A strong brand is not only seen, but experienced
Let’s talk branding. One of my favourite brands is Saje Natural Wellness. From the second I first stepped inside the store—experiencing the aura, the store design, the earthy tones—I understood this company believed in healing through wellness. Every product they sell measures up to their promise. Even the interactions I had (from sales staff to CEO) were consistent with the brand’s core values, to the point that the name and logo seemed inconsequential.
This is what branding is all about.
Would you build a house without a blueprint?
Lately, we’ve been asked to do a lot of branding projects. We often hear, “We just need a logo!” or, “We’re busy. Could you create something and present it to us?” Our response: Branding is an art, and not the paint-by-numbers variety. Sure, for five dollars you could get a Fiverr logo, BUT would it effectively meet your branding goals… if you haven’t done your homework yet?
Psst… we’re sharing our perfected branding process with you!
Over the years, we’ve helped brand many businesses from startups to large corporations, whether through a simple refresh or new identity. Having worked on so many different projects, we’ve got it down pat to a 3-step process. And we’re excited to share it with you:
- Define your brand strategy
Your brand strategy forms the basis of your marketing and business decisions. It requires taking a hard look at your company to determine the WHY that cascades down to the WHAT: purpose, business goals, target audience, positioning, as well as your company culture.
Think of it as DNA mapping, it reflects who you are, not whom you think you should be. This is critical for your brand to stay true to its purpose, otherwise subsequent decisions may be misaligned, and your customers may feel that something is amiss. Choose to be authentic instead.
- Craft your visual identity and message
After establishing your brand strategy, you can get into the fun stuff—creating your identity and key messages. Your visual identity includes a logo, word mark, select fonts, and a defined colour palette (ahem, it’s Pantone #1925C, not just any red!). Your messaging includes a tagline, company vision and mission statements, brand promise, and value proposition.
Notice how Saje’s earthy brown colours and organic looking packaging fit its brand promise of spreading wellness?
- Apply and execute
It’s almost time to celebrate! It may be a daunting task to roll out your new brand (from parking signage to product packaging), but a solid plan will prioritize the execution:
- Inventory your existing branded materials (if applicable)
- Plan the design of all new and replacement materials (website, collateral, stationery, social media, packaging, etc.)
- Create a schedule to roll out the new brand and replace existing materials
- Define graphic standards to guide all future design work and ensure brand integrity
Uncover your brand personality
Voila! If you dare to do these soul-searching branding exercises, you will have a comprehensive brand strategy (direction), a memorable visual brand (look), and compelling messaging (voice) that consistently reflect your core values. Think of it like a twentysomething who finally figured out their direction in life. Branding gets personal; why else would it be called brand personality?!
- Does your business need a brand intervention?
For additional resources, I highly recommend Branding Basics for Small Business by Maria Ross, a book on branding for anyone looking to enhance or create their brand.
If you still have questions or if your brand needs some TLC, let’s talk.
Written by Ivana Misci
InHouse Media, Brand Strategist