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Design your brandDesign is never neutral!
Even if nothing is said, something is conveyed – via form, color, material, typography or proportions. Design works on a level that we can hardly control: It influences how people assess a brand, how credible it appears and what feeling it leaves behind.
It happens automatically. And that is precisely why good design is so crucial for strong branding.
How design research makes this effect measurable and the studies behind it are explained in more detail at in the article Why good design works – research for branding .
Perception happens faster than we think.
People form an impression in a fraction of a second: after just around 50 milliseconds, our brain decides whether a website is appealing or not (Lindgaard et al., Behavior & Information Technology, 2006). This assessment is not made rationally, but intuitively – through color, contrast, typography and composition.
Design is therefore not just the decoration of your brand, but an essential part of your brand perception. An inappropriate logo, lines that are too narrow or the wrong colors can
If you want to check whether your current look and feel is really making the most of that first second, we give Branding / Designing your brand for an overview of how we build brands strategically and creatively.
Shapes, colors and typography speak their own language
Every(!) design decision sends a signal. Here are a few examples:
- Round shapes appear softer, more approachable and more emotional.
- Angular shapes stand for stability, structure and strength.
- Sans serif typography looks modern and functional, while serif fonts tend to convey stability and confidence.
- Warm colors activate and create closeness, cool colors create distance and calm.
These classifications are no coincidence – they are culturally and psychologically anchored. Color psychology research shows that blue is perceived as reliable, red as activating and green as calming (Labrecque & Milne, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2013). This means that even small design decisions shape how your company is read emotionally.
Projects such as show how we translate such principles into concrete visual systems. Petunia Specialty Coffee or Il Gelato .
Design conveys quality
Design is always a promise of quality. If a logo or packaging appears imprecise,
In short: if something looks high-quality, it is also perceived as high-quality – even without any substantive evidence. For brands, this means that design is a work of trust. It determines whether people are willing to believe your message.
Design steers – consciously and unconsciously
Small design differences can massively change the perception. A slightly slanted
Understanding these mechanisms does not mean manipulating them. It means
Whether logo, website or packaging: design always works. The only question is – in which direction.
If you want to know specifically whether your logo is just “pretty” – or whether it really works – we take a look at this in the article Your logo looks good – but does it work? in more detail.
And now?
If you want to know what impression your current design is making – consciously or unconsciously – let’s take a look together. We translate design into impact without changing the core of your brand.
