Well, let’s start with what branding isn’t. Branding is not your logo and branding is not marketing. A lot of my coaching clients think branding is simply marketing, but in reality, your branding should be done WAY before you even begin to think about marketing. If you don’t have a sold brand, marketing your goods is like trying to sell a ghost.
Branding is the most powerful form of design (I know, I am biased). Shopping in stores, getting pedicures or even working out in places that have been branded well creates a quality experience because of the perception we have of a certain brand. Brands make us feel more attractive, smarter, special…and everybody wants to feel those things.
For instance, the everyday act of getting a pastry becomes absolutely charming when you are getting it at Mr. Holmes Bake Shop in San Francisco, where one of the taglines is: “I got baked in San Francisco”. Mr. Holmes creates a fun, eccentric, playful and even edgy energy with their offerings. They sell something called a “Cruffin”. I had to delve in to check out this Cruffin concept since Mr. Holmes has an actual “Cruffin Count Down” on their website (see how that hooked me?) The Cruffin Countdown is a timer that lets the world know when the next fresh and tasty Cruffins will be poppin’ out the oven. The timer engages and adds hype and excitement to the Mr. Holmes brand (and if you were wondering, a Cruffin is a croissant-like muffin with pastry filling on the inside).
Mr. Holmes Bakeshop is a perfect example of a cohesive brand identity that creates an emotion for the consumer. What emotions might we feel when perusing the pastries? Feelings like comfort, delight and just plain ol’ “yum”, like these big, warm and cozy pastry arms are giving us a big (and probably much needed) hug.
Aron Tzimas the identity designer for Mr. Holmes said
“For the baked goods box, the idea was simple: make everyone who bought or received baked goods from Mr. Holmes feel special. We wanted our packaging to represent the quality that was inside. Too often you see bakeries just stamp a plain craft paper box, and even though we know this was the (much) more expensive option, we knew that we wanted it to feel like you were receiving a birthday present.”
Aron wanted the customer to feel special, and create a quality experience.
Maybe you aren’t into delicious baked goods. Maybe you are more into burning Cruffin calories and would rather cycle your buns off…
Introducing: Monster Cycle
Where the soul cycle gets a little more soulless- Monster Cycle is branded in a way that makes me feel like I am immersed in a metal album. The brand uses a lot of black and white imagery, bold typography and edgy decor. Monster Cycle has a pentagram in their yoga room and the cycle room is decked out with matte black bikes, a DJ booth and the occasional bondage decor. Monster cycle is gym meets club, with a parental advisory at the start of each class. The brand works to create a specific experience and Michael, the owner, wanted the feel of rock show energy while exercising. His idea evolved into a 45-minute sweat-out session in a dark room, while music videos play to motivate and inspire you.
Michael says what sets monster cycle apart from others studios is that they embrace all types of music styles with special rides like Metal Monday, Goth Pop, Punk and Trap week.
How about Blackbeard, the dreadfully scary pirate? Blackbeard was a pirate active in 1716–1718. He was a violent pirate that prepared for the exact moment when other pirates would see him coming in. He would light fuses and attach them to his beard so all you would see was were his eyes surrounded by smoke. He was a performer, and wanted to control the way people perceived him. Blackbeard’s mission was to terrify the other sailors and pirates in order to have you give up the ship.
So what the hell is it?!
Branding is how all of the parts of a company work together to create an image.
Your brand will start out as a concept.
Mr. Holmes Bakeshop, Monster Cycle, and even Blackbeard all used visual design to create their compelling brand. While effective branding uses a lot of design, effective branding is not all design. Effective branding starts out as a concept, also known as a brand strategy. The creation of the brand strategy begins with a lot of research. To create a solid brand strategy, you need to know who you are selling to and what makes you different.
Your strategy should include:
So, why do you need branding if you are a small solopreneur?
1. Over communicated society
Today we live in an over-communicated society, There are millions of brands alone in the USA. I’ve seen different numbers ranging from 18 million to 27 million businesses. We are bombarded daily by thousands of messages and ads. Just throwing another brand or logo out into the world will not do your business any favors and a logo alone will never differentiate your brand from the others. There are SO many advertisements thrown in our faces daily from the apps we use and on our favorite websites, in newspapers, on flyers and bulletin boards ad nauseum. It becomes overwhelming.
2. Our defense is a simple mind.
The only defense our brain has against this oversaturation and constant stimulation is to simplify and categorize. Our brains go into sensory overload which is defined by Wikipedia as “occurring when one or more of the body’s senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment. There are many environmental elements that impact an individual”. Examples of these elements are urbanization, crowding, noise, mass media, technology, and the explosive growth of information. Psychologist Barry Schwartz wrote a book called the “Paradox of Choice” where he makes an observation about free choice and argues that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers. Customers will end up choosing and paying more for the products they have heard of. Big brands are recognizable and give the consumer an easy and simple choice. The well-branded product or service will not get lost in a sea of similar products because they will have differentiated themselves in the customer’s mind with a simple message.
3. Our Approach is to oversimplify the message to get through to the customer.
Less is more! We create a simple and direct message through creating a brand identity and concept that will outlast all the noise.
To oversimplify the message you must create your #1 unique and compelling difference. Do you know why a customer or client would choose you over your competitors? Most people do not know, the question actually stumps them… Check back in next week to learn how to create your USP.
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