Starting and running a business was never an easy task. It is fairly easy to be drowned out by competition nowadays. In a perfect world, you can stand out by just focusing on the quality of your product or service. However, in reality-- standing out relies on a combination of several things and one of these things is your branding.
Let's take a closer look at custom illustrations and how a freelance illustrator can make a difference in your branding.
What are Custom Illustrations?
Simply put, custom illustrations are visual representations of the tone of a business and brand personality. They can be used to send a message to the viewers. They can be used for materials such as brochures, magazines, and merchandise or for boosting your online presence on social media platforms.
A lot of businesses think that they can get away with using stock photos and graphics for their advertisements, marketing materials, websites, and more. Not saying that they can't, but using stock photos and graphics makes the brand look generic which is the last thing you want if you're aiming to make a lasting impression.
If done right, custom illustrations have every opportunity to work as iconic logos and make your brand recognizable to your target market.
What are the Benefits of Custom Illustrations for Your Branding?
Adding visual assets to your branding and marketing efforts can make a stronger impression on your audience. Aside from boosting the message of your words, custom illustrations can help people recognize your brand by just looking. You cannot get this effect by using stock visual representations.
Since custom illustrations are tailored to match the unique style of your business by a freelance illustrator (or your in-house illustrator), you can add so much more personality to your branding.
Here are some of the benefits of custom illustrations that you may want to consider before you pass up on the idea:
You can tell more memorable narratives.
It is hard to tell a memorable story when you have limited options for visuals to go with it. The last thing you want to be is to be inconsistent with your visual representations or simply rely on a big chunk of text to convey your message.
It is also quite challenging to be memorable when your images are also being used by your competition. Custom illustrations will allow you to tell the exact story you want and the way you want it. You will be able to use your brand colors and represent your target audience accurately.
You can enjoy a competitive edge with better audience engagement.
As mentioned previously, you get to use your brand colors and represent your target audience more accurately. It will be easier for your target audience to connect with your brand when they can see themselves in your branding. This connection with your market gives you a competitive edge when it's time for them to choose the right brand for them.
Custom illustrations are expressive and they encourage engagement from the viewers. If done right, they can highlight the message you want to convey while also compelling your audience to interact with your brand, especially if used on social media platforms.
You can use custom illustrations for videos, infographics, and other shareable media for social networking platforms.
You can enforce the concept of consistency throughout your branding.
Again, using stock photos or graphics is a go-to solution for branding since it is easy and convenient. It can work in some aspects of your business, but not when you're trying to leave a lasting impression on people.
The thing with stock photos and graphics is that they lack personality and that you can't guarantee consistency throughout your branding efforts.
For instance, if you need icons for your website-- what are the odds of getting a FREE set of graphics that matches ALL your products and services? Sometimes you need to settle for the next best thing. Or if you use stock photos for your social media posts, people won't connect as strongly with all the different models on your feed compared to a character that they know and love.
The Final Say
You can't solely rely on word of mouth to promote your business, you will need company branding with a lasting impression if you want to win over your target market in the vast sea of competition.
Custom illustrations can make a big difference in your branding. You get to tell memorable narratives, build a stronger connection with your audience, and enjoy consistency throughout your marketing efforts. That said, custom illustrations are definitely worth a shot.
If you are looking for a freelance illustrator to help you bring out the personality of your brand through custom illustrations, then Cozdeam may be able to help. For more information, you can send us a message now.