Creating thriving brands and spaces!

Bring your brand alive

A brand is a living entity, complete with values, tone of voice and personality of it’s own. It has a story to tell, from your heritage right through to the vision and legacy you are carefully handcrafting and defining.

“We are stewards of this world, and we have a calling in our lives to leave it better than how we found it.” Jim Rohn, Business philosopher and author.

To create a thriving brand it’s important to start with the right foundations, so that your brand story is consistently told and held through each detail. Like preparing the ground for seeds and saplings, both need the right conditions to grow, establish and flourish.

Strong as a tree

“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow” 14th Century old English proverb

Trees are a fantastic metaphor for how your ethical branding can thrive.

Both trees and brands can transform spaces:

• they create living ecosystems and diverse habitats.
• defining a space/presence, whether virtual or physical, that’s welcoming, inspiring, and creates a supportive experience. One that attracts talent and your ideal client
• they can enhance wellbeing of nature and our own, mind, body and spirit, restoring balance and purpose.
• both live, breathe, and grow towards the direction of the sun (a.k.a. your brand vision).

I love this time of year, the fruit tree buds are blooming and bursting into stunning blossom, foretelling the summer harvest to come. However, these beautiful results don’t happen by chance. It’s nurtured through the awe and wonder of nature and divine creation.

It’s the same for your brand.

 

 

It all starts by putting the right foundations in place to fully support and align with that spark of a vision that truly excites you.

Now, a tree uses its roots to firmly establish itself in the carefully prepared foundations, creating:

1. a strong anchor
2. supportive structure for growth
3. nourishment

All this goes on unseen underground, but it’s a vital system that keeps the tree healthy and strong. In terms of your brand these aspects are your heritage, purpose and values. Your why. Who you are and what you stand for.

These three internal areas feed, nourish and align your direction towards your vision and legacy;

• informing the look and feel of your brand
• identifying who you help
• what makes you unique
• defining how your brand interacts as an entity
• influencing decision making
• presenting a united, consistent experience

Once firmly planted in the foundations through this internal ground work, we are ready to define the design direction and start developing the external aspects of your brand; the distinctive visual elements to communicate your brand personality, positioning and values:

• colour
• style
• fonts
• logos
• icons
• illustrations/ graphics etc

Grow a strong brand

Newly planted trees need stakes to provide strength, protection and support. This structural device prevents damage from wind rock in order for the roots to establish themselves. Likewise, in growing your brand it can be all too easy to get distracted, and end up being pushed and pulled in the direction of the wind, (shiny object syndrome)!

So the ‘stake’ for your brand, to help you and your team (whether internal or outsourced) avoid this disruption or deviation, is your style guide. A vital resource containing all your brand references and guidance for use to help you keep clarity, alignment and consistency through all your communications and brand touchpoints. Grow a strong brand that lives to your full potential.

If you’re ready to lay the right foundations for your brand contact me today.

I love seeing the transformation for my clients from initial idea through to fruition when we’ve worked through the brand foundations to develop their new branding, creating a brand they love and a lasting legacy. A brand that feels fully aligned with their values and vision, and holds their story in every detail. I personally get so much fulfilment from seeing my clients confidently go on to live out and celebrate their brand and those they help.

Plus, for each brand foundation package booked during Spring/Summer 2021, I pledge to donate a tree to be planted with the National Trust’s ‘Plant a tree fund’ to help create beautiful green spaces for people and wildlife to thrive. Together we can make a positive impact in the world, brand by brand.

Create a brand you love. Design to tell your story.

 

 

Design: Becks Neale

Photo: Irina Iriser | Unsplash