The words "visual brand" might turn your spine to cream cheese but having a recognisable visual identity is hugely important if you want the public to, well, recognise you. So, whether you're a designer or illustrator, have your own creative start-up or have a new product you'd like to sell, here are some top tips on how to give your stuff a cohesive 'look'.

Break it down

A visual brand is made up of a few basic things, which then hang together to create a whole. It may help to think about in chunks: colour palette, typography, logo and layout. You don't have to be as literal as mobile-phone company Orange and have your palette as your name, but you do need all these things to reference each other and work together. "Designing a brand isn't really about the communication channels – print, web, social media – it's about how the client wants their audience to feel about their brand, and creating a visual language that communicates the brand values," says art director and designer Matt Sanderman. "This encompasses the logo, typefaces, colours, images, exhibition stand, animations, and everything else that make the brand 'real'; the things a consumer can touch, feel, experience and interact with."

Think about what you're selling

"Create something that is clear, simple and honest to the brand you're trying to build," says D&AD's Sam Parsons. "Also, the visuals and colour palette should appeal to your audience." Put simply, think who you're trying to reach, what they might like and then make it. If you're creating a visual brand for someone else, take a tip from design agency ARPA, and throw your ego out the window: "Our job is to help our clients visually represent themselves as accurately as possible, so it's essential that we take time to listen to them and find out what their brand is about and what they want to say to the world. It's your chance to create something that your client wants to show off, not your chance to arbitrarily try out that new typeface that your friend mailed you."

Do your research

"It's crucial to do your research," says Matt. "Get outside, take photographs, pick up flyers, look at posters and graffiti, get a sense of what's going on visually. Go through design briefs with a highlighter and pick out the key phrases. Find out what the competition are doing. This will inform the design process and possibly spark ideas that will push a design in a new and unexpected direction. Simply 'Mac-ing something up' on the computer isn't my approach – you can teach anyone to use Photoshop and Illustrator, but it's the concept behind an identity that gives it it's value."

Consider your medium

"You'll be expected to produce work that can translate seamlessly between print and digital," say ARPA. "There are two very different sets of rules and restrictions specific to each of these mediums. You can see colours on screen that you'd never be able to match as vividly with ink, even if you were printing with Pantone colours. Your working space is very restricted on a website, whereas in print you're only restricted by the size of your printing press. Low-res images are fine for screen but aren't acceptable in print. If I had to broadly highlight three inconsistencies to always be aware of when working with both pixels and ink, they would be resolution (make sure it's right), rendering (of type) and refresh rate (you only get one chance with print)."

Take the long view

Aim to make something now that will still work in 15 years time. Technology, trends and markets will change but, if you nail your visual brand now, it will withstand all of that. "If you are hoping for a lengthy career, it's important to create something that won't date easily," as ARPA put it. That means keeping it simple and adaptable. "Consider how the branding can be developed in the future," says Sam. "You want it to be aspirational. Regardless of if whether it's a product, place or drink, people should desire it and want to be seen with it; think Nike, Apple, innocent drinks, New York."

Don't overthink your logo

"If you can create an iconic logo that no longer even requires copy to confirm who it is, then even better," says Sam. "But this is the holy grail of branding." Or, as ARPA put it, "Don't make your logo look like it's trying harder than you are."

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