Joyline D'mello, Author at Narrative - Page 2 of 2

Your True Colours: How to Choose Brand Colours for your Business
Being a trade name, you should carefully select and consistently use colours. Choosing the right brand colours can help you build a memorable identity that emotionally and psychologically resonates with your audience. Let’s peek into the basics of this process:

Factors to consider while choosing brand colours
- Think of what your brand represents and the feelings you want to evoke in your audience
- Understand how different colours can make people feel or spur certain psychological associations
- Try and assess the preferences and emotions of your target audience
- Reflect on and research how brand colours might be interpreted in different cultures
- Examine the colours used by your competitors.
Examples of what certain colours typically symbolise

Typical associations for a few common colours would be:
- Red symbolises passion, excitement and power
- Blue symbolises trust, security and tranquillity
- Yellow stands for happiness, optimism and energy
- Green for nature, growth and health
- Purple for luxury, creativity and wisdom
- Orange represents enthusiasm, warmth and fun
- Black depicts sophistication, elegance and authority
- And white symbolises purity, simplicity and cleanliness.
Can a colour evoke different emotions in different people?

In some cases, yes. Our experiences and social and cultural contexts decide how we see colours. The same colour can certainly trigger dissimilar psychological triggers in different individuals.

How to go about competitors’ colour choices?

Thorough research can help you stay ahead of the curve. Look up industry trends and the colours your competitors are using. Go through their websites, social media handles and advertisements. Reviewing choices empowers you to make an informed decision.

What role does target audience research play in choosing brand colours?

It plays a crucial role. If your target audience is young, they’ll prefer fresh and energetic colours. An older audience might like more calming colours. Brands should also see colours in the context of cultures, as their meanings change from one culture to another. These considerations will give you insights into the audience, ensuring you represent the brand well.

How to test colour choices across media?

When working with different media, it’s vital to understand colour models. The CMYK colour model is used in print and RGB in digital displays. Pantone colours, on the other hand, are special pre-mixed inks commonly used in printing. While choosing colours, it’s crucial to evaluate how they can translate across models. For example, a vibrant colour in RGB might appear dull when printed in CMYK. However, Pantone colours provide a standardised colour matching system, so there’s consistency across various print materials. A brand should select and adjust colours based on these models to maintain accuracy across media.

Tools to use for colour selection and palette-creation

You can use a variety of tools and software. Adobe Color, Coolors, and Color Hunt are good options for choosing brand colours and effecting colour combinations for designs. These tools will help you customise palettes and allow you to check if the selected colours look good together.

How to stay current in this evolving industry? Any online guide recommendations to understand colour in branding better?

You can stay current by following industry blogs, subscribing to newsletters and watching YouTube videos. If you’re looking for resources to understand colour in branding, check out websites such as Behance, Pinterest, Dribbble and Designspiration. With the help of these sites, you can identify modern trends in colour.

Abhilash RS

Creative Director, Narrative

Abhilash is a forever learner and tech enthusiast. When not designing magic, you’ll find him reading a book or embracing solitude — guess it’s the age!
July 18, 2024
Elements of Brand Visuals: How to create a memorable logo?

Let’s take a moment to understand the creative journey of a memorable logo.

What is the primary purpose of a logo?

The primary purpose of a logo is identification. It is a symbol that customers use to recognise a brand. It is a visual representation of a company and serves as a recognisable emblem.

Why is a memorable logo important for a brand?

Ideally, you’d want consumers to instantly connect the look of a logo with the memory of what a company does — and more importantly, how it makes them feel. A memorable logo achieves exactly that.

How do you gather inspiration for a new logo design?

In this age of the Internet, online platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Behance help with inspiration because you can scan through multiple sample logos at the same time. As designers, we then put together the creative direction to establish a brand’s style.

What role does understanding the brand and its target audience play in logo design?

Understanding a brand and its target audience helps one make informed decisions about colour schemes, typography, visual elements, and the overall aesthetic of the brand. This further ensures engagement with the audience.

Can you list out the key elements worth considering during the conceptualisation phase?

Firstly, try and understand the brand personality. It is based on the brand archetype, which we identify and establish for the brand during the strategy phase. In branding, a good design should reflect the personality of the brand. Following that, we ideate and come up with initial design concepts.

What tools and software do you use for logo design?

We use Adobe Illustrator.

Can you describe your design process from sketching to finalising the logo?

The first step is to design a logo that resonates with a brand’s target audience. It is important to understand who they are, what they need, and what they expect from the brand. The second step is to define the brand strategy or the core essence of a brand. The brand strategy will include vision, mission, values, purpose, personality, tone of voice and positioning. It is what makes the brand unique and different from the others in the market. We use a brand archetype to articulate the personality of a brand. We then gather references from online platforms and start integrating as many as three concepts + mood boards/visual directions to establish the brand style. This ensures that everyone is on the same page from the very start.

For instance, one of the brands that we are currently working on belongs to the boating industry and specialises in making boating parts. We captured the essence of its challenger personality by coming up with the concept of manta rays. The manta ray is a large fish known for its graceful gliding in the ocean. It symbolises the smoothness and ease of movement associated with the brand. For the logo, we’re using a stylised manta ray with sharp angular lines to convey a sense of rebellion and innovation. Manta rays are often found gliding in open waters and are known for their majestic tranquil presence.

Under moodboards, we cover aspects such as brand attributes, keywords, colour palette — explaining why we have used certain colours, typo, mood, feel and lifestyle.

Once we have established a visual direction for the project, we begin to apply that style into initial design concepts and start developing a logo. These are then presented in mock-ups so that the client can visualise the branding in a real-life setting. Once concept and direction are approved by the client, we start refining the logo, using the golden ratio. We also make necessary modifications to the type, keeping the brand personality in mind. We then create logo variations — primary logo, secondary logo, wordmark and favicon. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the context, message and medium. We then present these to the client for final approval. Once approved, we export the ready-to-use files.

Tell us about the typography that you pick

There is no set rule about typography. It depends on the brand strategy. We choose a font based on the personality of the brand; then, customise and refine it to ensure that it’s authentic and unique.

Babrella Joseph

Creative Head, Narrative

Babrella pedals through life with a passion for cycling, a curiosity for exploration, and a flair for designing the most imaginative creations.

July 9, 2024
How we made the Nature inFocus Festival bigger!
Nature inFocus is the only festival in India dedicated to the nature and wildlife community.

We had two tasks:
1. To highlight the issue of climate change, global warming, and the lack of awareness about sustainability.
2. To reach out to a large audience and drive footfalls for the Festival along with registrations for the Nature inFocus Photography & Film Awards.
After extensive deliberation and creative exploration, we came up with “The Time For CHANGE“. The communication line clearly encapsulates our mission and it served as a strong base to our campaign idea

Our world is plagued by several issues and the ongoing climate crisis needs our immediate attention. As the specter of environmental degradation looms ever larger, it is important that we seek out innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and embrace sustainable alternatives. Rooted in this fundamental premise, our campaign was meticulously crafted to evoke interest and drive awareness and action.

It was an integrated campaign that was executed on digital, social, print, OOH, and digital OOH also at the event.

Campaign delivered:
- Impression – 50M+
- Reach – 10 M+
- Website traffic – 2.5L
- Social media buzz – 8.6M Views
- Footfalls – 3,500+ individuals
- Award submissions – 25K entries from 20+ countries
The communication we crafted was well received by the audience. The right media mix helped the Festival reach the critical mass and generated relevant interest from the audience.

Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the Festival, there was an array of meticulously curated sessions, captivating installations, thought-provoking discussions, and inspiring talks to address issues surrounding sustainability and climate change.
January 24, 2024
2023 – The Highlights

Here’s what Team narrative was up to in 2023.

2023 unfolded as a promising year for narrative. Throughout the year achieved numerous milestones across our various projects. From ground breaking initiatives to transformative endeavors, each project was a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation.

As we reflect on the experiences that defined the year, we are filled with gratitude for the abundance of opportunities and growth that came our way

Take a look at all the exciting work that has come our way:

Creative Partner For Aero India

We designed the creative assets, communication, and campaign strategy for Aero India, the largest air show in Asia which happens in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Our team meticulously crafted a captivating visual identity, ensuring that every element reflected the grandeur and significance of this prestigious event.

The strategy spotlighted Karnataka’s thriving aerospace ecosystem unveiling its robust infrastructure. We took charge of designing the overarching campaign strategy integrating various elements to elevate the show’s reach and impact. Our approach aimed not just for visibility but for resonance, creating a memorable and immersive experience that mirrored the awe-inspiring nature of Aero India.

Website Design & Development For Gokaldas

Gokaldas, one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of apparel in India, approached us for website design and development. Our efforts were to make the website as stylish as their apparel. The focus was also on easy navigation, readability, and conveying a clear understanding of their work and achievements.

We aimed to balance aesthetics and functionality perfectly and delivered a high-functional website.

Campaign Creatives For Vestas

Throughout the year, we worked on creating assets for four global campaigns on health, environment, and safety. Our focus was on developing visually compelling posters, each meticulously adapted into multiple languages to resonate with diverse audiences across Vestas offices worldwide. Embracing a minimalist approach, the posters used a visual approach to highlight topics such as water conservation, safety measures, steps for mental and physical health, and environmental conservation.

The visuals did all the talking, creating the necessary impact and encouraging action.

Brand Development of Rescite

Rescite provides quality writing, editing, and formatting services for researchers. It makes their research publish-worthy. From the initial stage of conceptualization to the final execution stage, our team meticulously crafted a brand narrative that authentically represents Rescite’s company values, ethos, and unique offerings,

Our journey begins with a deep dive into market research, where we analyze industry trends, study competitor strategies, and uncover insights that shape our approach. Armed with this invaluable knowledge, we embark on a collaborative journey of ideation and innovation, brainstorming ideas and refining concepts until we unearth the perfect narrative that encapsulates Rescite’s core values

As we step into a new year, we carry forward the invaluable experiences and the collective pride of having achieved new milestones and worked with new industries.

Here’s to the continued pursuit of excellence and the anticipation of even greater achievements in the chapters that lie ahead!

January 11, 2024