Building a Brand Foundation
While I’m a visual person, I love the nitty gritty of brand strategy work including vision statements, positioning and archetypes. It’s incredibly satisfying to put in hard work at the beginning and it really pays to focus on the structure of the brand at the core before launching into aesthetics. Also, if you do the legwork, the look-and-feel of the brand later on becomes almost obvious because you are so clear about your direction.
There are a thousand ways to approach brand strategy but I love the simplicity of a who/what/why approach. Read on for the basics to consider when building your brand foundation.
Who: Defining Your Brand’s Identity
Understanding who you are as a brand is key to any brand statefy. Defining your brand’s core identity, including your mission, vision, and values, will help to inform every decision you make going forward. Brand’s can be compared to people, with a unique appearance and personality traits.
Questions to consider:
Who is the brand for? Understand your target audience and their needs.
Who are the key stakeholders? Identify those who have a stake in your brand's success.
Who are you as a brand? Define your brand’s personality, voice, and key characteristics.
By clearly defining who your brand is, you set the stage for creating a cohesive and authentic brand identity that resonates with your audience.
What: Clarifying Your Brand’s Offer
Once you have a clear understanding of who your brand is, the next step is to clarify what your brand offers. This involves outlining your products or services and understanding their unique value propositions.
Questions to consider:
What are you offering? Detail the specific products or services you provide.
What makes your offering unique? Identify your unique selling points and differentiators.
What problems are you solving? Understand the specific needs or pain points your brand addresses.
Why: Articulating Your Brand’s Purpose
The final piece of the who/what/why approach is to articulate why your brand exists. This involves defining your brand’s purpose and the deeper reasons behind your business. Articulating your brand’s purpose helps create a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience and strengthens your brand’s overall strategy.
Questions to consider:
Why does your brand exist? Understand the core purpose that drives your brand beyond just making a profit.
Why should customers care? Articulate the emotional or practical benefits your brand provides to customers.
Why is your brand different? Highlight the unique aspects that set your brand apart from competitors.
Building a strong brand foundation is all about getting to the heart of who you are, what you offer, and why you exist. By focusing on who/what/why, you can create a clear and compelling brand identity that serves as a solid base for all future messaging and assets. With a strong foundation, the aesthetics and visual elements of your brand will naturally fall into place, reflecting the clarity and purpose you’ve established from the start.
