Unpacking the basics of good graphic design

The Secret Psychology Behind Branding

Ever walked into a restaurant, taken one look at the menu, and thought, “Yeah, this place is sketchy”? Or landed on a website and instantly felt like your credit card was about to get hacked? Congratulations—you’ve experienced bad design. And whether people realise it or not, their brains are making these snap judgments all the time. The Psychology of Good Graphic Design is what we are gong to discuss today.

Good graphic design isn’t just about making things look pretty, it’s how your brand is represented across socials, websites and all communication. It’s about control—controlling what people think, feel, and ultimately, do. Which is hopefully acting on what you asked them to do. The best brands in the world don’t just throw together some colours and fonts; they engineer an experience that guides perception. And they stick to the script across all platforms. If your business is still using Comic Sans or cramming your designs with enough colours to make a rainbow blush. Or if your marketing manager is adding new logo’s and colours in every advert, then sit back, take notes, and prepare to level up your branding with this informative blog post about why graphic designers take their job as brand custodians so seriously.

Fonts have personalities, they illicit emotions within us all. And just like you wouldn’t show up to a black-tie event wearing Crocs and a Hawaiian shirt (no judgement), you shouldn’t just slap any old font on your brand and call it a day. Certain fonts are better suited to certain industries. And the job of a graphic designer is to know what works and when.

Serif fonts, like Times New Roman and Garamond, convey class, professionalism, and a sense of tradition. Sans-serif fonts, such as Helvetica and Montserrat, feel modern, clean, and to the point. Script fonts, like Brush Script and Pacifico, add elegance, but can be difficult to read. And then there’s Comic Sans and Papyrus—the fonts that make graphic designers question their life choices.

The wrong font can absolutely butcher your credibility in an instance. Imagine a law firm using Comic Sans on their business cards (How did what you read just make you feel?). Compare that to The New York Times, which uses a sophisticated serif font to exude trust and authority. It’s not by accident—fonts shape perception. And the research that goes into the right font is what makes a brand.

​Cheetos has introduced “The Other Hand Font,” a unique typeface crafted by designers using their non-dominant hands to mimic the playful messiness of enjoying Cheetos snacks. This font captures the brand’s essence by embracing imperfections, offering a refreshing departure from the polished aesthetics commonly seen in typography. Available for free download on the Cheetos website, this initiative invites users to infuse their digital communications with a touch of fun and authenticity.

This move aligns with a broader trend in design that values human touch and relatability, especially in an era dominated by digital precision. By releasing this font, Cheetos not only reinforces its brand identity but also encourages creativity among its audience, allowing them to incorporate a bit of whimsy into their everyday digital interactions.

Credit: Adapted from “Design disaster or stroke of genius? The new Cheetos font is turning heads” by Jonas Schmidt, published on Creative Bloq.

Colours aren’t just about aesthetics; they manipulate emotions. Big brands don’t just randomly pick a colour because it “looks nice”—they choose based on psychology.

Red creates urgency, passion, and appetite, which is why brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and YouTube use it to grab attention. Blue represents trust, calmness, and professionalism, making it the go-to choice for Facebook, PayPal, and LinkedIn. Green symbolises growth, health, and eco-friendliness, which is why Whole Foods and Starbucks incorporate it into their branding. Black and white evoke luxury, minimalism, and sophistication, as seen with brands like Chanel and Apple.

Fast-food chains love red and yellow because red triggers hunger and yellow makes people happy. They’re literally hacking your brain. Meanwhile, tech brands go for blue to establish trust. Ever wondered why hardly any luxury brands use neon green? Because no one wants their R200,000 handbag looking like it belongs in a nightclub. Colour choices matter.

A great South African example is Nando’s, which uses bold reds, oranges, and yellows to create energy and excitement. Their branding feels fiery—just like their peri-peri chicken. It’s clever, intentional, and consistent.

Ever seen a flyer so crammed with text, clip art, and neon colours that it looked like a five-year-old made it? That’s what happens when spacing and hierarchy are ignored.

Whitespace is your friend. It makes designs readable, digestible, and—most importantly—professional. Take Apple’s website: clean, minimal, and with enough breathing room to make you feel like you’re in an art gallery. Compare that to a typical discount store ad with flashing text and fifty overlapping banners. One screams premium, the other screams desperation.

Spacing, alignment, and layout are what separate “expensive-looking” brands from ones that look like they were made on Microsoft Paint. Use hierarchy, give elements room to breathe, and for the love of design, stop centring everything.

One day your brand is using navy blue, the next it’s bright orange, and last week you posted a flyer in neon pink. Needless to say—you’ve officially confused your audience. How do you expect them to recognize you with all the branding around us if your brand is never the same way twice? It can be a sticky subject amongst business owners of medium to smaller sized businesses, the rule of thumb here is follow the script of the bigger fish. Do what they do, which is create the brand guidelines for logo usage and stick to it.

Brand consistency is what makes businesses recognisable. Ever noticed how Coca-Cola’s red stays the same across every single ad, can, and billboard? That’s intentional. Consistency builds trust.

If your brand colours, fonts, and visuals are changing every five minutes, people will assume you have no idea what you’re doing. And you don’t want that.

The best design doesn’t just “look good”—it makes people feel something. It builds trust, credibility, and desire. If you’re throwing together random fonts and colours with no strategy, you’re basically just hoping for the best. And hope is not a marketing strategy. And creating and sticking to a strategy means that every time someone does something in your business that has an outwards communication aspect, they follow the already made guidelines. It’s pretty much a basic in good business practice and will help you grow rather than hinder your creativity.

Bad design isn’t just ugly—it’s expensive. It turns customers away, damages credibility, and makes your brand forgettable. So, before you choose your next font or colour scheme, ask yourself: Does this actually say what I want it to? If the answer is “I don’t know,” then it’s time to call a professional.

We at Fort Hartley believe in design that works—not just in theory, but in real-world results. We take the chaos of fonts, colours, and layout, and turn it into a brand identity that speaks volumes.