Make Design Collateral Great Again
Last updated on by Cody Miles
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Brand awareness plays a critical role in business success—and the right design collateral can do more than increase recognition. It can shape how people perceive your company.
Design collateral (also called brand collateral) includes any visual or media you use to promote your brand. In short, it’s anything you can brand, such as:
- Business cards
- Letterheads
- Brochures
- Newsletters
- Websites
- Packaging
- Social media assets
- Advertising materials
- In-store displays
- Signs
- Branded presentations
Mental Availability
Beyond awareness, design collateral can increase the number of meaningful interactions between your brand and potential customers. This builds what author Byron Sharp calls mental availability—the likelihood that a buyer will notice, recognize, and think of your brand in a buying situation.
The more exposure consumers have to your brand, the more familiar and comfortable they feel with it. That trust matters—Oberlo reports that 81% of consumers say they need to trust a brand before making a purchase.
Consistency
Consistency is the most important factor in effective design collateral. When customers repeatedly see the same style, colors, and tone, they form positive associations.
Forbes found that consistent brand presentation across all platforms can boost revenue by 23%. That’s how a swoosh became Nike, orange became Whataburger, and a red bullseye became Target.
Consistency can come from your style, tone, layout, and color palette. Signature colors, for example, can increase brand recognition by up to 80%. T-Mobile even owns the rights to its magenta, and will defend it in court.
Types of Design Collateral
Social Media & Digital Collateral
Digital collateral is essential for modern brands—it can reach anyone with internet access and be repurposed across platforms. It’s cost-effective, versatile, and perfect for the awareness stage of the buying process.
But digital spaces are crowded. The average person saw up to 10,000 ads per day by 2020. To stand out:
- Be on trend without losing your brand’s identity.
- Be eye-catching with strong visuals and bold calls to action.
- Mix media—GIFs, videos, and animations grab attention better than plain text.
Sales Promotion Collateral
Sales promotion collateral—like coupons, gift cards, and pricing guides—has been around for centuries because it works.
To make it effective:
- Be clear: Show exactly what the offer applies to, along with exclusions and expiration dates.
- Be visually appealing: Use color, typography, and design to draw attention.
- Personalize: 79% of consumers say they’ll only use a discount tailored to them (Uniqodo).
Even straightforward items like pricing guides can be personalized when delivered digitally.
Takeaways
Giveaways like branded hats, stickers, shirts, or tote bags turn customers into walking advertisements. The key is to make them high quality and desirable enough that people actually use them in public.
Informational Collateral
Presentations, webinars, ebooks, and other educational materials build authority for your brand—but only if they’re clearly branded.
Use consistent fonts, colors, and layouts, and include your logo (subtly, like a watermark). Strong visuals and infographics can make complex topics more engaging, whether for external audiences or internal presentations.
Conclusion
Every point of contact with a customer is an opportunity to reinforce your brand through design collateral. Whether it’s a social post, a coupon code, or a product brochure, each item should be thoughtfully created, consistent, and on brand.
Producing great collateral takes time—but reviewing it doesn’t have to. Ashore lets you upload and share proofs, gather feedback, manage versions, and keep a complete audit log for every project. Sign up free and see how much smoother your creative process can be.