What is a brand focus word and why I’ve chosen the word ‘green’?

A brand focus word is a single word you choose that inspires you. It captures something that you are currently working towards in your business and life.

You can use your focus word throughout a period of time to:

• encourage new thoughts
• explore ideas
• inspire actions
• to reflect upon and approach challenges from a new angle

After that period of time (six months, a year or longer, the timing is completely up to you) you can then choose your next brand focus word.

How to choose your brand focus word

Your brand focus word could be based around one of your brand values, an attribute of your brand personality, a part of your brand vision, your brand purpose, an area of support, a brand feeling etc. Whatever your chosen word, the idea is that it inspires and encourages you to stay curious and consider how you can apply that word to the different aspects of your brand and your life.

Research the different meanings of your word and note down what your word means to you personally, the images or feelings it brings to mind and why. Have fun keeping a look out for it in your day to day life to see what opportunities, connections or ideas it sparks as well as a focus for the different tasks you are working on.

Why I’ve chosen the brand focus word ‘green’

For a while now that word for me is ‘green’, in a variety of meanings and it natural positive attributes. To explain what ‘green’ means to me I’ve divided it into in the following themes:

1. eco-conscious 
2. connection and balance
3. new growth and life

I’ll explore these ideas with you over the next few months. First up the eco-conscious connection.

1/ ‘eco-conscious’:

Eco-conscious to me means; being and doing what we each can consciously and compassionately do to work for and with nature. From recycling, up cycling, reusing, conscious purchasing decisions, renewable energy, insulation, keeping spaces for nature and wildlife, growing your own, harvesting rain water and more.

Part of my roots

Looking back, I’ve always been one for nature right from an early age. Rescuing injured creatures including mice, bunnies, hoglets and birds etc. I’d bring them indoors to provide a safe, dry shelter with water and food – whilst hoping with all my might that they would recover and be released back into they wild. My dad also reminded me of the time when we found a ‘daddy longlegs’ bumbling about in the house, (I can’t have been more than knee-high to a grasshopper). Dad managed to safely catch and release it out of the window, only for the daddy longlegs to be snapped up for supper by a passing bird, much to my disbelief! Sometimes nature has other plans.

During a recent sort out at our home, I came across newspaper cuttings and bronze, silver, and gold achievement certifications for actions I took for nature back in middle school as part of the RSPB’s Young Ornithologists Club (YOC), raising awareness and campaigning for restoration of our planet. I remember loving being a part of that club and heading away for a residential weekend where we got to see badgers in the middle of the night.

Part of my today and future

Small meadow orchard project

Last year saw seven new trees planted. In part, through the National Trust ‘plant a tree’ fund as pledged, and others as part of the meadow orchard Tim and I have started creating at our home. The transformation is evident already, with the bees loving the fruit blossom this spring, and the birds are currently feasting on the cherries (before they are fully ripe). Just yesterday I spotted a couple of blue Damselflies dotting in and out of the grass.

During the first year of our meadow orchard project, along side the fruit trees, shrubs and herbs planted, we sowed yellow rattle seed to naturally help start control the grass and allow space for the wild flowers to grow. The yellow rattle we planted has grown, bloomed and is currently reseeding, and it’s exciting to see what nature brings next; there is a plethora of grasses in many beautiful shapes and forms, clovers, buttercups, even a poppy and a bee-orchid. Hopefully it will inspire others too.

Follow my Instagram for project updates.

Steps we can take to help restore our planet and wellbeing

It’s not always easy being ‘green’, it can be more costly, sometimes it can limit choices (though for me less choice is not always a bad thing), but the changes you make do feel good and do good.

There are big things and little things we can all do:

• from where we shop
• what we buy
• who we invest with
• who we support
• what we use our voice for
• how we reuse, repurpose or mend things
• and how we inspire others…

No matter the size, all actions count and add up to help restore our beautiful planet.

I’m a member of The National Trust and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. And this year I’m also supporting:

• Rewilding Britain through my brand design and consultancy work, I’ve pledged a donation to the charity for every client that embarks upon their brand adventure.
• The Bumblebee Conservation Trust through the sale of an exclusive illustrated Kit the dog tote bag – fetch yours today ready for all your adventures 🙂

All sale donations are pledged and made to these two amazing charities via Work for Good.

These charities are particularly important to me as they are working to restore habitats for wildlife and reverse the impacts of climate crisis, whilst creating green spaces for us all to enjoy, now and for generations to come. Our values align. Similarly, with my branding process, it’s about protecting and celebrating your heritage and uniqueness, whilst working towards your vision and legacy. Creating a future that’s enriched, diverse and in harmony with nature and you. 

What small (or big) steps can you take or influence to help restore our planet, at home and as part of your brand?

Keep a look out for the next article, where I’ll be exploring the green theme ‘connection and balance’.