Strategic Considerations for Branding

When beginning the brand development process, it’s important to identify some key qualifiers for both your company, organization, or project, and the finished brand’s goals. You know your work and your audience best — this initial process is meant to bridge the gap between that existing expertise and our agency’s understanding of it, so we can develop visual and non-visual messaging to accomplish your goals. One of the first steps in that process is this form.

We always tell clients to complete this as viscerally or as thoughtfully as they like, but say it might be best to not trend to either extreme — don’t answer these prompts too quickly or incompletely, but it’s also best not to hold on to this too much. These prompts and the responses to them are just the start and we’ll be sure to reach out if we want any more clarity or expansion on any topics.

We do ask that all core interested parties complete this as a team though rather than having individuals do so separately as it’s helpful for us to receive concise, agreed-upon responses when more than one stakeholder is providing input.

And have fun with this! We’ll be back in touch soon after responses are submitted.

Client/Project Name

Mission & Common Goals

Identify the goals of the company, organization, or project by first stating a mission and/or vision statement and then expanding on that by listing specific long- and short-term goals. For-profit companies — try to get beyond the basics of making money and surviving as a business. Why did you start the company in the first place?

Audiences

Identify the various target audiences of your organization — groups that share traits such as non-profit entities, governmental organizations, the media, consumers, parents, farmers, etc. Then go back and list a number of specific examples within each category. These target audiences should be who you want to reach with the final brand — the specific groups who will “buy in” to your work and access its information, services, etc. Prioritize the categories of audiences as much as possible.

Story & Origin

In the end, we’re trying to communicate your story to an audience in the most efficient and appealing way possible. What’s the history behind your company, group, and/or product? What’s appealing about that story in the most fundamental sense? What’s the hook — the human component that should speak most directly to everyone? And what unmet need or "gap in the marketplace" sparked the origin?

Messages & Themes

Create some short, easy-to-digest messages or themes that capture your work. Keep them as short as possible and try to cover the gamut of what you do or the product/service. Focus more on big picture, less on day-to-day or task-oriented work. The resulting messages should be both aspirational and realistic.

Style Descriptors

List some words or phrases that describe your work, its goals, and how you would like to be perceived by others.

Sample Work

Find examples of visuals and styles — both with logos and brand and with other communication products — that you think communicate effectively and have a convincing, strong look. The goal is not to steal looks or ideas, but, instead, to narrow in on what you think works well and why. You know your work better than we ever could — we’re trying to get in your headspace while retaining the benefits of an outsider’s point of view. Look within your field and outside of it for examples. Likewise, determine visual communication that you think doesn’t work well — why are these approaches less successful in your eyes? We encourage you to copy and paste individual html addresses and/or links to Pinterest boards or Google Drives and the like.

Uniqueness & Advantage

What do the existing brands of others in your field communicate and how do you want to be set apart from them? What’s the best way for you to achieve that — what are your brand’s natural strengths and advantages? How does your company, organization, project, or product appeal in ways that others do not? Why would someone be compelled to action by you and not a similar entity? List obvious advantages as well as “disadvantages” that may not initially be considered strengths.

Colors & Shapes

Finally, consider some specific shapes, forms, styles of execution, and images that might provide inspiration to the end logo and brand — flowers, certain animals, circles, hard edges not curved, et cetera. Likewise, consider colors or color palettes that appeal and don't appeal to you.