Branding schmanding! What about the users?
The other day I was handed some new branding material from a company I know a bit about. It was lovely. The colours were beautiful. It looked great, very aesthetic … except… for one thing. The really important details, like how to get in touch with them and buy the product were unreadable.
I will never understand why branding exercises seem never to include readability. And before anyone points out that I am partially sighted which might have some bearing on the matter, let me say that the “normally sighted” colleague who handed me the material was equally outraged because he couldn’t read it either!
When will the branding experts understand that pale grey on white is nigh impossible to read. I handed the business card to another, admittedly not young but otherwise within the range of normal vision, reader who didn’t even see the writing was there! The white on a dark background was marginally better on the brochure, but a business card is much more important in everyday interaction.
All the lovely expensive stuff in the world is useless if no one can get in touch to buy what you are selling.
