Back then, corporate Identity was thought as the way in which a company communicates and expresses itself visually towards its audience (mainly by its logo, corporate colors, typography and imagery).
Today, interactive tools like Uber´s and Facebook´s brand guidelines are the go-to solution, and branding is the rule for corporate communication. Branding is everywhere, and it comprises the complete experience on how a person interacts with the brand, including online and offline interaction, being “interaction” the key word.
Interaction is a mutual action or influence and this is, ultimately, what every brand wants: to create an emotional link with its audience built by means of a reciprocal behaviour that begins with a brand´s actions and evolves into a meaningful relationship with its customers.
As online environments are an overwhelming majority in media communications of our days - sometimes consuming more than 8 hours of our daily routine, branding´s three basic elements - visuals, tone and behaviour- are paramount when designing a user interface.
The overall experience in a digital product builds the brand´s personality and enhances emotional ties with the audience, creating a sense of belonging and love that surpasses the physical experience and goes way beyond the subconscious mind.
In the overcrowded digital environment in which a user navigates daily, UI-UX is a powerful brand differentiator. Subtle but essential practices, such as proper logo placement in website design can achieve a maximum recall and enhance brand awareness, but let's not allow ourselves to be caught up in the visual layer of the experience.
User interaction behaviours and patterns are a huge part of a brand's personality: easiness of use, transparency in processes (check out, surveys, searches, etc.) and generally every aspect of usability can go beyond of what the eye can see and create the long wanted brand engagement.
A beautiful digital product should be also a powerful vehicle to connect and build trust amongst the brand and its users.