How we use design to integrate branding and marketing experiences

Various types of content in e-commerce and digital platforms are loaded with important information.

Let’s take display and social ads for example.

A display ad may require:

• A logo

• Image

• Brand message

• Marketing message

• CTA

• Legal copy

If a display ad is static and not animated, it can be tricky to problem solve how to display all these pieces of information at once without disrupting the appeal of what you are trying to sell.

Information in design needs to be simple to be effective. There is very little time to grab attention, so how do we solve the problem of showing multiple types of necessary messaging?

Branding, marketing, and design

Branding, marketing, and visual design are crucial pillars in shaping customer perception and engagement.

Here’s how each contributes:

Branding

Defines the identity and personality of a company. It’s not just about the logo, but values, mission, tone of voice and storytelling that create emotional connections with customers. Strong branding creates trust and loyalty, making it desirable for customers to choose your product or service.

Marketing

Ensures that brand messages reaches the right audience. It involves strategies that communicate the brand’s value, solving the customer’s problems, in enticing ways that stands out from competitors. Effective marketing connects with the customer’s needs, takes them on a journey, and encourages them to engage with the brand.

Visual Design

The aesthetic aspect of branding, visual design reinforces the message and identity of the brand through colour, typography, and imagery. Good design can enhance the user experience, making your brand more memorable and recognisable.

Digital design

involves strategy to simplify messaging and create a clean information heirachy that is to the point, and follows accessibility needs.

Our job is to get into the mind of the user and analyse their data to create successful content.

We then localise content and test that it works for all regions .

Working with brand, marketing and design teams.

Design fuses the chemistry between branding and marketing. It combines story-telling and patterns in user behaviours to create stimulating visual communication. 

Here’s a breakdown of some challenge we can face in design when it comes to intersecting of branding, marketing, and design in e-commerce:

Balancing Brand and Marketing Information

Challenge

Balancing emotional branding vs marketing-driven offers.

The brand team may emphasise messaging that builds emotional connections with customers, fostering loyalty and brand affinity.

A marketing team may prioritise call-to-action elements, offers, and lead magnets to drive conversions.

Solution

The designer must create a balanced hierarchy that integrates both approaches without overwhelming or confusing the customer. The aim is to harmonize storytelling with actionable offers, ensuring both objectives are met.

Consistency in Design Across All campaigns and Channels

Challenge

Consistency that reinforces brand recognition.

Solution

A designer ensures uniformity in fonts, color schemes, imagery, and styling across every platform (website, social media, emails, etc.). This consistency builds trust, as customers recognize the brand's visual identity wherever they engage. The designer upholds the brand’s visual standards and ensures that all design elements reflect the brand guidelines, regardless of platform or format.

Consideration of Online Size Formats

Challenge

Designing for a wide variety of digital content formats.

Solution

A designer must customise layouts for each format to ensure content looks great and performs well, whether on a smartphone, desktop, or social media platform.

There is no "One-Size-Fits-All" Solution. Different platforms (mobile, desktop, social media, etc.) demand different size formats and layouts. However setting up streamline processes and automation on software like Figma can set up multiple layout jobs for success.

Thinking about the user journey

Challenge

Enforcing a user focused approach.

The design should be driven by user behavior and data, not personal preferences, style or assumptions. The focus is on understanding how customers interact with content at various stages of their journey.

Solution

Brand Identity Integration

While focusing on user needs, the designer should ensure the journey reflects the brand’s identity consistently and create a lasting Impressions that use elements like visuals, animations, and text in a way that creates a lasting memory for the user, helping the brand stand out in a competitive market.

Thinking about the user experience

Challenge

Encouraging the Mobile-First mindset and the need for accessible design.

Prioritise designing for mobile devices as more users interact with brands via mobile and ensuring that the content is inclusive, taking into account accessibility standards to create a welcoming experience for all users.

Solution

Tailoring design to work for mixed media,

What works for an instagram story may not work for a html5 banner and requires a separate technical thought process for what a design might look like in code language.

By addressing these aspects, a designer not only balances the goals of both branding and marketing but also creates a seamless, user-friendly experience across all digital touchpoints.

Throughout this blog, I will show you key tips on how to plan a considered approach to creating campaigns. A good place to start is by auditing your current online experience.

Check back for my free brand audit checklist over the coming weeks.

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