Last modified on July 18, 2021
From creating the graphic charter to deploying your visual identity on the web, discover our advice to improve your brand experience on your website. If the development of a graphic charter is intended to be structured and formal, how can it be adapted to web design?
What is a graphic charter?
The graphic charter is a formal document that can be established by an agency specializing in website creation, by a graphic designer, a freelancer, etc. It is a document that defines your logo, the color palette, the exclusion zone, the typographies to use and presents the possible variations of your visual identity on several media. For the prospect/customer, the graphic charter corresponds to all the visual characteristics that allow your brand to be identified.
So this is your logo,
It is an iconographic sign that must embody your expertise, your identity and your values. It can be an illustration and/or simply the name of your company. Several tools exist to help you imagine logos, among them we recommend smashinglogo.com which allows you to create and visualize your logo easily and quickly! And if you are looking for a little more inspiration you can consult this article on the most beautiful signs and logos in Montpellier!
These are your colors too,
For the sake of consistency, they often come from your logo. Gradients, tones, backgrounds… your graphic charter will help you define how and where to place colors on your website as well as on your business card. Used on your website to immerse visitors in your world, you should not underestimate the impact of colors in your communication and in particular the meaning of colors!
This is your typography,
It is an essential element of your identity: the font, the serif, the capitalization, etc. all elements that reflect the personality of your brand. The graphic charter will allow you to know the font to use for your titles, subtitles and body text. All this with the aim of maintaining the harmony of your website.
Some examples to demonstrate the importance of typography in the creation of your visual identity: Apple, Coca Cola, Bonne Maman, Dell, etc.
And finally, the visuals.
The image is essential in the construction of your website, which is why it is essential to have a varied catalog of photos. The graphic charter does not impose precise visuals, but the colors for example will influence the choice of your photos and/or illustrations.
You will need to multiply the photo shoots of your products, of your brand to create content consistent with your brand identity. In your visuals you will put your personality: rather very natural photos? Editorial photos? Black and white photos? All the illustrations contribute to making your messages stand out on your website, so it is strongly recommended to call on a professional photographer! Choose a photographer who matches your style and do not hesitate to look at examples of photo shoots!
Why design a graphic charter?
As you will have understood, a graphic charter governs the variations of your communication. It therefore represents a real time saving for companies that want to create their website, but also for professionals (Web designers, graphic designers, printers, etc.)
It not only allows ensure the consistency of your communicationbut in your creative strategy, it will also have a vital role: harmonize your image with different audiences.
The graphic chart protect your brandhelps to avoid potential conflicts with competitors for example. If a brand has a name similar to another, it is the graphic charter that will allow them to be differentiated.
On the web, your graphic charter will allow you to know which colors to use, which typography(ies) to use for your titles, subtitles, etc.
In print communication as in web design, it is essential to know who you are addressing. If your brand is, let’s say, offbeat, but has a site dedicated to professionals, you will have to adopt a more technical vocabulary and on the contrary, simpler, educational if your website is aimed at children.
In conclusion,
Note that the whole point of using a web agency is this ability to properly determine the target audience and therefore to create and best decline the graphic charter on your website. For example, some sites are intended for young audiences in the content, but it is the parents who will enter the platform. Thus the tone, the colors of the site will be adapted to a simplified, fast and efficient handling.
You now know the key elements needed to design a relevant and intuitive website graphic charter. The trick is to develop your graphic charter while keeping in mind the specificities of web design.
You can view examples of website graphic charters used in several projects!
Passionate about the web and entrepreneurship, I founded Digitiz in 2016. My goal is to share my experience with you and save you time in choosing your tools.
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