Never doubt the power of the mind

Why Branding Matters

Building on my last post a bit:

Your brand is "who you are" to yourself and the world.

Your values, what matters most to you, your personality and even to a large extent the icons associated with you can and should change very little over time.

Your brand can and should be remembered long after your organization is gone.

But your organization can take the inspiration of its values and the strength of its personality to develop new missions for itself in line with those values.

And of course it can develop new skills to pursue those missions.

If "who you are" doesn't matter. Those missions won't matter.

That's why every branding project begins by establishing who you are.

What is an organization v. 1

I've spent a lot of time over the years trying to model organizations so I could understand their problems and how to address them. I'm currently working with this three part model:

An organization is a Brand, on a Mission, with the Capabilities to fulfill that mission.

1. A Brand consists of a set of Icons associated with a personality that has a core message that reflects it's values. (Think of an organizations values as it's inner reason for being. And the Mission as the expression of that reason for being.) One may try to control this definition, but the fact of the matter is a brand is a sponge that over time absorbs the meaning that make it "what it is". Rather than try to tightly control ones brand it's best to try to first understand it, and second be a catalyst for strengthening the best parts of it. (I'll write more on this in another post)
   
   
2. The Mission is the expression of "what to be" or "what to do" that exists as an outgrowth of an organizations values and as allowed or limited by its capabilities. It's the aspiration. Values the inspiration.
   
   
3. And Capabilities can be operational or social or both. The intellectual, physical, political capital that can be employed toward pursuing the Mission.

Branding is far more than the logo

But often that's where things start.

A lot is asked of a logo. It has to encapsulate what an organization is today, and what it will become tomorrow. It needs to be about personality, capabilities, and values.

Coydan Construction needed something simple. Something that could be applied to things large or small. Something that could be used without calling up a designer every time they needed to do something. Here's what I gave them.

Coydan Logo/Symbol

View more documents from DF Hobbs.

Coydan Application

View more documents from DF Hobbs.

Why you need three legs.

For a person it's awkward.

But for a platform to put a message on, you can't get more basic than these three supports for your marketing communications effort.

The three legs of the marketing communications table:

1. It presents it's message as simply as possible, and no simpler. And does it in a way that is interesting.
   
   
2. It is true, and truer to you than anyone else. Thus being credible & ownable.
   
   
3. The product or message "fits" in the customers life. Thus, being relevant.

There are more complex versions of what one needs for effective marketing communications. But this is as simple as it gets, and no simpler.

Add a leg or take away a leg, and it's hard not to construct a "wabbler". Something that needs a shim here or there. Or BOTH here AND there. It's easy to create something that doesn't quite support what it's supposed to support. Or doesn't support anything.

Simplicity, truth, relevance.

Know your audience

I got my start designing for publishing. And the key to a successful publication is knowing who is reading you and why. That idea corresponds nicely with knowing who your customers are and understanding why they are your customers. Is it something you are doing right? Is it something someone else is doing wrong? (While you're at it, knowing why your competitions customers aren't your customers is a pretty good idea too.)

In addition to getting basic customer and market knowledge, I also learned the problem of a unsuccessful publisher is often managing growth, cash flow, and debt. So, if anything, when I advise companies my advice is aimed at slow smart growth.

I provided design or production, art direction, and either produced directly or managed the production of a number of publications.

Nautilus Typegraphics: (The Cross Sound Merchant), The Seattle Source, Wine Brothers Publishing: (The Monthly - Puget Sound & San Francisco editions), the Freedom Socialist, RCM Communications/Martin Publishing: (Cad Evolution, CAD Interface, CCS CAD Digest,Robocad’s ICON, etc.)

Located convieniently near you

I'm a modern era "digital nomad" and like it. While I have an office in my home, I usually meet people in their offices, in coffee shops, and online. And even though I insist on being small, I collect good people from around the globe to put the right skills on your project.

My hours vary with what else I am doing. So, all meetings are done by appointment.


View My unofficial office (and coffee break) in a larger map