So, tell me about your business...
Sorry, couldn’t resist. It’s not therapy—it’s just an insatiable curiosity.
I have learned that the best results in brand strategy and design development all come from a deep curiosity about what makes a business worth building, what makes a product utterly unique, and a customer so captivating. Asking great questions, (what agencies often call the discovery process) is nothing more than intense curiosity drawing out what will eventually become a great design. I like to dig a little deeper than the rest. Their aim is tactical, mine is strategic as well.
More than a pretty logo
If all you want is a quick logo that won’t embarrass you, the best deals will be found on crowd sourcing sites like Fiverr and 99Designs. For some businesses, that’s all they need.
If you’re ready to create a brand that is all about you, one that will grow with your business, you have come to the right place. Have a seat on the, erm, couch and we’ll get started.
It’s about your story
The best businesses have a story that connects with their clients. It starts with a need, one that you fill perfectly. Your company’s identity, including your personality, vision, driving values, and of course your logo and style, all make up one part the brand.
The important part comes from you. You create it through the intangibles of customer service, integrity, and value that you bring to each client over the course of time.
Make your client the hero
Your client needs to be the hero of their story. By purchasing your product or service, they get the critical tool or service they need to live happily ever after, slay their dragon, or crush a new goal.
Who would Luke be without Obi-Wan and Yoda? King Arthur without Merlin? Sir Edmund Hillary without Tensing Norgay? In each case, the hero had someone that helped them do the extraordinary. When it comes to your customer, that someone is you.
Create a clear path
If your customers aren’t sure what their next step should be, they won’t take it. Customers like to be led, not confused, to see a clear path to success, to know where they’re going, and to see how far they’ve come.
Part of the branding process is to define success for your customers. In some cases it may be simply buying your product, in others setting an appointment so you can help them.
Whatever the goal, clear communication is essential for your customers to see the path they need to take in a way that makes it easy and enjoyable to follow.
Focus on the results
Make it super easy for your customers to understand what they will gain. Perhaps it’s a new product, go beyond your competition by getting ahead of your customer and solving common issues before they even know they might come up.
If you are a coach, show them how you will help them to reach that goal that has always eluded them, find peace of mind.
On a bigger scale, show manufacturers how they will get the best assembly process for their world changing widget and create a process to take care of every displaced employee so that they keep their job and get a raise.
When your prospects clearly see how the results you provide make them the hero of their own story, they will more likely become your customers.
Make the invisible visible
I started out as a designer. Now I realize the great design is not an end in itself, it’s the magical by-product of discovering and developing the identity and story of a business. It always and only emerges from hard thinking mixed with great questions and the understanding that follows.
“Oh my gosh, did you just write that? It’s like you reached in my brain and pulled out everything that I couldn’t ever seem to say on my own!”
The quote above came after the other members of a team I was working with got stuck in traffic. With 45 minutes or so to wait, I simply started asking Chelly questions about her vision for the new app she was launching and where the dream started. Right before the others arrived, I summed up everything she had said as simply and clearly as I could at that moment. From that point on, creating her new site and brand was easy.
My favorite comment from a client is always, “That’s me!” A great logo or design doesn’t just look good, it fits. It’s an image that is tailor made for your business that effortlessly communicates who you are and the value you bring to your customers.
If that sounds like something your business needs, then let’s talk. Click the button below to set up a discovery call and see if we’re a good fit for your brand.