Choosing the right brand imagery and layout treatments

Choosing the right brand imagery and layout treatments for your brand is an important aspect of a corporate identity.

Together with your brands colour palette, typography and font usage – layout guidelines and imagery are part of creating your brands overall image. Additionally, layout and imagery is there to connect your brand to your consumers, and collectively express the values and characteristics of your business/brand.

How to create the best imagery for your brand

To create the best imagery for your brand, you first need to understand your brand. You do this by exploring and defining your brand values, vision, mission, purpose and positioning. This is part of defining your brand strategy, long before you define the brand look. Once you have a good idea of who you are, choosing the right brand imagery and layout treatments for your brand should be explored in your visual identity concept phase. Because imagery is an important part of a visual identity, it is important to define and explain the parameters of image usage and treatments in your brand guidelines.

There are different options to consider, all of which should be explored in your branding exploration phase. While many brands choose photography for their primary imagery, some brands exclusively use illustration or typography.

Some options to consider:

Style of photography

The style of photography is usually the first imagery guideline to be considered. However, what the photographic style should look like, and what should be avoided should be chosen with care.

Photography treatments

In some instances, a photographic treatment can help ‘brand’ and take ownership of images. Additionally, these could be a color overlay, a gradient, black and white, filters, monotone, or duotone treatments.

Illustration styles

Illustration has gained popularity in branding. For example, Headspace and Mailchimp both feature illustration in their branding. Custom illustration is a powerful tool for creating a cohesive visual identity. Illustration styles can range from character-based scenes to patterns, infographics, and iconography.

Layout treatments and guidelines

Specific layout treatments can be used as part of a brands visual identity. This can be done by using specific grids or graphic devices and specifying typographic treatments to ensure flexibility and consistency.

Want to learn more about branding? Check out our article about corporate identity, why colour is important in branding, or our full branding process. If you are looking to create a corporate identity or rebranding a product or service, get in touch today and we’ll be happy to chat through our different options and processes.