To build trust, make consistency your highest priority.
Trust is built upon familiarity. Familiarity is built upon consistency. You may need as many as
seven exposures before a customer will recognize and trust your brand. But these messages
have to be delivered consistently and repeatedly.
Customers are bombarded with thousands of advertising and marketing messages a day. To
form a strong memory, they need to see a consistent identity—logo, colors and personality—
that builds familiarity and trust.
This subconscious repetition is a powerful way to cut through the noise and make yourself
heard in a crowded marketplace.
Brand guidelines establish the consistency you need.
Maybe you’ve paid a designer or agency for a logo, website or other branding work. Did they
give you a structured brand guidelines document to follow? If not, you can weaken your brand,
which will hurt your bottom line.
Whenever you create a marketing message, no matter how small, you need a blueprint to work
from. Most companies refer to it as their “style guide.” A good style guide eliminates guesswork,
so anyone on your team can create consistent content that strengthens your brand.
An effective style guide should:
Be simple, yet specific—easy to follow, even for a non-designer
Contain clear “Do” examples of best practices and “Do Not” examples
of common mistakes
Go beyond the visual elements to address your brand’s story, personality and voice
Your style guide should address:
Color
Color is the first element a viewer sees. It evokes an instant emotional response—and
increases brand recognition by 80%.
(Source: Loyola University of Maryland study)
It’s not as simple as ‘red’, ‘yellow’, or ‘blue’. You must use specific color values for both digital
and print assets. If you don’t, your customer will notice even subtle differences and read them
as mistakes. And your brand will be perceived as unprofessional and untrustworthy.
The example below shows how Netflix uses specific color guidelines for a powerful brand
image.
