My Studio Branding Process

behind the scenes brand design/aesthetics brand messaging Mar 15, 2021

My Definition of Branding

According to Marty Neumeier, “Branding is not what you say it is. Branding is what they say it is.”

I love this quote to describe the most important thing to understand about branding your business. I like to define branding as what other people think, say, and feel about your business. What do they think of when they see your logo? How do they feel when they read your words? What language and words are they using to talk about your business with others?

It may seem like a downside that your audience is controlling more of the narrative surrounding your brand than you are, but the good news is that we can actually have more control of the narrative than many entrepreneurs realize.

By establishing your vision for your brand and placing your clients and customers at the heart of everything you do, you can better appeal to their needs and desires and position yourself in a way that wins them over with your branding.

I’ve actually developed a flexible framework that I use to help my clients uncover the gaps in their brand narrative. We work together to develop a brand narrative that aligns your business values with what your customers want and need.

 

The Branding Process

First, let’s take a look at your brand goals, vision, and purpose. I want to understand what your goals are and establish a direction for your brand. So many people want a better brand to look more professional, but that's only part of the equation. What do you want people to THINK and FEEL about your business?

Next, let’s do some audience research. Understanding your audience is KEY to growing your business because they're the ones who are actually using your products/services. We'll talk about who they are, and what they want (what they really, really want — Spice Girls knew what was up).

Your customer journey is also important to look at. Your audience goes from not even knowing you exist to buying your stuff, and (hopefully) buying it over and over again. But that all depends on what happens on that "journey." We'll talk about your customer's journey and identify the ways we can make it better for them.

Another way to prepare your brand is by completing a competitive analysis. Studying your competitors is a valuable exercise in seeing your own strengths and weaknesses. I'll show you how to stand out no matter how saturated the market is!

Take a look at your business values. I believe that values are the foundation for making decisions, and when we work together to write out your business values, you'll experience a rush of complete clarity!

Also, pay attention to the messaging + tone of your content. The way that you communicate is less about what you say and more about how you say it. I'll give you a set of messaging guidelines to help you know exactly what to say on your website, your Instagram bio, your emails, and everything else your customers read.

Next, you’ll establish some creative direction. This is where the fun part happens. Based on the strategy we develop, I'll help you understand how that strategy should be applied visually.

One of my favorite parts of the entire process is the brand identity design. Your brand identity is the keystone of your brand—it's the piece that brings all your strategy to life and makes your brand STICK. This includes your logo and logo variations, your color palette, fonts, brand photography, and icon design.

Finally, you’ll want to establish some marketing collateral that goes hand-in-hand with your new identity design. All of my clients receive 2-3 marketing collateral pieces, strategically designed to match your brand and improve your online presence.

Thanks for reading!
♡♡♡ Rebecca

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