Brand Identity and the Principles of Uniform Design

How to Build Your Brand Identity Using the Principles of Uniform Design

If you are struggling to come up with ideas to build your brand identity, the first thing you should do is think about what you want your brand to portray. Building a brand identity has never been more challenging as brands are competing for their unique individuality.

As Susan Sellers says, “Brand is the story. Design is the storytelling.” – your brand is your story, but it is through design that you tell your story. Thus, it is extremely important to nail the visible elements of your brand that a customer can identify and differentiate with. This blog will explain the 10 key principles of uniform design and how your brand can thrive if all the principles are put together in cohesion.

10 Principles of Uniform Design

1. Colour 

When you see a garment from a distance, the first thing that catches your eye is the colour. Colour has an immediate and long-lasting impression as it gives meaning to design and reflects the way people feel. Every colour has an intrinsic value and can say a lot about the individual who is wearing it or the brand that it is representing.  

Colours are categorised as warm (red, yellow, orange and purple), soft (blue, green and white) and dark (black and grey). The brighter the colour, the bigger the size appears, and the reverse effect takes place for darker colours.  

2. Fabric

An important element in a design is the fabric that lays the foundation of the shape. The fabric has a texture that can be described as the surface or feel of the fabric and is made of an intricate structure of threads woven together. The texture can be rough and stiff or soft and smooth, thin and light or bulky and heavy, or a mix of different characteristics. Apart from these, some fabric textures are wrinkled, creased, crushed and with raised pattern. 

The feel of fabric texture also suggests that visual sense can sometimes be deceiving. Although colour is the first thing that one looks for in a fabric, an opposite feeling can develop after touching the fabric. 

3. Silhouettes

The silhouette of a garment plays a vital role in communicating your brand message through the design. The silhouette refers to the outline or overall shape of the garment and is used to understand and compliment different body types. When designing an outfit, the silhouette is created first and then the rest of the style elements come into play.

A sundry of silhouettes has been developed over a period, each representing a different era. Some evergreen silhouettes are hourglass, A-line, sheath, empire, straight column, bell, shoulder wedge, trapeze, trumpet, ballgown and extreme volume amongst many others. 

4. Body Shape

Understanding the body shape is key to developing a design and optimizing the artistry of comfortable clothing for different body shapes. Garments are designed by drawing the human figure with consideration of different body proportions. In a sketch, the size of the head is smaller as compared to the rest of the body.

The body shape can be categorised into rectangle, triangle, inverted triangle, oval, square, round and hourglass. These categories are based on the dynamic and static characteristics of the human body. 

5. Balance

A sense of balance and visual stability is significant in design as, without it, it becomes difficult to understand the design. Balance is the equal distribution of the visual weight and arrangement of colours, texture, lines and space in a garment.

There are two types of balance in design – symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical balance occurs when a garment has equal sides and appears the same if divided horizontally or vertically. Asymmetrical balance, on the contrary, ensues when a garment has unequal sides and does not appear the same.

6. Prints 

Fabric not only comes with a texture but also with prints inherent in it. Unlike texture, fabric print is not woven threads and can be identified by flipping the fabric over to the backside. If the pattern is no longer visible on the backside, it is most likely a print. 

Print and patterns are applied to the fabric top through several methods such as digital printing, wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, silkscreens, heat transfer and ink-jet methods. To resist friction, the print is also fused with the fibre that is used to produce the fabric. 

7. Emphasis

As the term suggests, emphasis refers to giving more importance to one element of the garment than the others. It draws the viewer’s attention to a specific area and makes it stand out from the rest of the areas. The emphasis could be on elements such as colour, contrast, size, texture and shape. 

Emphasis attracts attention to a focal point of the garment and can make a large element or a cluster of small elements protrude. For example, a studded collar can be the emphasised element in a plain white shirt. 

8. Design Lines

As one of the most basic elements of design, lines create an optical illusion making you look taller, shorter, wider and narrower. The correct placement of lines is crucial from the waistline to the hemline as it determines the way the garment will turn out on your body. 

Design lines can be of four categories – vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved. While vertical lines create the illusion of height, horizontal lines depict an illusion of broadness. Diagonal lines form an asymmetrical line across the body and curved lines give the appearance of roundness. 

9. Unity

The harmony of all the above principles of design is referred to as unity. When all the elements come together in synergy to put across the sole idea of the overall design, unity is formed. Unity is an integrated image of a design that is seen first as a whole and then the individual elements are noted. 

Unity is the master principle of design as it encompasses all the other principles into one cohesive look. If one element does not suffice its purpose, the sense of completeness might not take place, thus hovering unity. 

10. Functionality

Another key element in a design is functionality. Functional clothing is specifically designed to fit the purpose of a pre-defined performance requirement and functionality for the wearer. It is a relatively new concept in the technical garment design industry.

Functional clothing acts as a guard under harsh environments at work or sporting events and protects against hazards in conditions under which everyday clothing would not be appropriate. As we tailor-make uniforms keeping in mind your industry needs, we ensure that the garment is suitable for your work environment and hence, fits your purpose.

Are you all set to start telling your brand story?

Now that you know how good design is established, it is time to tell your brand story which is the crux of your brand identity. We can help you identify what your brand stands for in our one-on-one consultation where we talk about who you are as a company and what your people do. And then Voila! See your brand identity flourish through our custom uniforms and merchandise.

To know more, book a consultation with us today.