Key Takeaways
- Utilize Black and White Photography
Black and white photography creates a sense of history and sophistication, giving your signage a timeless appeal. This style evokes prestige, making your brand appear well-established and reliable. It also helps maintain a clean and elegant design that stands out. - Select Script and Serif Typefaces
Using script and serif fonts enhances the elegance and credibility of your signage. Script fonts add a touch of sophistication, while serif fonts convey authority and professionalism. These typefaces create a refined and trustworthy look for your brand. - Incorporate High-Quality Materials
Choosing premium materials like polished wood, etched glass, or brushed metal elevates the perceived value of your signage. High-quality materials make your signage more durable and visually appealing. They also signal to customers that your brand values excellence and longevity. - Maintain Consistent Branding Elements
Ensuring that your signage aligns with your brand’s colors, logos, and design elements reinforces recognition. A consistent look across all signage builds trust and makes your business appear more professional. This approach creates a seamless customer experience and strengthens brand identity. - Prioritize Readability and Simplicity
Effective signage should be easy to read, free of clutter, and visible from a distance. Using high-contrast colors, proper spacing, and clear fonts ensures the message is quickly understood. Simple designs keep customers engaged and improve the overall impact of your signage.
What makes a sign, brochure or business card prestigious? We can often sense if a brand is prestigious and trustworthy within seconds of noticing its logo, without a deep understanding of its history or culture.
This is because certain design elements – from fonts to color schemes – are used by marketers and designers to make their brand look and feel more prestigious than its competitors.
If you’d like to make your brand seem more authoritative – whether on your signs or in a brochure – try incorporating one of the four design elements listed below in your next marketing campaign.
Use black and white photography
Black and white photography is an excellent element to use in order to build trust and prestige. This is because black and white photography creates the impression that your brand is old and established with a rich, detailed history.
Monochrome imagery also has a reputation as being more artistic and authoritative than color imagery. When people see a black and white image, they assume it has a deeper level of meaning – one that can indicate depth and history to your brand.
From brochures to signs, using black and white photography in your graphic design is a great way to set your business apart from its competitors, especially if the type of business you operate benefits from prestige.
Choose script and serif typefaces
Script typeface, in which all letters are linked with each other, and serif typefaces, in which letters feature small accents (or serifs) at the end of each line, are both suited to developing a prestigious and authoritative look.
This is because script typefaces, like black and white photograph, create an image of age and prestige. They mimic the appearance of handwritten text and printed type – in turn, your business is associated with centuries of publishing and writing history.
Script typefaces are best suited to established businesses with reasons to stand out as historical or prestigious. Likewise, serif typefaces are ideal for service businesses and other companies that want to have a handmade, service-focused appearance.
Use laurel leaves and other icons
Have you ever noticed that laurel leaves – the mirrored leaves icon used to mention awards and critical success on film posters and in other media – are often enough to make you think of prestige and value on their own.
Certain icons can be used to make your business look more trustworthy and reliable in the eyes of your target audience. Logos of leading publications, laurel leaves and a wide range of other symbols all have a significant effect on marketing perception.
Study your competitors and see if they use any symbols in their design and company branding. From laurel leaves to signatures, the right visual elements can have a huge effect on the way your target audience perceives your brand.
Prioritize colors like brown, gray and purple
Color has a huge effect on the way consumers view your brand, especially when it comes to building trust. Many of the world’s most trusted and prestigious brands have one feature in common: they focus on brown, gray, blue and purple.
These colors are closely associated with luxury and prestige. From Rolls Royce to Gucci, many of the world’s most prestigious and historically important brands are built around eye-catching, memorable and trustworthy colors.
The combination of scripted or serif typeface and the right color can be a hugely valuable asset to your business. Study your competitors (and brands you aspire to equal) and look closely at the colors they use prominently in their branding.
How could you make your branding timeless?
All four of the tactics above will help you improve your brand’s prestige and trust, whether used alone or in combination. How could you make your brand timeless, trustworthy and prestigious using graphic design?
FAQs
- How does black and white photography improve signage aesthetics?
Black and white photography gives signage a timeless and prestigious look that enhances brand perception. It removes distractions from excessive colors, allowing the message to stand out clearly. This style also suggests tradition and reliability, appealing to a broad audience. - Why are script and serif fonts ideal for professional signage?
Script and serif fonts add elegance and authority, making signage appear more refined and trustworthy. Serif fonts have a classic, professional feel, while script fonts convey sophistication and exclusivity. These typefaces help create an upscale and lasting impression. - What are the benefits of using high-quality materials for signage?
Premium materials make signage more visually appealing and durable, reinforcing a brand’s commitment to quality. Materials like metal, wood, and glass create a sense of permanence and professionalism. Investing in high-quality signage helps establish credibility and customer confidence. - How does consistent branding in signage impact customer trust?
Consistent branding across signage builds familiarity, making it easier for customers to recognize and trust a business. Using the same colors, logos, and styles creates a cohesive experience across all locations. This approach strengthens brand identity and leaves a lasting impression. - Why is readability important for effective signage?
Readable signage ensures customers quickly understand the message without confusion or frustration. Using bold fonts, high contrast, and appropriate spacing makes signs more effective. Clear and simple designs attract attention and encourage customer engagement.
