh.
- Accompany with a Story: When sharing the infographic, provide a short narrative to contextualize the brand refresh. Explain the journey and reasoning behind the changes.
7. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Infographic
After launching your infographic, measure its success by assessing:
- Audience Engagement: How well did the audience engage with the infographic? Were they sharing, commenting, or asking questions?
- Feedback: Gather feedback from both internal teams and customers to gauge their reaction to the branding refresh.
- Brand Recognition: Has the infographic helped increase brand awareness or improved brand recognition?
Based on feedback and metrics, tweak future infographics or branding campaigns to better resonate with your audience.
Conclusion
Infographics for branding refresh campaigns are an excellent way to visually communicate the evolution of a brand in a clear, engaging, and digestible format. By following the steps outlined above—understanding the purpose of the refresh, identifying key messages, carefully choosing design elements, structuring the content, and using the right tools—you can create impactful infographics that effectively convey your brand’s new identity.
Ultimately, the goal is to make your audience feel excited, informed, and connected to the refreshed brand, all while reinforcing the consistency and core values that made the brand successful in the first place.