My predictions and hopes for 2018

Ok, I know you really don’t want to hear anything else about Brexit, but hopefully, I can approach it from a different angle than the things you hear on the news. I’m replacing ‘Brussels’ with ‘Branding’; ‘May’ with ‘Messages’; ‘Conservatives’ with ‘Consistency’.

Brexit has left the public feeling a general sense of uncertainty and confusion about what the future holds. The more ‘savvy’ businesses have noticed that people want to be reassured that actually everything they hold dear is actually fine. Everything will be ok. If our politicians can’t always make us feel secure, many businesses know that the solidity of their brand identity, and the clear and consistent messages they bring, help people on a deeper, human level.

I guess, along these lines, some of my predictions for 2018 have already started, as can be seen in some of our TV adverts. For instance, one high street bank shows everyday ‘poets’ talking about topics such as daily life, love, comfort and, security – expressing on a subliminal level: ‘It’s ok, we understand you. You can trust us.’

I want to see companies maintaining their brand identities in their uncertain Brexit future, guarding them closely as they are their consistent message to the world that their business is secure and solid in the face of change.

On a different note, I’m totally loving colour in design at the moment. Eye-catching, vibrant colours that quite literally ‘speak’ your identity. On a very basic level, colour touches every one of us in different ways and we all have our favourite shades, or our ‘go to’ colours – take a look in your wardrobe to see what I mean. Colour encourages the visual learners of the world to remember us, colours that define our brand identity and embed it in the public's psyche.

I love the use of white space…allowing a really good design to ‘breathe’ can be so effective.

Colours have their symbolic ‘meanings’, too. For instance, we all know that red can mean ‘danger’, and green is used for ‘nature’. White can mean ‘purity, simplicity, cleanliness, light’. But did you know, that if your name is in red in China, it means you are dead? The use of colour and understanding of its meaning is very important.

To finish, I just need to touch on the importance of good typography. Ignore it at your peril. You need to consider your target audience – the correct choice of colour, font and text size is vital to attract them and to keep them interested so they return to you time and time again. Just like the colour, or the shape of your logo, people will remember the font, too. It will become an integral part of your public brand recognition.

Brand identity doesn’t need to be complicated; keep your message clear and consistent in 2018.