Crafting Identity: How Branding Shapes eLearning Success
Confession: I'm addicted to kombucha. Specifically, Better Booch. Their tall 16 oz. cans caught my eye. They stand out from the sea of glass bottles. Bonus? Those tall cans are 16oz, more booch! Their can design is simple, yet uses bright colors, fun names, and a friendly font. Their website? An extension of their cans - quirky, fun, and informative. Their branding gives off a vibe that says, "We love making kombucha, and we love you for drinking it!"
You might be wondering what kombucha has to do with Instructional Design.
Branding and identity aren't just big words in advertising and marketing. They define how a company is perceived. Have you ever found yourself gushing about a brand to friends? It was probably that brand's identity that had you hooked.
Let's be real, when was the last time you chatted about branding at an Instructional Design meet-up? But branding and identity aren’t just for the marketers. They're crucial in our world, too. And I'm not just pointing at eLearning; I mean manuals, guides, job aids, email campaigns, the works. Think about it: your training IS your product.
Why does branding matter in training when you aren't selling a physical product? Because you're selling knowledge. And just like in business, branding your training can build trust. If your course looks like it was slapped together last minute, learners will think, "If they don't care about the presentation, do they care about the content?" And doubt starts creeping in. Your training design speaks volumes. It sets the mood, speaks to your audience, and keeps them glued.
Let’s look at two mood boards I made for a fictional GreenGro sustainable farming course.
The first? Photographic images that are bright, sharp, and true to life. The colors evoke the crisp greens, earthy browns, and vibrant hues on a sunny farm day. Fonts that say, "I'm friendly, but I mean business." Clean charts for data. What three words come to your mind? For me, it was trustworthy, stable, and natural.
The second board has funkier fonts, bold colors, and abstract art. What words spring to mind now?
Neither of these designs is necessarily better than the other. When crafting a design identity for training products, you must consider what is appropriate for your audience and content. In my examples, I might choose the second board if the course was geared towards a younger audience or the content talked about urban farming vs. traditional. If the course were data-heavy, I would likely use the first board to base my course on.
Once you've sorted your analysis and design docs, sketch out a visual identity before jumping into development. This is a step that’s often skipped completely. Even if you've got graphic designers on your team, you should have a vision in mind.
Key questions to jump-start your sketching:
Who is my audience?
What makes them tick?
What is the end goal of the training product?
What visuals are appropriate and complement the content?
Do you have any company branding guidelines to consider?
Stay tuned! I'll dive deeper into mood boards in my next post. What’s your go-to strategy for branding in Instructional Design? Drop your thoughts in the comments!