A brand needs beauty and function
Get the beauty part right, but not the function? And you’ll be left with a website or an identity that looks good but falls flat. Think: Zero phone calls, zero inquiries, zero of the things you need to make this business work.
A strong brand helps differentiate your business by amplifying your unique message, and must not only look astounding but feel fantastic. As a result? It will contribute to making your vision happen AND make you money. This visual combination of message plus feel is so powerful that any business, big or small, can’t skip it. How to start a brand that works for the business, not to it?
A brand is not visuals only. Whether you are DIY or co-creating with a designer, a brand starts long before any visual mood board is assembled, a color palette is combined or a logo concept designed.
I believe that your brand must be in total alignment with you, your business and the people you are here to help. A brand is therefore always an evolving character in your business story.
For a brand to work, it must be different. The best and only real way to differentiate your brand is simply to tap into the power of human creativity, as you are so delightfully unique. Then and only then, creative genius comes into play to make your business shine.
A brand starts first from your backstory, and it must combine your strengths, desires, passions and your quality offer for the people you serve. It starts with personality and emotions, where it finds the sweet spot that helps your business grow because it conveyed something unique and needed that only you can deliver. Your brand gives your tribe the most delicious taste test of who you are and what you are here to do for them.
You’ve been branding yourself since the day you were born. The way you dress, talk, the food you eat, the places you visit: it’s all branding. It’s simply what we do and how we are perceived by others. Therefore, if you go back in time and analyze your experiences, the people whom you have helped the most, how that made you feel and how you’ve done them feel? The credentials and passions of your brand will be defined.
Look at your past to craft your future and set your vision. Ask yourself, when your brand is about to die, what do you want people to say about you? What do you want to be known? What do you want to achieve? What desires are fueling your vision? In this sacred space of your brand, you are not only allowed but commanded to dream big. What else are we here for?!
By unifying the past and the future, we can design your brand, but it means nothing without your action. I urge you to ask yourself, every day, what can you do today to bring your big dream to life? If all in the past and future is clear, yes, by all means, go for a logo and build your identity. If it isn’t there yet, that’s okay; clarity will arrive by being YOU. Keep taking action; keep branding! Simplicity is key. Being yourself is necessary. And get some help along the way if you need it.