How I Build a Distinct Brand for My Clients

As a brand designer, I’m often asked, “How do you create a brand that doesn’t just blend in with all the other businesses out there?” With more and more businesses and blogs launching everyday, having a distinct brand is more crucial than ever. It’s easy to tell you just to infuse your personality into your brand because you’re unique and your story is what makes you special. But as I covered last week, your brand has to also keep your ideal client in mind.

It takes a lot of time and thought to create a brand that not only stands out in your industry, but does so in a new and fresh way rather than being glaringly different and confusing your audience. Today, I’ll be going over my client process in detail so that you can see exactly how I use my knowledge and experience to design a brand that allows my clients to thrive and shine in a sea of businesses.

Phase 1 • Discovery

The first part of the process happens immediately after I’m booked by a client. I send them access to an Asana dashboard that we share and will act as the hub for their project throughout the process. There they find their client homework. It asks them questions all about who they are, why they started their business, the goals they have for the years ahead, and what they envision their brand looking like. It’s so fun to read their answers to get a better idea of who they are as a person and how I can make their business work better for them and create a brand that will boost their confidence as an entrepreneur.

Before moving onto the next phase when their project start date arrives, we set up a Skype call to get to chat again (after the initial consultation), go over their responses in detail, and just talk to get to know each other better. It’s my chance to pick up on the small bits of their personality that they see as normal but I know their ideal client will find noteworthy. After this call, we wait until their project begins so that I can begin the work on their new brand and website.

Phase 2 • Research

My clients have done all they can for me to work through this phase and I begin on day 1 of their project timeline. I focus on what answers they gave me and our time together during the Skype meeting and begin researching like crazy to absorb as much information as I can so I start from a place of knowledge and understanding when building their brand. I hone in on 4 distinct areas to help me start brainstorming visuals for their business.

THEIR INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION

Each industry has their own set of rules and I look around their niche to see who is doing well and who their directly competing against. I don’t do this to incite any type of animosity between them and others doing similar work (#communityovercompetition, am I right?) but it is important to recognize who may also be looking for clients that provide a similar service and recognize what makes my client special from this person? What is working for this particular leader in their field that I can adapt and change to fit my client’s needs. This is important so you don’t have a brand that screams, “I’m different!” without having a foundation to stand on.

DESIGN STAPLES

The world of design and art has a long and interesting history. I love incorporating practices and breaking a few of the rules to make not only a beautiful brand, but one that will last through trends. Fads and trends happen in any type of art, but seeing the values that last through every new, shiny face of a design is what will create visuals that don’t feel old and dated in a couple of years. No one wants to rebrand every couple of years. It’s a waste of time and money.

THEIR IDEAL CLIENT

Through the client homework in phase 1, we discover exactly who my client is trying to reach and who their dream clients are. You don’t want to try and appeal to too many people because then you’ll be screaming into a large crowd and no one will hear you over the noise. I research who this person is. Where do they hang out? What do they like to do? What problem is my client solving for them and why do they need their product or service? This ensures I can create visuals that will make their dream client stop in their tracks and say, “Who is this?”

THEIR AESTHETIC

Not every facet of your brand can be about your client or when you share who you are through your story, your content (think blog posts, captions, etc.), and your website, your audience will sense a disconnect which can lead to a lack of trust in your brand. If for instance my client says they love bright colors and quirky type and illustrations but that may not work for their business, I’ll find ways to infuse their personality into their brand, like hand-drawn icons for a more fun direction or a bright pop of neon used sparingly in a more neutral palette.

Phase 3 • Presentation

The first presentation they’ll receive is their brand’s moodboard. A moodboard uses photos, colors, and type to evoke an emotion, message, or tone for the look of their future brand. I use all of the hours of research to construct an interesting, multi-layered board that when they see it, they can see and feel where the brand’s direction will be. They don’t have to provide any images for this step because they hired me to help them. I mean, I don’t want to have to adopt the role of designer in addition to being the head of their own business. That’s what I’m here for!

If something is standing out about their moodboard that doesn’t quite fit into their vision, I’ll refine the board once with their input taken into consideration. I love this stage because this one graphic speaks to my clients and getting to explain the decisions made so they understand my choices and are a part of the process is where the partnership really begins throughout the entire process.

A COMPLETE BRAND CONCEPT

The second (and honestly, most important) presentation will follow a couple of weeks later when the moodboard is agreed upon. I create their new logos, color palette, patterns, icons, and graphics and present them all in mockups along with font choices. I believe showing the entire brand’s story, from logo to colors to possible stationery designs, gives my clients a full picture rather than building the brand small chunks at a time. It eases stress, ensures cohesion, and refining small details that need some extra love is that much easier. We meet in another Skype call to go over every inch of the brand visuals so they feel comfortable, know why every decision was made, and they can give me live feedback as we go so I know where their head and heart are.

Phase 4 • Refinements

During this phase of the project, I refine and tweak any details about their new brand that didn’t quite connect with them. Last year, I used to do revisions and build a brand slowly over the weeks I worked with my clients. I began quickly noticing that more choices actually caused them to feel overwhelmed and although I sketch out and test multiple options when creating their brand concept, not all of the ideas work! That’s the beauty of presenting my best work and being able to share how my research and knowledge led me down a certain direction.

When we refine their brand, I’m ensuring they feel confident in every element of their brand’s visual look. When my clients feel proud of their business but their brand doesn’t live up to the hard work and heart they pour into it, they’re less likely to market, network, and open up to others about what they do and who they serve. This step helps them really bring their voice into the design process.

Phase 5 • Website

We’ve arrived at my absolute favorite part of every project! I began as a website developer (yep, HTML and CSS are my love language) and I have a passion for turning a brand into a website that will not only act as the center of their business (consider that all of their clients will book them or buy their products from there!) but be their best marketing employee by sharing their heart, story, and offerings with the world even while they’re sleeping. So websites are pretty important.

MAKE A PLAN

I will begin by creating a sitemap letting them see a plan for all of the pages, links, and navigation. The flow of their site is crucial to helping new visitors have an experience with their business and know what step they should take next to get to know me client better, hear more about their products and services, and potentially pay them!

Next, whether they choose Showit5 or Squarespace as their website management software, I design a complete website wireframe so that they have an idea of the style and layout their website will have. This is also a fun stage for me to figure out small details that will enhance their site, like special menus, unique footer design, or interactive sections of the site.

I present both documents to my client and we refine the plans just like we did in the previous steps. Then I get to actually create the website which is the best part!

WEBSITE PRESENTATION

You guessed it, another presentation and another Skype meeting. As I did with their brand concept, I walk my client through the entire demo site, getting their thoughts along the way and we decide on some finale refinements. Once the website is perfect, we set up a final client meeting a couple of days before their planned launch day. In the meantime, I get all of their design files ready, including a brand board, launch graphic (so we can celebrate together on social media!), and their brand guidelines and expansion PDF that will guide them into the future of their business as they reach milestones and goals.

Phase 6 • Launch and Celebrate

At our final meeting, we plan their brand and website launch, go over how to manage their new site as their business grows, and transfer the website over to them. I record the entire meeting so that they can refer back to it if they forget a detail of what we spoke about. After the call, I deliver their files and guides and on launch day, I post a blog post outlining our project and announcing to my audience that they have arrived! I love launching my client’s brands on the same day as my announcements because I feel like we get to celebrate all the weeks of hard work together, even if we cannot be together physically. The process takes between 6-8 weeks so all that hard work deserves a bit of a party!

As you can see, the process is extensive but rewarding and creates a brand that my clients can be proud of and leads to a thriving business. Do you feel like your brand just does not match up with your business and goals? I would love to help you!

Contact me and we can set up a pre-project consultation to go over your stress points and how I can make your worries transform into a solid brand.

#Business #Branding #Myclients