Visual Identity
Visual identity is the clearly defined appearance of a brand, working alongside its verbal identity to make it recognisable at a glance.
What is visual identity?
Visual identity refers to the way a brand looks, made up of clearly defined visible elements including its logo, typography, colour palette, art direction, and other design elements.
It works alongside a brand's verbal identity as one half of its overall identity system, reinforcing the same core idea set out by its strategy. This allows a company, product or service to stay impactful and recognisable wherever it shows up.
A compelling visual identity plays an essential role in brand-building, expressing its point of difference in a competitive market and building a meaningful emotional connection. That said, developing it is only one part of the process. In order for a visual identity to register in a split second, it needs to be applied with as much consistency as creativity.
What does visual identity cover?
Most visual identities are built from the following key elements. For more on how they work together with verbal identity as one system, see Brand Identity.
Logo
The defining mark or stamp that the world associates with a brand's name and offering.
Typography
The selection of typefaces to support a brand's voice, with strict rules set alongside it.
Colour Palette
The specific primary and secondary colours a brand claims, applied with clear intention.
Imagery (Brand)
The supporting photography and/or illustration style a brand uses to add context and character.
Illustration
The use of custom drawn imagery, from icons and graphics to entire characters and worlds, to tell a brand's story.
Animation
The use of movement to bring a visual identity to life, making static brand assets look and feel more dynamic.
3D in Brand Identity
How a brand's identity translates in a three-dimensional perspective through graphics and objects.
Motion Identity
The way a brand chooses to move, animate, and transition across its various platforms.
Design System
The collection of reusable components and rules that let an identity scale across platforms over time.
Distinctive Brand Assets
The uniquely ownable elements beyond a logo that make a brand recognisable at a glance, from bespoke graphics and characters to custom type.
How visual identity works in practice: Wild Thingz
The makers of what came to be known as Wild Thingz had one mission: to create a candy brand that parents wouldn't feel bad about, and kids would go mad about.
So, we looked around the category. The world of organic is wholesome, white and hemp-y. Yet the 'bad candies' are an explosion of bright colors, flashy logos and exciting in-pack games. We started asking: why does junk get to have all the fun?
Wild Thingz
True to its punky name, Wild Thingz' visual identity captures the unapologetic side of nature: a logo made out of thorns and bushes; a Venus flytrap mascot with a mohawk inspired by tattoos and grunge-y skater brands; a rock-and-roll typeface; and dark, brooding colours. It even features 3D worlds complete with overgrown forests, rusty shopping trolleys and abandoned buildings.
It all adds up to a category-defining brand that has the ingredients of a saint, but the energy–and shelf appeal–of a sinner.
Outcome: £250k of orders secured from an independent distributor.
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