Having consistent cross-channel branding is crucial to creating a strong and memorable company image. It helps your company stay top of mind with your target audience, establishes trust, and builds credibility. But how do you ensure brand consistency when channels like direct mail, email, and wide-format graphics have such different requirements?
Here are a few ideas.
- Develop a brand style guide
A brand style guide outlines your company’s branding guidelines, including colors, fonts, and logos. This guide serves as a reference for anyone designing or printing your marketing materials, ensuring consistency regardless of which channel you use. - Adjust details for each channel
While it’s important to maintain brand consistency across all channels, it’s also important to consider the unique requirements of each. For example, the resolution used for images in wide-format banners must be adjusted for viewing distance. Because print and digital channels use different color spaces (CMYK, RGB, respectively), use Pantone swatchbooks to create common color targets. - Use templates
When customers see your marketing materials, whether banners, packaging, or direct mail, these materials should generally have the same look and feel. This makes it easier for your audience to recognize your brand. Use templates to create consistency and ensure that key brand elements such as colors, logos, and fonts, are locked in. - Choose the right file formats
Each channel has file formats best suited to that channel. For high-resolution graphics in print materials, TIFF is generally preferred. For online graphics, use JPG or PNG. For banners and signage, use vector images for text and simple graphics since they will not pixelate when enlarged. - Test and refine
Test your brand elements across all channels and refine them as necessary. Images that might look perfect on brochures could look splotchy on a 20-foot banner and need to be adjusted. You may also find that the subtle color variations in your logo might not translate well when printed in two-color for promotional products.
Maintaining consistent branding across both print and digital channels takes a little planning up front, but it’s achievable. Before starting your next multichannel campaign, work with us to develop a plan that will keep your brand image sharp, consistent, and memorable.
