Browse a brand's website, scroll through their Instagram feed, or flick through a brochure; if everything feels like it fits together, then chances are you’re experiencing the power of visual consistency.

It’s easy to overlook. In a world full of endless content, consistency can feel like a small thing, but it’s actually one of the most important. It’s the glue that holds your brand together, and it helps shape how people see, remember, and trust you. Therefore, it's important to consider and protect that consistency, especially when you have multiple users and teams involved in producing content and artwork.

The everywhere effect

We don’t live in a world where your brand only appears in print or a physical location. Today’s customers might see your brand on a billboard, your content on Instagram, your ad online, and your website on their phone, all in the same day. If those moments feel disconnected, your brand starts to feel the same way. It never forms a coherent picture in their minds – they ignore it, and move on with their lives.

But when your visual identity is consistent - your colours, fonts, images, logo, tone of voice, even your photo style - across every interaction, it tells people that your brand knows who it is. That kind of consistency builds confidence.

More than just being ‘on brand’

Let’s be clear, this isn’t only about looking good. Visual consistency is important because:

• It strengthens brand identity: When everything from your brochures to your banner ads feels like it belongs together, it shows people what your brand stands for.
• It increases mental availability: The more familiar your brand looks, the quicker people remember you, and the more likely they are to choose you. Over time, they won’t need a prompt.
• It creates trust: Familiar things make people feel more comfortable. When something feels familiar, we trust it more.
• It helps you stand out: In a crowded market, having a strong, clear visual style gives people a reason to notice you.
• It improves the customer experience: When your online and offline presence match, it gives people a smoother, more joined-up journey. And that makes them more likely to come back.

How do brands achieve this?

This type of consistency doesn’t happen by accident; it requires vigilance and clear guidelines. Brands need to ensure they have the right tools in place:

• Create brand guidelines: Set out clear rules for your logo, colours, font and tone of voice. Make it clear to anyone in-house or agency exactly how your brand should be represented.
• Use templates and toolkits: Make it simple, create templates for social media, presentation and product packaging to ensure a consistent look and feel for everyone making content.
• Keep your team aligned: Again, whether it’s in-house or agency, make sure everyone understands the brand's identity and purpose through onboarding and a defined briefing process.
• Regular reviews: Make sure you have an established process for regularly reviewing the content being produced to ensure any inconsistencies are highlighted and rectified.

Codifying the brand

Brand codes (aka distinctive brand assets) go beyond the basic stipulations of brand guidelines – they’re the sensory identifiers that close the gap between your brand and the consumer. It’s the shape of a Coca-cola bottle, the Dulux paint dog, a yellow Selfridges bag (or a red MAGA hat). Anyone can choose a font and specify colours but, if they’re distinctive enough, brand codes work wonders over the long term.

Building brand recognition takes discipline – you have to resist the urge to tinker round the edges and recognise what it is about your brand that makes it instantly familiar. If you’re fortunate enough that people immediately associate a particular colour with your brand, keep using it (even if you’re sick to death of it and the new CMO hates it).

Codifying the brand is vital first step that will inform everything else that follows – after all, what good is even the best campaign in the world if people don’t know it’s you?

What’s the takeaway?

Visual consistency isn’t about repeating yourself. It’s about helping people recognise and remember you. Every time your brand appears, it’s a chance to build trust, or lose it. When your print, digital, packaging, and people all follow the same visual style, your audience sees a clear and confident brand that can stand out amongst its competitors.

In short? Consistency isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a brand strength.