Let’s get out of the box and into your head.
Here’s how…
Creating a brand identity begins with your story. Who you are, what you do, and (most importantly) why you are doing what you do. Through active listening, I can identify the key elements that we will use to build your brand and make it a true reflection of what you want it to be. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you want to revisit what you already have. We can do it all or just certain parts. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story on and offline can make all the difference to who you want to notice.
The Slide Deck
Everything we do together is documented in an easy-to-use Google slide deck. This is so that you can refer back to it at any point (trust me, you’ll want to). This templated deck will help guide us through the process of creating your brand step by step. You can be in the idea stage, partially built out or completely developed. Where ever you are in the process, this step will bring clarity to your project and your brand.
During this process, we will discover your business from the inside out. You will literally tell me what’s inside your head and I’ll interpret that into a series of slides to create a visual reference for your brand identity. We will identify your target audience, the personality you want your brand to convey, the positioning in the marketplace and your brand statements. In the end, you will have everything you need to build your on and offline assets — with me or someone else.
We start with your story, from the beginning or beyond, I encourage you to say whatever pops into your head. I’ll use active listening (it’s the kind when someone actually listens to you) to pull out keywords and ordinary things that you may not realize are extraordinary. It is typically a bunch of words in the beginning that can then be translated into an about you section for anywhere you might need one.
The next step is to envision what you want your brand to look like by collecting images that inspire you. What typically happens is a pattern develops and I will start to see a something start to form.
From this, I can usually start to see a colour palette emerging and sometimes a font type depending on the imagery. Just in case though, we will do the same inspirational exercise and build a collection of fonts and logos you like.
I then like to play around with the name with font styles. If you don’t have a name yet, we can add that in to this step and flush out your brand statements at the same time.
You can stop here and take this elsewhere or we can continue onwards and design your logo.
The Logo
I’m just going to say it. Your logo is the most important branding investment you will make for your business. For starters, it goes everywhere and it is usually the first thing people see. It’s your first impression (and the quickest way) to make your business stick in people’s minds. It should also be a direct reflection of your brand’s story and since every brand has a good story, there is absolutely no reason to have (excuse my language) a shitty logo.
Offline Assets
To say print is dead is dumb. It’s simply changing like everything else in life. It may not seem like it, but we are not always online. Sometimes we go places and see things. There is still no better way to leave a lasting impression on a customer than to give them a well-designed piece of physical marketing to take with them. Make it memorable and they’ll even keep it around as a reminder.
Online Assets
Google has made it so easy to find you online. But what happens when we do? Is your online presence a reflection of your brand? Consumers, whether they know it or not, crave consistency and how you show up online will make an impact on what people think of your business. It’s not as hard as you might think. With a few simple tips your online experience can be noticeably strengthened.