Having consistent cross-channel branding is crucial for 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 production 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 crucial to consider the unique requirements of each. For example, the resolution used for images in large format graphics must be adjusted for viewing at a distance. Because print and digital channels use different color spaces (CMYK, RGB, respectively), use Pantone swatchbooks to create common color targets. Process colors can be most consistent when applied to all non-digital applications.
- Use Templates: When customers see your marketing materials, whether banners, packaging, or direct mail, these assets should generally have the same consistent brand application (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, 300 dpi TIFF files are generally preferred. For online graphics or video, use 72 dpi JPG or PNG files. For banners and signage, use vector images for logos, line art, and text; large images should be 100 percent of their print size at 150 dpi.
- Test and Refine: Test your brand elements across all channels and refine them as necessary. Images that might look perfect on brochures could look pixelated on a 20-foot banner. You may also find that subtle color variations in your logo might not translate well when printed in two colors for promotional products.
Maintaining consistent branding across both print and digital channels takes a little planning upfront, 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.
