In the Lap of “Luxury”

In the Lap of “Luxury”

Elegance. Confidence. Best in the world. Brands with luxurious voices aren’t just selling a product, they’re marketing a lifestyle.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, and luxury brands use this to their advantage. They capitalize on the beauty of their products and packaging with large, clear photos, often including close-up shots to show details. Models are effortlessly beautiful. Colors tend to be rich and saturated. Palettes lean neutral with lots of black, cream, brown, gold, and silver; maybe with a vibrant accent color. This all helps the brand tell the story of what luxury means to them, and should mean to you.

As a college student saving quarters to pay for laundry, I can’t even fathom a brand more luxurious than Louis Vuitton. The company embodies all of the visual aspects I discussed above – I mean, check out its Instagram feed below! Colors include rich walnuts and hints of vibrant red; videos focus closely on the clean watch faces and delicate purse details; gorgeous models look casually over their shoulder. Visually, this Instagram feed tells the story that classic is luxury, and luxury is Louis.

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But brands with luxurious voices don’t stop with sight, they engage all of the senses whenever possible. Stores are scented and serve champagne. Websites play music. Close up photos show textures so clear you can almost feel them. These are conscious decisions made to create an all encompassing, opulent experience that holds true to the brand’s voice.

Confession, I can’t say I’ve recently been in a Louis Vuitton store. And by recently, I mean ever. But the brand does succeed in appealing to different senses online by incorporating audio into its posts and focusing closely on the product textures. Below is a video the company posted on Facebook. (TALK ABOUT VIDEO)

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Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2019 Collection with Thandie Newton, Michelle Williams, Doona Bae, Samara Weaving, Sophie Turner, Indya Moore, Chloë Grace Moretz, Laura Harrier, Riley Keough, Kelela, Urassaya Sperbund, Zhong Chuxi, Ruth Negga, Kelsey Asbille, Alicia Vikander, Léa Seydoux and Jennifer Connelly. Find Nicolas Ghesquière’s Collection now in stores and online at http://on.louisvuitton.com/6188EcVYm

Posted by Louis Vuitton on Friday, May 17, 2019

1,000 words is also worth 1,000 words, so how they sound and appear is important too. After browsing the world of luxury brands, I found that they stay away from script or artistic fonts, instead favoring sans serif – sleek and minimal – or serif fonts – classic and enduring. Copy is minimal for popular luxury brands, possibly because the products are so good they speak for themselves, but probably because they capitalize on the weight of name recognition. Descriptive words about the material or craftsmanship dominate.

Look at the Louis Vuitton webpage, pictured above. All content appears in a simple sans serif font, contrasting the logo, shown in the Instagram feed, which displays the LV in a classic serif font. The brand uses words like “enduring”, “heritage”, and “emblematic” – strong adjectives that contribute to the luxurious voice. These words provide more context as to what Louis categorizes as luxury.

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