Brand designs are often chosen for being trendy, appealing to the subjective tastes of decision-makers, or perceived as ‘safe’. However, mere attractiveness is insufficient for impacting performance and adding to your bottom line. Effective brand design captivates and secures a spot on your target audience’s radar.

How can you achieve this? Dare to be bold, yet be guided by insightful consumer research. Instead of blending in with a “more of the same” approach by following current mainstream trends, allow your brand to stand out. Capturing attention is the first victory in winning over your audience: Our brains are wired to notice everything that defies the ordinary and to process these unusual discoveries in more detail. This extra attention ensures your brand is recognized the next time any other communication from your brand is seen, and over time, it gets memorized. Brand recall is an essential aspect of consumer behavior that keeps your hotel brand top-of-mind during booking decisions.

Of course, for a brand to be successful, its design must not only vie for attention but also genuinely reflect its unique personality that resonates with its audience.

Creating an emotional connection with your audience isn’t just a goal—it’s imperative. Why are emotions, and not just rational arguments, so crucial for a brand? Behavioral Economics provides the answer. Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman has shown that, contrary to previous beliefs about economically rational actors, most decisions are made unconsciously and spontaneously. People operate using two systems of thinking: the autopilot (System 1) and the pilot (System 2). The pilot is our slow, deliberate, and logical thinking system that processes facts and requires conscious effort to analyze information and draw conclusions. In contrast, the autopilot is our fast, intuitive, and emotional thinking system. It operates largely automatically, unconsciously, and with little or no effort, influenced by images, feelings, stories, and colors. This system is responsible for first impressions and spontaneous decisions.

Robustness in brand design means a balance between versatility and consistency. In the hospitality industry, your brand design must be versatile enough to adapt gracefully to various moods, emotions, and experiences. For a hotel group that operates in diverse locations, your brand design must fit to various environments, feeling just as appropriate on a seaside escape as it does in a mountain retreat. Similarly, a family hotel’s brand design needs to reflect both the whirlwind of children’s laughter and the quietude of adult relaxation. Seasonal adaptations, from snowy winter atmospheres to hot summer promotions, must also be considered.

Our work for Familux Resorts—the pioneer in the family-exclusive premium hotel market—demonstrates the power of this design approach. By adhering to the 3R Principle, we’ve crafted a cohesive experience that resonates with every family member. Its versatility allows for a wide range of touchpoints and emotions: from the whimsical details in the kids’ area to the sophisticated settings of a wine tasting, the essence of Familux Resorts is not just vivid but palpable. A characteristic color scheme and a unique illustration style independent of current trends enhance the brand’s recognizability and robustness. This systematic approach has yielded measurable results: surveys among guests underscore not only Familux Resorts’ brand strength but also the recognizability of the design and the alignment between the design and the actual experience the brand provides.

By embracing the 3R Principle of recognizability, resonance, and robustness in your hotel’s visual identity, you maximize what design can do for your brand. By applying it consistently, you ensure that every touchpoint is used as an opportunity to reinforce the emotional bond with your guests.

Of course, implementing this principle requires not only creativity but also a deep understanding of your target market. A solid brand strategy translates your audience insights into a unique brand personality that forms the foundation for the design. In doing so, your brand design realizes its full potential and helps to build enduring brand equity.