Brand Identity in Drop Shipping Business: Store Design

— July 6, 2017

As you already know, it’s all about the tiniest details that help you form a brand identity in drop shipping business. We’ve already discussed the importance of naming – now it’s time to cover the design part.

Generally speaking, the most valuable elements of an online store design that help you form a brand identity are colors, logos, fonts, favicons and icons.

Drop Shipping Store Design: Choosing Colors

Our ultimate goal in designing a drop shipping store is to create a welcoming experience.

When a person visits your drop shipping store for the first time, the color scheme of the site becomes the first thing that attracts attention and forms some initial feelings and thoughts about the store and the whole business.

Researches show that color is a visual component of your brand identity that people remember the most: symbols, numbers and words are not as recognizable as colors. Even when people can’t exactly remember your logo in detail, they surely remember the color that is associated with your brand or company. That’s why it’s a good thing to constantly use the same set of colors and shades: it will positively impact your brand recognition.

It is not a secret that certain colors are traditionally linked with certain emotions and reactions. Still, academic researches prove that color perception heavily depends on a person’s experience and cultural background. Studies show that men and women have different reactions on the same colors, and kids’ preferences in colors are different from those of adults.

That’s why it’s not necessary to rely on color stereotypes when you choose a color scheme for your drop shipping store. Instead, focus on the atmosphere you want to create. The colors you choose should support the specific image of your store.

Also, don’t forget that various color combinations are different in their readability and the power to attract attention. As for our own experience, for example, we can surely say that it’s not a good idea to choose red color for the ‘Buy’ button because on websites this color is traditionally used to stop Internet users from making an action.

Logos And Their Role in Drop Shipping Store Design

Logo is one of the most important elements of a store’s visual identity. Logo is an element that makes your store unique and one-of-the-kind. That’s your distinctive feature, and it’s also an instrument that helps you personalize both your store and your products. This personalized approach is exactly what makes your store so much different from AliExpress. Enjoying this carefully thought through design and the whole atmosphere, your clients can be sure they can count on individualized service and professional treatment.

Logo means a lot for the image and reputation of your drop shipping store. It makes you different from your competitors and it also helps your customers memorize you. Drop shippers can ask the sellers to add some branded items to the package. Of course you will have to pay extra for it, but still, it is possible to mail your business cards, leaflets, brochures, etc. to your clients. Surely enough, these promotional materials will include your logo, so it’s a good idea to make a really nice and unforgettable one.

So what can you do about your logo to make sure it is appealing for your customers?

• Think of something that represents your business

Your logo is all about your identity. Just like a store name, a store logo helps customers understand more about this business, its offers, values, and opportunities. It doesn’t mean that the logo must contain the image of your offers – with drop shipping business, it’s almost impossible anyway. Instead, focus on something that clearly shows what you are.

• Make it simple

A simple design of your logo is a guarantee of its immediate recognition. It is your goal to be known and remembered, right? This is why don’t make things too complicated. What is also important, your logo must look good in all sizes and colors – it is really essential for online business. If you overload your logo with tiny details, it will be impossible to use it in smaller sizes, for example, on favicon.

• Plan forward

Take a look at your logo and ask yourself: will it still look appropriate if you change your product offer? Will it look outdated in several years? Will it look good in inverted colors, or on a different background?

If you don’t have the necessary designer skills, you can always use one of the numerous online logo makers. The thing is, they typically offer you the opportunity to create a logo out of several ready patterns. It means such logo won’t be really individual, so it’s won’t provide a personalized shopping experience. If you are looking for something customized, it’s better to go for a professional service of experienced designers.

Fonts As An Element of Visual Identity

As a rule, drop shipping stores are built on platforms that don’t give much freedom in choosing a store font. Still, fonts are a really important part of your logo (if your logo contains text), and they are also crucial if you want to make a banner or something like this to post in your social networks.

Typography means a lot. It supports your tone of communication, and it also clearly shows the character and individuality of your store. The font itself can deliver a message to your client, so we can divide all the existing fonts into several broad categories:

• Solid traditional fonts which show how professional and trustworthy you are;
• Modern and trendy fonts which demonstrate your cutting-edge knowledge and professionalism;
• Classy and elegant fonts which create an atmosphere of exclusiveness and respectability;
• Handwritten and decorative fonts which are really emotional and personal.

As you can see, you need to be really attentive about the tone of your font – make sure it totally matches the overall atmosphere in your store!

What Are Favicons and How You Should Approach Them?

Favicon is a tiny icon that is placed on a browser tab and in a bookmarks list next to your store name. When you have several browser tabs opened at the same time, it’s favicons that help you remember what webpage is opened in each tab.

In other words, favicons play a really important role in your store branding because they help you represent the store and support your visual identity.

Traditionally, favicons are just a really small version of your website logo. Different appliances support different types of favicons, but a tiny 16×16 pixels favicon is a must-have for any case.

16px is a tiny image. That’s why you need to use only the logo for this purpose. Don’t include text and any complicated elements in favicons. Also, it’s a good idea to put the favicon on a transparent background so it could fit anywhere.

How Much Do Icons Mean for A Drop Shipping Store Design?

Proper icons are essential for any kind of an online store. They can serve various purposes, for example:

• They can mark a shopping cart, a search bar, a contact form, etc.;
• They illustrate and explain items in your lists of features, services, items, etc.;
• They break up long text into short and readable paragraphs.

As you can see, icons do a great job of making your page look more interesting and engaging. Also, they make it easier for a store visitor to navigate the pages, find the necessary information, and make a purchase.

It means that icons must first of all be clear, understandable and effective. Contrary to popular opinion, your store icons don’t necessarily have to be original and unique. They need to be functional! So, if you want to go global with your drop shipping store, please bear it in mind: symbols, especially gestures, vary a lot from country to country! That’s why you need to choose something that is really universal.

Remember that icons work all together – therefore, the set of icons you create for your drop shipping store must be done in a consistent way. And of course, the icons design must match the overall tone and atmosphere of the whole website.

It’s all about integrity of the brand image, as you know.

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