The holiday season is all about fun, indulgence and a little bit of magic. It is also a hugely competitive season for many businesses and organisations with additional pressure to stand out from the crowd. A well-designed holiday graphic can create a connection with its target audience and instil a Christmassy sense of wonder and beauty. Here’s a look at some important elements to consider when creating your festive graphic designs.
Recognise your brand's voice
Before you get too far into festive themes and traditions, the voice and identity of the brand must be established. Are your designs going to reflect the playful childlike elements of the season or is it sophisticated and elegant? For consistency and for brand recognition, your holiday motifs will need to be an extension of the usual brand’s graphics.
Choose a colour scheme
The default palette of the Christmas season is generally shades of red, green, gold, and silver and while these traditions are a perfectly appropriate option, there are also other shades that can maintain the seasonal mood but offer a different angle. For a more urbane, cosmopolitan design style, look at pastel winter hues, frosty blues, and even monochrome themes. Whatever the palette you choose, make sure it is consistent with your brand and the message you want to express.
Incorporate seasonal elements
There are many motifs and items that are synonymous with Christmas and winter including snowflakes, stars, glittering lights, and mistletoe. These can be incorporated into a graphic design but a designer must try to be imaginative. Using subtly or perhaps a modern twist on some of the silhouettes will help steer your design from a cliched or overly nostalgic style. Although Christmas is a season of luxury of opulence, less can still be more.
Adopt typography
This is an opportunity to play with the brand’s typography by incorporating some seasonal flourishes or fonts. But readability is still the number one goal.
Consider mobile users
Do not lose sight of the fundamentals of a strong design. Adding additional elements to create a seasonal version of a graphic will impact how it is viewed. Screen size remains integral to the design choices particularly during such a busy season when people are on the go. Much of the viewing is likely to be on a phone.
Include motion
In order to stand out among the oceans of seasonal visuals, some animated graphics and GIFs can be eye-catching over the Christmas season. A flashing star, a slowly falling snowfall, or a flickering candle may bring your design to life and catch the attention of your users.
Always test
Test, test and test again. Testing your graphics on a small group of people can provide insights and point out places for development.
Maintain inclusion
For many people, Christmas has evolved from a religious holiday into a season of family and sharing. Using visuals that are not specifically Christian will encourage inclusivity and a more harmonious, global celebration. Explore designs that convey the broader spirit of joy, peace, and unity.
Reusing and repurposing
Once you've created a festive design, consider how it can be repurposed across other platforms. A banner design can be resized for use on social media, email headers, and even printed goods.
The Christmas season provides a fantastic opportunity for brands to connect and to interact with their target audience using memorable graphic designs. By strategically using visuals that can capture the holiday atmosphere while stirring emotions, a design can have a lasting impact on an audience. There is a lingering sentimentality and nostalgia for people when it comes to the holiday season and a graphic design that can tap into the psychology of Christmas will in turn have a psychological effect that can result in deeper brand-consumer ties.
Altering or releasing a design based on the Christmas theme runs deeper than simply attaching yourself to a trend. There is a strong emotional connection to both consumerism and the holidays. People are more likely to make a purchase if their feelings or emotions are stirred.
The traditional colour palette of the season also has an influence outside of a direct association with Christmas. For example, red is often perceived as a passionate and powerful colour that conveys a sense of urgency, whereas gold suggests luxury and opulence.
Brands can utilise these design elements and colours to deliberately appeal to consumers' aesthetic tastes while also gently influencing their purchasing decisions. Businesses that know and understand the psychological undertones of festive themes can create visuals that appeal on a deeper emotional level.
It is also important to take great care when approaching themes that have a deep historic meaning with people. Before incorporating themes from cultures other than your own, take the time to learn about their significance. Misrepresentation could cause unintended offence and detract from the true message you're attempting to communicate.
By incorporating cultural awareness into your holiday graphics, you ensure that your graphics not only look good but also resonate on a deeper, more inclusive level with varied audiences.
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