We all know the saying that ‘ a picture is worth a thousand words ’. This saying is very meaningful in brand building . It means that pictures , visuals , images and even colors are powerful in brand building . To be effective in building brand , you need clarity in designing the visual symbols that you ’ ll showcase to your customers . Brand symbols serve an important role in distinguishing the brand from others and in supporting the communication of brand identity .

Brands are identified not just by their names but also by visual symbols . These could be in the form of a logo , icon , colors or other physical symbols consistently applied in packaging , promotion , communication , locations or sales material both online or offline . Think of the Safaricom green and what it has come to mean to customers over time . Today Safaricom is emphasizing simplicity , and I believe that the color green is significant in being able to augment that message . Imagine if their brand color was pink like the early Kencell brand color for those who remember the history of mobile telephony in Kenya . Not all colors can carry the message of simplicity . The company has build great value and meaning around this green color symbol . The initial benefit comes from common awareness of this color among Kenyans , as well as its visibility in our environment through the vegetation all around us . This is the natural color of the farm and represents abundance . Visuals play an important role in enhancing brand recognition and image . Distinctive visual images add great value in increasing brand memorability , by making it easy for customers to remember a brand .

A logo is a significant visual brand element that plays an important role in the consolidation of brand image . Many times , the logo is all you need to see . Think of the logos of Facebook , Twitter , Apple and Coca-Cola . Consider the logos of popular Kenyan brands like KCB , Equity , MPesa , Tusker , and Kenya Airways . These logos speak for themselves , and in most cases you don ’ t need to see the brand name at all . In imagery research , we frequently use these logos as mind triggers because of their very high recognition ratings .

One memorable advertisement for me was a Mercedes Benz print advert , which run in the dailies and magazines several years ago . It was a full-page advert that showed the Mercedes Benz emblem at the center of the page , below it was a statement of two words , ’ Enough Said ’. I can still see the advertisement in my mind today . Further down on the page , the advertiser outlined in somewhat small print all the things you could say about Mercedes Benz including quality , engineering , style , elegance and the like . It then concluded that further talk was unnecessary because ‘ it ’ s your car that will be doing the talking ’. The aspect of putting the visual symbol to stand for itself in an almost empty page was very impactful . Another example of such usage is the iconic VW Beetle advert that visually played on its smallness by putting a small picture of the car on one side of a full page with the words , ‘ Think Small ’ at the bottom of the page . Over the years , VW has used the visual smallness of the Beetle to communicate different messages , including environmental consciousness .

Brand symbols speak to customers , sometimes loudly . Other times they speak volumes , even without words . From the saying that ‘ a picture is worth a thousand words ’ we can interpret that a brand symbol is worth more than words . A logo is a pictorial image of a brand . A logo stands for the credentials of a brand and serves as a stamp of authority of the brand promises . Over time it comes to represent the promises made to the customer . The promises consistently delivered by the brand over time .

A good logo enhances brand value in four important ways : First , by aiding recognition - this makes it easier for customers to recognize the brand as distinct from others in its category . They can easily spot it in supermarket shelves , in billboards or online . Secondly , by enhancing recall - that ’ s improving memorability . This makes it easier for the brand to stick in customers mind , and to be easy to remember . Third , by enabling distinctiveness - that ’ s the ability to stand out as different from all other brands in its category , and have a unique identity . This is crucial in supporting the brand in building its own unique story . Fourth , by enabling the expression of emotional benefits of a brand , that ’ s the benefit that comes from customer associations and the emotional connections that customers have with the brand over time . This helps generate positive energy when someone is looking at the brand .

With consistency of use a logo brings value overtime . This is done through associations and the work that is done by the brand owner to add meaning to the logo . This usually comes through the service that the brand delivers to the customer ; the problem that the brand solves for the customer ; the relationship it builds with the customer ; and ultimately through customer experience over time .

Brand visuals symbols are important because they tend to attain intrinsic meaning in the minds of customers . They build associations that stick in the consumers ’ minds overtime . They serve a key role in supporting brand loyalty . A brand represents the company ’ s promise to customers that it ’ ll consistently meet specific standards , in terms of features , benefits and services . It ’ ll be extremely hard to build brand loyalty without a clear and distinct brand identity . Visual symbols play an important role in delivering this distinctiveness and ensuring an emphatic brand identity .

Dr . Catherine Ngahu is a researcher , trainer and entrepreneur . She is the founder and Chairman of SBO Research , a company with a service footprint in 23 countries in Africa . She can be reached at : CNgahu @ sboresearch . co . ke ; Search for ‘ Catherine Ngahu ’ to follow her on You Tube .

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Visual Symbols Enhance Brand Value Over Time