Web Design
GUIDE

Web Graphics: Branding And Themes

Description: Not everyone thinks about branding their website in any way, but a brand can be a very powerful way of identifying who you are and what your role is online. This can also be tied in with choosing an appropriate theme for your website. Read on to find out more.

We've all heard of branding before, but it can sometimes be tricky to work out exactly what it is. Big name companies use branding to create an image for themselves. When someone hears the name of that company they will immediately think of a specific product, image or slogan that says what that company does and what it stands for.

You will often find that the branding used by a company in the real world is carried over to their website as well. ?That's because it's recognizable and it strengthens the purpose of that site remarkably.

We can draw lessons from this when we are designing our own websites too. Think about what the focus of your business is, and what makes you stand apart from the rest of the websites that are similar to yours. What can you say about your business that they can't? This can help you brand your business.

Branding often takes places in a very visual way, using graphics to convey an image to potential customers. Images have a way of sticking in the mind much more easily than words do, so if you take the time to create a good solid graphic that helps to strengthen your brand, you will have a very powerful image to use on your website.

If you are at the stage of creating your own brand, you should also bear in mind the role that themes can play in this area. A theme can be an idea or an approach to a certain subject; once you know what this is in relation to your website you stand a much better chance of creating strong graphics that people will remember.

Color is a strong indicator of a brand. A lot of companies can be associated with a single color through their branding - think of Coca Cola and the color red, and MacDonald's and those golden arches. This can work for you too, so when you are designing your website and you come up with a graphic to use as a logo that represents your brand, think about using the color/s within that graphic through the rest of your website as well.

It doesn't need to be overkill either. If your graphic consists of the colors blue and green for example, you could continue that theme through the rest of your website by using graphic buttons in those colors for the navigation bar at the top of each page. This helps to reinforce your branding throughout the website and gets your visitors familiar with your graphic logo as well. If they were to see it elsewhere, unaccompanied by any text or slogans, it would instantly be familiar to them.

Before you decide on your final branding and theme, consider what message the color/s would send to your visitors. Blue is very solid and reliable, while red can mean urgency or stop. Does that fit with your products or service?

By taking some time to figure out how branding and themes can impact your website and your visitors, you could soon see an improvement in your sales and reputation.