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The Power of Visual Branding: the impact of visual branding on consumer

perception and marketing

Thesis · May 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20938.39363

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Lama Lawand
arab Open University - Lebanon
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To Mom and Dad
Acknowledgement
First, I would like to thank my family and friends for their supporting love and help,
through which I was able to conduct and complete this research.

Special thanks goes to our supervisor Dr. Saher Anan for his constant support and for
always enthusing us to open our eyes to the real world through his visionary insights.

I would like to thank Mr. Zaher Molaeb for his contribution that added a deeper
vision and value to the study.

I would like to express my eternal gratitude to every single person who contributed
directly or indirectly in the quest of helping me achieve this piece of work.
Abstract
This research deals with the impact of visual branding on consumer’s perception. The
purpose of this thesis is to study how visual branding affects consumer behavior and
purchasing decisions, and how efficient it can be as a marketing tool.
Data collection constituted of a questionnaire to reveal people’s perception of logos, a
rebranding case study, and an interview with an NLP trainer / Business and Life
Coach in order to get some answers concerning the main driver behind consumer’s
purchasing decisions. The methodological framework utilizes both quantitative and
qualitative methods.
The findings include that visual branding among other branding elements has a great
impact on people’s perception of a product or service, and that it can be very effective
in marketing.
The study concludes by recommending that all business owners invest in visual
branding, as it is one powerful marketing tool.

Keywords: Visual branding, consumer / customer behavior, purchasing decisions

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................3

Abstract .........................................................................................................................4

Introduction ..................................................................................................................7

Purpose of Study ................................................................................................................7

Useful Definitions ..............................................................................................................8

Limitations .........................................................................................................................9

Literature Review ......................................................................................................10

Brand Definition .................................................................................................................10

Consumer Behavior and Emotions ...................................................................................11

The Brand – Emotion Concomitance ...............................................................................12

How Branding Works ........................................................................................................14

Color and Typography ......................................................................................................16

Visual Branding as Marketing Tool .................................................................................18

Methodology ...............................................................................................................23

Data Collection ...................................................................................................................23

Framework..........................................................................................................................23

Ethical issues .......................................................................................................................24

Data Presentation ...............................................................................................................25

 Logo Questionnaire .........................................................................................................25

Rebranding Prospects / case study ...................................................................................29

Expert’s Perspective ........................................................................................................32

Data Analysis and Findings ...............................................................................................34

Conclusion and Evaluation .......................................................................................36

Bibliography ...............................................................................................................39

Appendix .....................................................................................................................42

Logo Questionnaire .........................................................................................................43

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Introduction
Working in the field of branding and design for the past five years in an
immensely diversified country, I came to notice that the vast majority of people in
Lebanon are unaware of the magnitude of branding and its impact on our choices.
Through my personal observation, I came to realize that making choices is very much
based on our feelings and emotions, while most people have the belief that we make
choices based on our reasoning and logic. People normally think that we buy stuff
because we need them, cannot do without them, and because these stuff are necessary
in our lives, and for many other ‘logical’ reasons. What we do is that we rationalize
our emotions so we think that we are being reasonable and objective, when in reality,
our emotions are driving us all the way. Of course we buy food because it is a need,
yet we choose the grocery shop because we like the vendor, or because they have all
the brands we like.

The significance of branding lies originally in its ability to greatly intrigue our
emotions and consequently affect our choices. Therefore, understanding how
branding works can really give business owners a very powerful tool to reach out to
the public. On the other hand, the public will become more and more aware of the
mass hypnosis we encounter on daily basis through media. Understanding how
branding works will open our eyes to the truth behind our choices and our purchasing
decisions. This study is going to examine how the public perceives brands and how
efficient branding can be in communication and in marketing.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions:

è What is the impact of visual branding on consumer perception of a product or

service?
è Does visual branding contribute to marketing?

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 The reason behind my choice of this specific topic is to highlight the roles of
branding and design in the world of business. Many business owners take this matter
lightly and treat it as a luxury and not as a requirement. Throughout this study, we
will be able to identify the properties of visual branding and how it influences
consumer perception, consumer behavior, and marketing.

Useful Definitions

Before we go ahead and move on to the next chapter, few terms are to be defined.

Visual branding refers to the “images (including video images) that represent the
brand. These images could be part of the brand identity, such as the logo, or they can
be part of advertisements, the brand website, and so on. In other words, any visual cue
associated with the brand is a form of visual branding” (Gunelius, 2012).

Typography is “the art or skill of designing communication by means of the printed

word” (Childers & Jass, 2002).

Typeface/Font: A font is a set of printable or displayable text characters in a specific

style and size. The type design for a set of fonts is the typeface and variations of this
design form the typeface family. In practice, font and typeface are often used
interchangeably (Rouse, 2005).

Serif/Sans-serif: A serif font is one in which lines or curves adorn the ends of each
letter, such as Times New Roman. A sans-serif font, however, as the name suggests,
is one which is without such adornment at the end of each letter, e.g. Arial
(Thangaraj, 2004).

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): an approach to communication and

personal development that was created in the 1970’s and has achieved considerable
popularity. It is increasingly familiar in professional arenas of education, management
training and coaching (Tosey & Mathison, 2006).

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Limitations

There are several factors that have limited the conduct of this study:

Timeframe limit: Due to the short period assigned for this research, methodology will
be limited to suit the timeframe. We will rely more on qualitative methodology.
Quantitative methodology will be restricted to one questionnaire, and the amount of
participants will be restricted to 100, in order to have enough time for analysis.

Lack of resources and references: during the course of working on this thesis, I did
not come over previous studies of the same topic i.e. the impact of visual branding on
customer perception and on marketing. I came over a limited amount of books and
references that either studied branding and marketing strategies as whole or design of
brand identity that is more concerned with graphic design. The narrow focus that this
study has taken is probably a first, which adds value to the work despite the burdens.

9
Literature Review
Brand Definition

The concept of brand probably started back in the middle ages, when artisans used
to tag their merchandise with their initials so that customers would know where to
purchase the same product if they were satisfied with the it (Franzen & Moriarty,
2015). Now a day, a brand is presented through a logo, distinctive graphics, and other
aspects that give it a unique identity, which consumers learn and associate with over
time. Distinctive imagery, typography, and verbal communication associated with a
brand are used to encourage customers to identify the brand (Wheeler, 2013). The
American Marketing Association (AMA) defines the concept of brand as “a name,
term, sign, symbol, design, or some combination of these elements, intended to
identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers to differentiate them
from those of competitors” (Bennett, 1988). Wheeler (2015) describes brand identity
as tangible, as it can be seen, touched, held, heard, felt, we can watch it move; and
that is how it appeals to our senses.

Brand identity promotes recognition, intensifies differentiation, provides access to

big ideas and meanings, and it takes distinct elements and unifies them into holistic
systems (Wheeler, 2013). The whole concept of branding is based on creating the
notion of singularity in the mind of the prospect (Ries & Ries, 2002); it is about
taking the advantage of every chance to influence people’s choice of one brand over
another (Wheeler, 2013). Franzen and Moriarty (2015) explained that “a brand is a
perception that lives primarily in the mind of the customer” and this perception is
only controlled through the use of appropriate communication cues, signs and
symbols.

With the increasing availability of endless choices, competition keeps rising in a

continuous manner. For that reason, companies need to find ways by which they can
connect emotionally with consumers, become exceptionally unique that they become

10
irreplaceable, and create long-term relationships with them (Wheeler, 2013). Wheeler
goes on to explain that “people fall in love with brands, trust them, and believe in
their superiority”. This leads us to the idea that a brand is as strong as its ability to
reach people, provoke their emotions, and affect their perception and behavior
(Martinez, 2012).

Consumer Behavior and Emotions

Emotions are powerful drivers that clearly and visibly influence decision-making
(Lerner, Li, Valdesolo, & Kassam, 2015). After studying different types of decisions,
Lerner and her colleagues have found significant consistencies in the underlying
mechanisms through which emotions shape judgment and choice.

A synthesis of reasons, emotions and rationalizations always emerge whenever

brands, products and services are discussed with consumers (Martinez, 2012). As
researchers, we should be able to clearly identify these elements, classify them and
understand their interrelation. On the outside, one might think that reason and
rationalization are the same, however, this is not really true and these two must not be
mixed for each other. Martinez (2012) explains that rationalization is the ‘defense
mechanism’ we use to convince ourselves and to hide the true intentions behind our
actions and choices. For example, Linda, a young lady shopping for clothes, and her
bill turns out to be so expensive that she will not be able to buy groceries for the next
two weeks, but she really likes these clothes; her rationalization gets working that if
she does not get these clothes, she might not find something else that suits her as
much, and she already looks fat in her current clothes while these make her look fit
and sexy. So on and so forth with rationalization that she decides to buy the stuff and
borrow money for groceries. For her, there is no other way to do it as she thinks that
this is the ‘logical’ thing to do, for all the ‘logical’ reasons she has built up in her
mind and rationalized. Of course, finding something to suit her, something that she
looks sexy in, and does not look fat are all concerned with self-image and emotions.
Besides, there are some hidden reasons that she did not admit to herself at the time of

11
the debate; buying clothes this much expensive is going to make her lovable and
classy so she can fit in in her social circle of other friends who have gone through the
same rationalizing to impress her among others. And again, the need to fit in and be
lovable is all related to feelings and emotions, not to logic and reason.

Now how is this useful in branding? A smart brand creator makes use of this
natural synthesis we have in our minds and characters by connecting the brand with
relevant, positive emotions in consumers in order to give them a ‘reason to believe’,
and provide a good cause for them to use the brand in order to give them a ‘reason
why’ as well; and it has been proven that this blend of reasoning and emotions tends
to work successfully, in life and in advertising (Martinez, 2012). This is where
branding practitioners and designers can sway customers and woo them by
rationalized reasons to buy a certain product or service.

The Brand – Emotion Concomitance

“Brands add emotion to the world of functional products” (Franzen & Moriarty,
2015). In the light of this quote, we can elaborate that brands represent lifestyles and
values, they function as symbols of interpersonal role-play – like Linda, and they
transform the customer’s mere consumption of a product into a pleasurable
experience. Market products and brands stimulate consumer’s senses (through their
look, smell, taste, touch, etc) and trigger favorable feelings that lead to repetition of
the experience (Martinez, 2012). After all, the aim of any brand is to get into the
world of the consumer’s habits of buying and consuming. This can only be achieved
through creating rewarding experiences.

Classically, brands that most relate to positive emotions are the most dominant in
the market (Martinez, 2012). This means that in order for a brand to influence the
consumers and dwell in their minds in the best way, it must be communicated in a
manner that creates a relationship with positive emotions. Martinez further explains
that the emotional system is closely aligned with attention, memories and perception.

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Once attention is triggered and associated with positive emotions, a link is effectively
created between the brand and these emotions, developing a good memory of the
brand afterwards.

The emotional experience of the brand has become just as important, or even
more important, than the instrumental function of the product (Franzen & Moriarty,
2015). A good example of that would be McDonald’s. It is not simply a catering place
where you can eat hamburgers, in fact it might not be the best burger place; however,
it is a whole environment where customers are offered to experience fun and
multisensory satisfaction throughout their mealtime, especially kids. A McDonald’s
employee is required in a contract clause to radiate cheerfulness for customers
through the way they receive people and deliver their orders, and all McDonald’s
customers probably know this. The brand differentiates the product and the services
from similar products that technically may be just as good, but appeal less to the
imagination.

This brings about the idea of happy brands. Happy brands are usually
characterized by: giving an original view of the world, sticking to their values and are
loyal to themselves, communicating effectively with consumers and processing their
feedback, presenting consistency in their actions, their beliefs and their values, not
drawing back at difficulties and shifts in the market attitude; they are energetic and
capable of adapting to change, innovating and reinventing (Martinez, 2012). The
growing complexity of the brand-consumer relationship has implied the necessity of
the holistic system of emotions, physical experience and values. After all, the goal of
a brand is to enter through the consumer’s emotional space.

Brands describe and shape how an organization works and they define the
customer’s experience; a brand is only as powerful as its total package (Franzen &
Moriarty, 2015). Nicolas Hayek, the founder and former chairman of the Swatch
Group states that, “the Swatch Group has a very special emotional culture. We
produce beauty, sensuality, emotionality in watches – and we also produce high-tech

13
on your wrists. Both, emotionality or poetry and high-tech are part of what we feel
towards our customers. We love them genuinely. We want them to be happy – we
want YOU to be happy” (Nicolas G. Hayek: message from the Founder). Hayek
explains the thinking behind the Swatch brand by emphasizing his understanding that
everything the brand does sends a message.

The brand is not anymore bound by familiarity and image; it represents a living
style for the company (Franzen & Moriarty, 2015). It is not just about advertisement
or promotion; it plays the role of a road map for the style, activities, and culture of the
company. It is taking part of the job of everyone in the company from the reception to
the top management. For example, the Ritz Carlton, which maintains a service-
excellence culture, is one of the brands that most utilize this concept as they make you
feel as if you were their only guest, everyone calls you by the name from the moment
you are received until you leave, everyone is there to ensure a unique, memorable and
personal experience that in turn leads to their profitability and organizational success.

How Branding Works

Branding has a great influence on how people perceive products thanks to the
symbolic meanings and associations it creates, (Franzen & Moriarty, 2015) i.e. what
the brand stands for. On a macro level, Franzen and Moriarty (2015) describe a brand
as a holistic system of meaning that comprises of physical, mental and sociocultural
factors:

1. Physical nature: all aspects of a brand that can be perceived by the

fundamental human senses (visual, kinesthetic, auditory such as the product itself, its
package, the communicated marketing material, identity cues, in addition to the
brand’s assets like buildings, vehicles, uniforms, etc. These materials directly
communicate the identity of the brand presented by the corporation.

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 2. Mental nature: ideas and concepts represented by the brand and the
meanings that relate to the brand and to the customer’s experience; it also includes the
notions and values that are psychologically linked to the brand at the level of
customer’s perception.

3. Sociocultural nature: custom habits that are familiarized and standardized by

organizational culture, like trends, fashion, social values and opinions, the attitudes
that govern the brand and its customers’ way of living, and the social communication
content and styles among friends, families and coworkers.

This concludes that integrated branding builds up the components of a brand to

form one holistic system. It is a management philosophy that brings up all the
components and systems into a complete and consistent approach for managing the
brand. Moreover, the brand makes its way to the consumer’s life through the
following three stages suggested by Franzen and Moriarty (2015) as well:

1. Customer expectations and brand functions: identification of the functions

attained by the brand that have effect on the lives of customers, specification of the
customer’s desires and values that the brand should provide, and the way it delivers
the promised desires.

2. Perceptual positioning: the growth of the display or representation of a brand

in the consumer’s memory, grouping of the brands according to field of functioning
and the common meanings they imply, and pointing out the distinctive values of the
specific brand among other competitors.

3. Consumer brand equity: the power at which the brand resides in the mind of
a consumer from the perception and behavior side, out of which the consumer builds
a purchasing habit for this brand and makes a constant share for it in their
expenditures balance or the so called the ‘share of wallet’.

15
 Just like the effect our dreams have on us, television ads are always short in time,
yet, they leave significant and relevant ideas in our minds; they don’t confine to
logically feasible structures, they recreate the pathway of thinking and imagination in
order to be received effectively on the emotional level (Martinez, 2012). They also
have a strong reach method through visual medium rather than audio, and they reflect
a desire or psychological need when they play out an idea. Eventually, the brand is
able to occupy the consumer’s memory on the long run and positively interfere in the
buying decision process.

Color and Typography

Visuals such as sizes, shapes, fonts, and colors could help create attention, convey
messages, and create feelings that might increase purchase probability (Kotler, 1973).
The effects of such visuals have been demonstrated to influence emotional responses
and behavioral intentions (Alpert & Alpert, 1986). The finding of a study by
Satyendra Singh (2006) – under the title ‘Impact of color on marketing’ – shows that
managers can use colors to increase or decrease appetite, enhance mood, calm down
customers, and reduce perception of waiting time, among others. For example, red
and yellow colors stimulate appetite because of their effect on our metabolism,
making them popular color choices among fast-food restaurants to capture customers’
interests; this way, they gain customers’ attention, increase their appetite, and
encourage them to eat (Singh, 2006).

Colors evoke brands (Singh, 2006); whether it is Starbucks’s distinct green label,
Coca-Cola’s red, Ferrari’s yellow, or Cadbury’s purple, all have different color values
to different consumers. The great importance given to color in these brands is a sign
that manufacturers acknowledge that color has strong emotional weight, and that it is
able to provoke a prompter response to packaging than the written work or imagery
(Tutssel, 2000).

16
 Moreover, packaging and store wall colors can drastically affect sales (Singh,
2006). Business owners have the possibility of exploiting these differences to their
advantage while laying out design for their stores, offices, showrooms, etc.; they may
choose the colors of their products, packaging, or their interior decoration of their
stores depending upon their target audience (e.g. gender-specific stores, kids store,
etc.) and depending on the messages they want to convey. Therefore, research relating
to choice of colors must be conducted and concluded before launching a business, as
the wrong color choice can convey the wrong message and can have negative impact
on the image of the product and the organization (Singh, 2006).

At a TEDx event that took place in 2014, Sarah Hyndman – a graphic designer
and typography specialist – made a presentation under the title ‘Wake Up and Smell
the Fonts’ that showed the great impact typography has on us as consumers. She
opened her speech saying, “We’re all type consumers.” She believes that typefaces
and fonts play a vital role in our everyday lives as they help us to navigate, make
choices, shop, among others. She inquired that it is hugely important, as the world
evolves, that all of those involved in the future of communication and technology to
understand the power of type because “fonts turn words into stories.” She added that a
font can completely transform the meaning of a word; it can give it a backstory, it can
give it a personality, and it can turn it into something that can influence.

Throughout her career as a graphic designer, Hyndman learned that she can take
something cheap and mass-produced and transform it, with typography, into
something that looks handmade, sizzling fresh, and much more expensive – even if it
is not. She learned that she could use a typeface to give a huge impersonal corporate
organization a voice that says, “We’re friendly; we really care about you”, “We’re
exclusive and luxurious”, or “Trust us, we’ve been established forever.” She makes it
clear that typography is story telling.

Hyndman explains that typefaces communicate with our subconscious in two

different ways:

17
 The first way is to communicate with our basic instinctive need for protection and
survival. When we look at something round and red, we know that it is likely to be
ripe, sweet, nutritious and good to eat. We also know when we look at something
jagged that it looks angry, dangerous, and it is likely to taste sour or bitter. This is
how we perceive shapes and typefaces, the more they are rounded and soft, we
perceive them as friendly and tasty; the more they are sharp and jagged, we perceive
them as hostile and bitter.

Hyndman even carried out an experiment on a hundred people where they were
asked to eat two jellybeans. They ate the first jellybean while they were looking at a
round-shaped typeface, and they ate the second jellybean while they were looking at
jagged angular shaped letters. They rated the jellybeans eaten to the round shaped
typeface as tasting 17% sweeter, and the identical jellybean eaten to the jagged
shaped typeface as tasting 11% sourer. So the fonts actually altered how the sweets
tasted.

The second way that typefaces communicate with our subconscious is through
referencing to the complex library of associations that we have been building up in
our brains our whole lives. We build these up every time we see a font from the
context that we see it in; just like fonts associated with western movies and cowboys,
or like fonts associated with famous products like Coca-Cola.

Visual Branding as Marketing Tool

Marketing activities involving brands have to go into the stages of getting

consumers’ attention, connecting with their emotions, and becoming part of their
memory (Martinez, 2012). Alluding back to the AMA definition that says a brand is
“a name, term, sign, symbol, design, or some combination of these elements”, we
notice that a brand is a symbol, and a symbol is a representation of an idea in the
prospect’s mind that carries meanings behind it. Symbols work by stimulating the
cognitive process (Lamba, 2013). Attitudes and beliefs are important since they shape

18
the consumers’ cognitive and emotional type structure. They are built in the
consumers’ minds and govern their behavior (Martinez, 2012). Consumer behavior is
the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product; it blends
elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics (Lamba,
2013). Lamba further distinguishes the product from the brand; product is a physical
entity that lives in the real world while brand is an everlasting entity that lives in the
consumers mind. In this sense, we can say that brands are drivers of competitive edge.
It is very important for brands to integrate into the consumer’s daily habit of use and
consumption. Thereby, a high level dependency will be raised and the use of these
products will become naturally fit in the lives of users (Martinez, 2012).

Furthermore, in his study on the influence of brands on consumer purchase

behavior, Lamba finds that brands play an effective role in the purchase decision. It
has also showed that people prefer branded products for various reasons like good
packaging, availability, no bargaining, effective quality, easy complaint against fraud
goods and easy replacement, benefit of guarantee and warrantee, etc. (Lamba, 2013).
A brand must be clearly coherent in all levels of the marketing mix: product, price,
place, promotion, concept, image, communication, packaging, labeling, advertising,
variety, and distribution (Martinez, 2012).

Understanding the consumers’ attitudes and beliefs – the set of values that guide
their behavior and consumption of products – is essential to align the brand strategy,
marketing strategy and advertising campaigns accordingly (Martinez, 2012).

One of the profound studies on Strategic Marketing was achieved by David Court
in collaboration with three coauthors about how consumers engage with brands,
which they called “consumer decision journey” (CDJ). Their model was developed
from a study of purchase decisions of about 20,000 consumers in various industries
and in three continents, revealing that today’s consumers take iterative four stages
into their decisions: consider, evaluate, buy, and enjoy, advocate, bond.

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Consider

The journey begins with initial stimuli to the consumer’s top-of-mind consideration
set, which contains the largest number of brands in the funnel model. Usually this
mind-set is assembled from exposure to visuals, ads, store displays, media, which
filters and usually reduces the number of choices in effect to what is most commonly
reputed and heavily advertised.

Evaluate

As consumers seek more input about the brand and its competitors from peers,
reviewers, and retailers, the initial consideration set expands and narrows as some
brands might be added and other ones eliminated as the consumers learn more and
their selection criteria shifts.

Buy

After various evaluations of the product and brand, consumers might be easily
dissuaded at this stage. Therefore the point of purchase comes into the role as it
exploits placement, packaging, availability, pricing, and sales interactions, which is
considered to be the most powerful touch point inspiring the consumers to make up
their minds and encouraging their purchase decision.

Enjoy, advocate, bond

After purchase the consumer has already invested enough of thinking, time and effort
(consideration, evaluation) and money (buy), so that a new level of validation to this
investment starts to build deeper. A consumer starts to interact with the product and
investigate it more directly, where the touch point entirely becomes missing from the
funnel. If consumer is disappointed by the brand, ties with it will be severed.
However, when consumers are pleased with a purchase, they’ll advocate for it by
word of mouth and even will enjoy invigorating the brand’s potential and usually

20
derive their opinion to rest products of same brand, until the bond becomes strong
enough that they enter an enjoy-advocate-buy loop that entirely skips the ‘consider’
and ‘evaluate’ stages.

The brand is the major driver of revenue (Franzen & Moriarty, 2015). As a
primary function, a brand has to set the company into the market race by making it
stand out among its competitors, which can be achieved by creating a meaning and
giving the product a unique identity and a special image that can be translated or
communicated through visual branding among other means.

Peter Drucker (1954), a renowned management expert, stated that a “business

enterprise has two basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and
innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.” Actually, innovation is a key
ingredient to any successful business or project – and that is not debatable. The fact
that Drucker had associated innovation with marketing in the sane regard means that
the latter is to be visualized in the same level of importance – which is also a fact,
because no good product or service can achieve great success with bad marketing or
bad branding.

It is already established that every business wishes to develop trust, confidence

and loyalty in its products, should develop a unique identity and reputation to
distinguish itself and its products from those of its competitors. This maintains
valuable business assets of trust and goodwill that become linked to the providers of
the product. This is usually achieved through a distinctive trade name and one or
more trademarks or logos, which play a fundamental role in the marketing strategy of
developing long term relationships with customers – often emotional –
communicating a diligently nurtured image or reputation (IP and Business, 2002).
This strategy, along with differentiating products from those of rivals, move the
customers quickly from brand awareness, via brand recognition, to brand preference
and finally to brand insistence (IP and Business, 2002). It is at this point when the
consumer rejects alternatives and become willing to pay even higher premium for the

21
products of the desired brand and that is when the organization starts making real
revenue.

However, this is not an easy task as a strong brand image and effective logos
require an excellent knowledge of trademark law and experience at national and
international levels. Professional guidance becomes necessary and specialists usually
put into the process enormous amount of effort and novelty in terms of each field of
business. Nevertheless, in the ‘Role of Trademarks in Marketing’ (2002), they state
few basic elements to keep in mind for design of a good logo or trademark, which
should:

• Be inherently distinctive,
• Be easy to memorize and pronounce,
• Fit the product or image of business,
• Have no legal restrictions, and
• Have a positive connotation

Any marketing activity involving brands must not go unnoticed and subtle; on the
contrary, it must be visualized and magnified in the minds of consumers (Martinez,
2012). Marketing activities could comprise logos, new ideas, advertising campaigns,
packaging, promotions, and many other visual branding aspects. Being noticed,
influencing the consumer, and building associations and links in their minds are
enough evidence of the remarkable outcomes of these marketing activities (Martinez,
2012). Ries and Ries (2002) argued that conventional marketing is based on selling
when it should be based on branding. They intended to show that marketing is
building a brand in the mind of the prospect. If you can build a powerful brand, you
will have a powerful marketing program (Ries & Ries, 2002).

22
Methodology
In the quest of answering the research questions that investigate the impact of
visual branding on consumer perception and whether visual branding contribute to
marketing or not, the following data was collected and it is to be analyzed later in the
chapter.

Data Collection

The data collected in this project constitutes of the following:

I. Logo questionnaire: the questionnaire comprises of nine different logos for

the same name where people are randomly asked to guess the industry of each
logo to examine whether visuals: color, shape and typography are enough to
communicate ideas and messages.
II. Rebranding Prospects / case study: Prospects is a marketing firm that had
undergone rebranding through changing its logo and corporate identity in
order to align with its mission, vision and values. An empirical analysis will
be presented to show the difference between the old and new logos in order to
assess how visual branding communicates and the extent to which it is
influential and essential to the business.
III. Expert perspective / interview: this method comprises of an interview with
an expert in the field of communication to meet his insights on visual
branding, consumer behavior and marketing.

Framework

In methodology no. 1, both quantitative and qualitative analysis are required in order
to discover how the public perceives visual aspects of branding.

23
In methodologies no. 2 qualitative analysis will be dominant, as we will be analyzing
the functions of visual branding.

The interview in methodology no. 3 will be used to support the idea in question
whether visual branding has any impact on customer behavior and on marketing.

Ethical issues

The participants in the logo questionnaire were random people who were asked to
participate in the project beforehand, and they were told that no personal information
about them is needed. Therefore, their mere participation by answering the
questionnaire is a sign of their consent. As to the logos used in this part, they are not
subject to patent issues as I personally have designed them for the sake of this thesis.
However, the use of any of these logos in any way without my consent will be
considered plagiarism of my intellectual property.

Permission was granted by the CEO of Prospects to use the old and new logos for
academic and analytical purposes, and they are not to be used or misused in any other
way apart from this study.

As to the interview, I was given the permission to use this interview by the
interviewee himself, after having explained to him the aims of this study, and we have
agreed that I will be using his full names along with his titles.

24
Data Presentation
I. Logo Questionnaire

This experiment is meant to show how the public perceives brands through the
logo, which is the most direct representation of any brand. This experiment is also
meant to depict the power of color, shape and typography in communicating brands.

The questionnaire comprises of nine different logos for the same name, which is
‘Casa Bella’: the Italian translation of ‘Beautiful House’. The name is chosen because
it is general and can stand for almost anything. It can be a shop, a restaurant, a movie,
etc. Therefore, the naming of the brand in this experiment is irrelevant and of no
significance, which is intended in order to reveal the power of the visual part of
branding.

Logos used in this questionnaire are designed with minimum means. Logos no.1,
3, and 8 made use of font and color only. The rest of the logos made use of simple
symbols in addition to font and color. This following presentation will portray each
logo along with a brief technical description of its components and the reasons those
were used.

Horror Movie

This logo comprises of a typeface that has drop-like strokes. Combining this typeface
with a bright red color gives away the effect of dripping blood, which implies the
impression that something scary is about to happen, something thrilling and
terrifying. Usually we encounter this imagery in thriller or horror movies.

25
Pastry

This logo uses an illustration of a cup cake with a cherry on top along with a thin
cursive calligraphic typeface as if it were handwritten to suggest the feeling that the
items done by this brand are carefully and exclusively handmade. Moreover, the dark
brown chocolate color further portrays the high-end gourmet product you are about to
have the pleasure of tasting.

Children Clothes

This logo makes use of two cheerful and joyful colors: pure yellow and cyan blue.
Whereas the font used has stars on it and is written in a reluctant manner to resemble
childlike handwriting.

Italian Restaurant

It is probably obvious that the colors used in this logo resemble those of the Italian
flag: Green and Red. Moreover, the picture above portrays spaghetti topped with basil
leaves that directly relate to the traditional Italian cuisine.

26
Beach Resort

The font used in this logo is rounded and wavy to resemble water waves along with
the aqua blue color. The sign used is clearly a portrayal of two palm trees to suggest
the feel of a tropical exotic beach. It is notable to mention that this logo got 100%
right answers. This means that it really clicked on right triggers.

American Jeans

The three main visual elements used in this logo integrate with each other to give the
feel of the American identity:

• The font used is the one we usually see in western cowboy movies.
• The colors used (red, blue, and white) resemble the colors of the USA flag.
• The eagle illustration is directly linked to the American culture.

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Sushi Restaurant

The main items that give away the idea of sushi are of course the chopsticks in the
middle. Moreover, the font gives the impression that it is made of bamboo sticks and
colored with brick red that is widely used in traditional Japanese architecture.

Fashion Magazine

This logo simply uses a typeface named Didot that is used by most renowned fashion
magazines, such as Vogue and ELLE, and by most fashion houses and events. The
association of this very typeface with fashion has created a link in the minds of
viewers that makes them recognize it on the spot. Some participants mentioned that it
has something to do with clothes or fashion even before reading the choices.

Ice Cream

The curly swirly font used in this logo reflects the fun and the childish spirit that is
associated with ice cream. Looking at this font, you feel that you are about to
experience something fun and cheerful. Moreover, the colors of the three overlapping

28
circles resemble the ice cream scoops of different flavors; very minimalistic shapes,
yet very expressive, communicative and easy to notice. Some participants mixed this
logo for children clothes; maybe they are not completely wrong, because there is
something childish about the typeface and colors.

In this experiment, 100 participants were asked to match each of these nine logos
to their corresponding function or field of operation; they had to choose from a list on
the other side of the page. Participants were randomly chosen at coffee shops and
supermarkets and they are of all age brackets and both genders. The results were as
follows:

• 84% of the questionnaires were matched completely correct.

• 16% were partially incorrect:
o 8% of which had 7 correct answers out of 9
o 3% of which had 6 correct answers out of 9
o 3% of which had 5 correct answers out of 9
o 2% of which had 4 correct answers out of 9

II. Rebranding Prospects / case study

‘Prospects’ is a field marketing and training company. It was established in 2004

in Lebanon and has been operating since then in BTL Marketing activities, Market
research and trainings for a big number of clients from different industries. It has
expanded later to Jordan and Syria. As a client of mine, Prospects has undergone a
rebranding program in 2014 in order to achieve higher recognition among its rivals in
the market. The values they needed to highlight were: professionalism, trust, and
creativity.

This case study will put the ‘before’ and ‘after’ logos of this firm under the
microscope for analysis to show how branding could affect the image of this firm and
people’s perception of it.

29
Before

To start, a description of the fonts used in this logo is needed. ‘Pro’ is written with
Bauhaus 93 italic typeface, and ‘spects’ is written with Calibri typeface. It is
historically known that Bauhaus is a German art school and art movement that started
early twentieth century (Jaeggi). It is a bold minimalistic typeface, as we see no much
detail is done with it. It is usually best used in art and design exhibitions, and it is not
typically associated with the world of business and professionalism.

This can be proven through a simple exhibit of both fonts used in both old and
new logos: If we write the word ‘Professional’ in both fonts, which one will really
give the right impression?

(Italic Bauhaus 93) and (Arial Black).

Arial Black is clear, bold, and standing its ground, which sells the idea of a
professional business firm; whereas Bauhaus 93 does not really show the same
seriousness and clarity with its rounded edges and minimalistic aspects, and
consequently, it does not convey the correct message.

As to the colors, the combination of red and yellow are usually associated with
fast food places like McDonald’s, Burger King, Hardee’s, Pizza Hut, among many
others. We do not normally see a firm that offers business services with this
combination of colors. Moreover, using a white background to a yellow text makes it
hard to read and stresses on the rest of the word (spects), which is meaningless.
Whereas the focus is meant to be on ‘Pro’ in order to imply the message: ‘we are
professional’, or else there would be no point out of dividing the word.

30
After

Knowing that Prospects operate in three main domains: Marketing, Training, and
Design & Print, the letter P was made of three strokes and of three different colors in
order to portray the number of services. Moreover, the letter P communicates the
value of creativity, as it is not a conventional P, it was specially made for this logo.

The division of the brand name into ‘Pro’ and ‘spects’ was maintained in order to
allude to the older logo, since clients are already familiar with it, and to keep the
embedded message that says: ‘we are professional’ as it is one of the main values that
is intended to be communicated.

The combination of the three colors used in this logo (Red, Blue and Grey) is
meant to align with the meanings and values that this brand name stands for. The
combination of Blue and Grey is associated with business, professionalism, trust and
dependability, which is why we see these colors in corporate brands, insurance firms
and banks. As to the deep red color, it is meant to pull the attention to the word ‘Pro’
and it shows power along with the Arial Black, a bold sans-serif font, that
compliments the professional statement of the brand as explained earlier.

As to the other typeface used in ‘spects’, it is written in Baskerville, a 250-year-

old serif typeface. A recent study done by Errol Morris, the acclaimed filmmaker and
author, investigated ‘how typography shapes our perception of truth’ (Co.Design,
2015). Morris intended to find out whether the typeface a statement was written in
had any impact on a reader's willingness to agree with that statement. He was in
question whether some typefaces are more believable than others. The answer is yes.
Baskerville, a 250-year-old serif originally designed by John Baskerville, was

31
statistically more likely to influence the minds of readers than Computer Modern,
Georgia, Helvetica, Comic Sans or Trebuchet (Co.Design, 2015).

Morris finally concluded that “truth is not typeface dependent, but a typeface can
subtly influence us to believe that a sentence is true.” Hence, using Baskerville
typeface in Prospects logo gives more trust and credibility to the brand and assures its
values.

III. Expert’s View

“Behavior arises out of perception” (McCain, 2012). I read this quote in a

book about Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) – a communication approach. This
means that the way we act towards our surroundings is a result of how we perceive
things. Hence, our choices are based on our perceptions. Knowing that NLP is gaining
more and more popularity that it has become the new trend in the world of
communication, and business and personal development, it would naturally be
required in this study to investigate visual branding from an NLP point of view.

The following text is an interview with an NLP trainer and practitioner who is
also a business and life coach, Mr. Zaher Molaeb. He tells us how visual branding
works, how it affects consumer behavior, and how it can be effective in marketing.

1. What is the main driver of consumer behavior and purchasing decisions?

Please explain.

Emotions. In fact, people buy the product out of their need; however, they choose a
specific brand out of their emotions. For example, having a car has become a need for
sure, any car would do, it does not have necessarily to be a Porsche; however, Porsche
lovers buy it because it makes them feel good.

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 2. How are people’s emotions triggered?

People’s emotions are triggered when a brand provokes one of the six human basic
emotional needs:

1 Certainty: the assurance that you can avoid pain and gain pleasure
2 Uncertainty: the need for the unknown, change, or a new stimuli
3 Significance: feeling significant, unique, important, special or needed
4 Connection/Love: the strong feeling of closeness or union with someone or
something
5 Growth: the expansion of capacity, capability or understanding
6 Contribution: the sense of service and focus on helping, giving and supporting
others

So, whenever a brand hits on any of these touch points, emotions will be moved
towards buying or experiencing that brand.

3. How are colors and shapes associated with emotions?

The strongest sense by which people perceive the world is their visual sense. Almost
everything we see is linked to a certain feeling or emotion in our subconscious mind
which is usually (as proven) responsible for 85% to 90% of all our decisions. For
instance, red is usually linked to power or love, blue is linked to trust, pink is linked
to femininity, and so forth. Likewise, shapes can trigger certain feelings and
emotions. For instance, curvy lines would give a friendly impression while sharp
angles would give a more aggressive image.

4. Do you think that visual branding is an effective marketing tool?

Yes, it is indeed. The brands that we see in shops, in ads, on TV, in the streets and
practically everywhere get inside our subconscious through visual repetition so that
we become more and more aware of these brands and familiar with them. The more a

33
brand appeals to our senses the more we like it and become aware of its presence.
Visual branding plays its major role in creating this appeal and awareness through the
right colors and shapes that convey the right messages.

Data Analysis and Findings

Considering that the total number of participants is 100 in the logo questionnaire,
84% is regarded as a very high percentage. Moreover, the rest of the questionnaires
were not answered completely wrong and the lowest scored 4 out of 9. Furthermore,
only 2% scored below average, considering the average below 5. The fact that 0%
answered the questionnaire all wrong means that we can rely on the common sense in
building brand identity, knowing that the people who filled out the questionnaire were
of diversified intellectual and social classes and back grounds.

Looking at the logo questionnaire, we deduce out of these numerical results that
logos do tell a story and do convey a message. We come to find that colors do have
connotations and can be related to ideas and concepts in our memories and our minds.
We come to find that color and typography can make a clear combination that
communicates influentially with the public.

This is further proved in the rebranding of Prospects. This case study is intended
to show how inappropriate visual branding can mislead consumers by delivering
unwanted messages. Using the colors and typography in an abrupt and random
manner without meditating the meaning behind each visual element can mislead the
consumers and harm the brand identity. Using unsuitable fonts and colors in the old
logo gives the impression that this firm works in a different field, has nothing to do
with marketing and training and has nothing to do with business services. As to my
personal perception, every time I see the logo, I think of French fries. This feeling is
brought about by the use of curvy rounded typefaces and the colors (yellow and red)
that, as proven earlier, stimulate appetite and are directly linked in our minds to fast
food places like McDonald’s and Hardee’s.

34
 Nevertheless, the alteration in perception of the brand is obvious after the change
since the use of proper colors and typography gives the correct impression. This is
more elaborated in the analysis of the logo – using corporate blue color with
Baskerville font to imply credibility and trust, using Arial Black font with deep
brilliant red color to highlight PRO in order to imply the message that says, ‘we are
professional’, and creating a font for the letter P to imply a sense of creativity and
innovation. This case study shows that the power of visual branding lies in its ability
to communicate the implicit messages of the brand.

This is further assured in the last methodology. To sum up, Molaeb states that
consumer behavior and purchasing decisions are maneuvered by emotions as long as
a brand touches on one of the six basic emotional needs listed above. For example, we
buy a familiar brand that has been long established to be certain of getting the
appropriate function or result that we are looking for. Moreover, our love for
adventure and our need for uncertainty at times are usually triggered by the word
‘discover’ that we always encounter in ads along with some mysterious imaginary
image. Sometimes we buy extremely expensive brands (Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mont
Blanc, etc…) – even if we cannot afford them – just to feel significant or superior; we
buy nice pricey clothes, cars, smart phones… to feel good about our self-image and to
feel loved and connected to others in the way we fit in among them.

Molaeb also implied that the visual part of branding is one of the most influential
because the strongest sense by which people perceive their surrounding is the visual
sense. Moreover, he assured that colors and shapes communicate with our
subconscious due to the links and associations we have compiled through our prior
experiences. This makes visual branding an effective marketing tool in the sense that
it communicates directly with the part of our brain that is ‘responsible for 85% to
90% of all our decisions’, it provokes our emotions and the next thing we know is that
we are buying the brand.

35
Conclusion and Evaluation
This research is conducted in the pursuit of determining the impact of visual
branding on consumer perception and behavior and whether it contributes to
marketing in any way.

Throughout this study, we have established that visual branding is the part of the
whole branding and marketing system, which further distinguishes products or
services from their rivals. The more visual branding accurately translates the mission,
vision, and values of the brand, the more brand identity and brand strategy gets
aligned with the holistic strategy of the organization. This coherence, unity, and
consistency in the branding of a product or service imply more credibility and trust to
the brand – two of the most fundamental values known to drive growth and
profitability for any business. When consumers trust a brand they become loyal to it,
they become its advocates and they even bond with it. Once this trust and credibility
is lost, the brand equity is jeopardized.

Moreover, we have established that consumers’ behavior and purchasing decision

are driven by need for the product and by emotion for the brand. The more a brand
communicates positive emotions and builds up positive links and associations in the
subconscious of consumers’ minds, the more it has the chance to affect their
perception, and eventually it imposes the purchasing decision in some way.

Throughout the conduct of this study, we have arrived to results that assure all
what have been discussed earlier in the literature, and added further proof that our
perception as consumers is hugely affected by visual elements. Due to media
intervention these visual elements make brand identities more familiar and easier to
identify; the matter that serves the marketing of the brand.

The findings of the research have shown the power of color, shape, and
typography in how they relate to people’s prior experiences and memories and to their

36
repertoire of associations. Hence, using these visual aspects in logos and other visual
branding material do convey certain messages. The associations and links that have
accumulated through the years in our subconscious tell us what to expect when we see
a brand. This is where the power of visual branding resides, as for its ability to
communicate.

Visual brand identity is very much similar to dress code. It would be inappropriate
to attend a business meeting wearing casual clothes; just as much it is inappropriate
for an athlete to attend a game wearing a formal suit and a necktie. This would give
away an impression of unprofessionalism or ignorance. Likewise, it would be totally
wrong if a soccer team player wears the shirt of his opponents during the game. This
will create a conflict among players of both teams as they will be misled and tricked,
because it is a known fact that the first aid that allows team players to identify each
other in the field is the color of their shirts. Therefore, using colors that belong to
other industries, or that serve other values and meanings is only going to mislead the
consumers by delivering the wrong message. On the other hand, using those visual
elements in the correct manner and in context will easily and naturally convey
whatever messages we intend to communicate.

From a marketing point of view, visual branding is so much influential as it has an

impression on consumers’ purchasing decisions. Moreover, the more distinguished
the design and graphics of a logo or a brand identity and the more they hold meanings
within, the more they become memorable and identifiable. After all, that is one major
target of marketing i.e. introducing brands and products to the public in order to
increase brand awareness and sales.

Using visual branding techniques of communication can be very influential in the

way they appeal to us, or in fact, in the way they manipulate our emotions. I would
like to call it a double-edged sword. I just hope that the use of these techniques would
be restricted to good causes. To make this clear: the manipulative and appealing
power of branding can be harmful when used on cigarettes for example; using visual

37
branding to make smoking people look cool, handsome, appealing… will not just
result in good profitability for the cigarette company, but also will affect a whole
generation who will be adapting this bad habit because they were tricked into thinking
that it can give them all these things they once saw in an advertisement.

However, if we intend to use these techniques for good, we can advertise healthy
meals for example. We can make a meal look and taste sweeter while in fact it can be
low-sugar meal for diabetes patients; or we can make it look and taste saltier while it
is in fact a low-sodium meal. These are just few examples of what visual branding is
capable of so that we become more cautious to use this capability in the best manner.

It is recommended that organizations and business owners devote effort and

budget for their brand identity and regard establishing the communication link
between the brand and the consumer with great deal of significance, as brand is the
most eminent factor that motivates the consumer to buy. Following this strategy will
ultimately augment the organization’s market share and profitability.

38
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Appendix
 Logo Questionnaire
Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror
Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

Sushi Restaurant American Jeans Horror

Children Clothes Beach Resort Ice Cream
Italian Restaurant Fashion Magazine Pastry

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