What are the 4 visual elements your wine brand needs to be consistent?

Jul 2

We’ve all been told not to judge a book by its cover, and that’s fair enough. But how are we supposed to choose a book if not by taking a look at the cover? It’s the first thing we see. The same goes for brands. To attract new customers, brands have to have an appealing visual identity. However, just attracting customers is not enough. To persuade customers to buy, brands have to keep their attention, and that can’t be done if the visual identity is scrambled all over the place. To make it in the wine industry, your brand needs strong branding, and visuals are an important part of branding. Keep reading to learn about the crucial elements of an impeccable visual identity. These are:

Logo
Typography
Colors
Photography / iconography

Before we get into this, it’s important to note that visual identity can’t be established without deciding on a target audience. The same wine marketing plan wouldn’t work for let’s say luxury-oriented customers and those trying to save money. Even different age groups require different approaches. Remember to tailor these pieces of advice to your wine promotion strategy. That said, let’s dig into this!

Logo

A logo is the most frequently used part of a brand’s visual identity. It can be a symbol, emblem, mark, or a stylized name. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s nothing less than brilliant because the customers are going to be seeing it everywhere: on the website, on social media posts, receipts, and of course on the bottles and other products themselves. Keep in mind that trends change, and your wine brand aims to stay on the market, so don’t go for what’s trendy at the moment. Right now, simplistic geometry is in, but that may change soon. A good logo is timeless, so work around what works best for your brand, not what works best for 2021.

2. Typography

What kind of winery are you? Are you focused on tradition or do you welcome innovative trends? Are your consumers primarily mature generations, or do you happen to work with younger generations of nonconformists? Typography is a powerful tool that conveys the message of your brand even before customers get to read the content. By adjusting the typography to the taste of your target audience, you have the advantage over your competitors who chose basic typography. Remember what we said at the beginning, it’s the cover that attracts the reader. The content, written attractively, is what makes them stay.

3.Colors

Colors! So straightforward, yet so effective. Just like typography, colors speak to customers before they read or watch the content. This doesn’t mean we want the loudest colors on the bottle, that would attract the customers for all the wrong reasons, and they’d never return to the product. What wineries want in their wine packaging design is a consistent color palette. Unfortunately, your favorite colors may not work together, so this kind of job is best left to a professional with a thorough understanding of color theory (but who also isn’t afraid to bend the rules here and there to make things more interesting!). When choosing a color palette, think about the kind of wine you’re making and who you’re marketing it to. Whether you choose a safe burgundy palette or go for something a bit more daring, remember to keep the colors consistent.

4. Photography / iconography

According to MIT, 13 milliseconds is all it takes for our brains to process an image. Combining that piece of data with the fact that customers are getting bombarded with ads from all sides leads us to the conclusion that in marketing, time is money. And brands have limited time to tell their story before customers shift their attention to the next thing. This is the reason why wineries have to put effort into choosing the appropriate photography or iconography. In an era where customers spend less than 6 seconds looking at the main image on a website, wineries have to find a way to convey their message quickly. Everything matters: from imagery, mood, colors, to proportions. Think about the type of mood you’re aiming to evoke in your customers and adjust all photography choices accordingly. Nailing this aspect of visual identity means that customers will be more likely to browse through your other content and finally purchase the product.

Let’s review the elements of visual identity a winery has to excel at to attract and keep customers. Keep the logo unique and recognizable, you’re going to use it everywhere. Typography is there to represent your brand even before customers get to reading, so make it reflect your values (playful/traditional/luxurious...). Colors are important because they connect all the elements of visual identity into a comprehensive unit. Finally, photography and iconography are the things we perceive first, so polish them to create an excellent first impression. We know there are many details of brand identity and visual identity. So if you’re yet to venture into creating wine marketing strategies, we’ll be glad to lend you a helping hand. Already tried something on your own and you’re not pleased with the results? Don’t worry, that’s nothing we can’t fix with a bit of rebranding. If anything, rebranding is desirable to show that you’re fresh and in touch with the times. Whatever your approach is at the moment, our inbox is open for consultation. See you there!