WHAT DOES HIGH END MEAN AND HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE IT THROUGH VISUALS?
The term ‘high-end’ means something different to each person … it’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, but do any of us really KNOW what defines the term:
HIGH-END ???
I know right away if I’m ‘into’ something … I am VERY brand snobby and (this goes without saying) website snobby … I judge, and often, every item I consider purchasing with what I see FIRST … and what I experience SECOND … and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Which means:
YOU WILL BE JUDGED FIRST BY WHAT PEOPLE SEE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY
So, let’s list those things … what do people SEE about you before they EXPERIENCE you? A few things come to mind:
website
instagram feed
logo
photos of your work
fonts you choose to use
advertisements you use to promote yourself
you
your clothes
are there more? sure.
So, if we take that list above and know that potential clients will SEE those things before they consider SPEAKING to you …
ARE YOU READY?
Not so fast … ‘are you ready’ brings us to this question:
WHAT DOES HIGH-END MEAN TO YOU? WHO IS YOUR CLIENT?
Knowing the answer to those questions is critical in knowing if the list above of ‘visuals’ your company is putting out there is on target. Is your logo high-end? High-end for who?
Is your ideal client more modern? Are they more luxurious? Are they boho? Do they have more eclectic taste? Do they want ballroom weddings at luxe resorts? Are they beach people? << those are the questions you FIRST must answer … then you have to decide what style of fonts you’re into … Heather, fonts?? Yeah. Fonts will lead typically everything … do you like script, serif, sans serif … block, modern, clean … it’s vital to know your ‘font style’ … for me personally, fonts inspire the rest of the brand, website, design, and feel of everything else.
Take me, for instance, I love a fun, energetic, modern script paired with a very clean sans serif … as my logo and branding shows … I like them paired with LOTS OF YUMMY white space on my website … and then a modern vibe with images … reasons I like this are: so I’m not SUPER polarizing with who is attracted to my work, but it still has an edge that’s me so I attract a group of people who share my taste and flair of CLEAN online spaces.
If you know you are getting ready to rebrand or change your website, logo, and overall visuals that your company puts out there, I recommend flipping through magazines … go buy 4-5 magazines you love … fashion, wedding, home and décor … tear out ANYTHING that speaks to you … throw them all in a pile. Don’t question any of it … if your gut screams out:
I’M VIBING WITH THIS!!!!
Tear it out … then, after you’ve established a pile of all the things you loved in the magazine, sift through it all one by one … ask yourself why you like it … what do you love about it … is it the font that was used? the design elements? the photography style? … these visuals will start the path to knowing what your flair is and what you are digging … and from there you can make a pile of EXACTLY what you love.
THE TERM HIGH-END ISN’T THE SAME FOR EVERYONE …
The pile of pages you tear out will be completely different from what anyone else tears out … each business owner has their own idea of what high-end is … and that’s how it should be! The key is making sure that the feels you are going for ATTRACT the client you want.
Sit down. Decide who YOUR CLIENT IS … give this person a ‘life’ … what restaurants do they frequent … what brands do they wear … where do they like to travel and what websites do they use to look for their furniture, clothing … look at those brands, websites, etc … get a feel for their branding and if you feel it’s what you love too … and you create a website, logo, ads, Instagram feed, etc to match … then BINGO(!!!) you’ve figured out a look that will work for you.
XO~ Heather
