Light, Color, Texture: The Trio Behind On-Brand Images

Most off-brand images fail due to one of three variables: light, color, or texture. These elements define mood faster than subject matter, and small changes create big perception shifts. When you lock these three early and keep them stable, your images will read as a coherent brand even when concepts vary widely.

Light is emotion. Decide whether your brand lives in soft ambient light, hard directional light, or something in between. Specify key-to-fill ratios, preferred times of day, and whether rim lights or backlights are common. If your brand celebrates clarity and trust, you might choose soft side lighting with gentle falloff. If it is about energy and edge, a higher-contrast setup with dramatic shadows may fit.

Color is identity. Define a palette with exact values and tolerances. If your primary is a specific blue, decide how it should appear in images: as backgrounds, accents, or subtle hints. Set rules for skin tones and product colors so neither is pushed into extremes by overzealous grading. Include a temperature guideline: should images skew warm, neutral, or cool?

Texture is feel. Matte vs glossy, rough vs smooth, organic vs synthetic—these choices tell viewers who you are before they process content. If your brand is tactile and human, embrace textures that show grain, fibers, and imperfections. If you are high-tech and sleek, prefer smooth surfaces and clean reflections, but avoid the plastic look that many generative outputs default to.

Write these decisions into your prompts as explicit constraints and reinforce them with references. When reviewing outputs, check these three variables first. Are we in the right light? Are colors faithful and within tolerance? Does the texture feel like us? Fixing these three often resolves 80% of consistency issues. The rest is taste and composition, which become easier to steer once the fundamentals are locked.