The Complete Branding Process – According to Me

I get many questions from confused clients in our initial contact about what in the actual hells bells is the process of creating your brand. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not that difficult once you know, and that actually, most of the hard work probably has already been done by the time you’re reaching out to me (whether you realise this or not).

In this blog I will give you a brief (well, I’ll TRY to keep it brief #sorrynotsorry) rundown of what the method is and what each part involves.

Part 1: Initial Deep Diving

This part comes immediately after we’ve said our “how do you do’s” and “nice to e-meet ya’s” over email and you’re happy to lock in my time to build your brand.

1. Re-branding – brand audit
   You’ve decided it’s time to level up your branding cus that Canva-made logo just ain’t cutting it with the big boys anymore. I’ll run through your existing collateral, socials and website to evaluate your current branding and how it could be improved.
2. Discovery Questionnaire
   This is where all the gold comes from. From analysing your target market, to your competitors, to chatting about which colours you are most drawn to – I’ll flick you a questionnaire that deep dives into all the nitty gritty details of your business and how you envision your brand. You’ll realise that you probably already know most of these answers, but the magic usually comes out by writing it all down, it helps bring to life thoughts you didn’t realise you had… not to mention I need to know all of this 😉

Part 2: Vision

At this point, I’ll read over your submitted answers, and combine them with any details we may have already discussed over email or the phone. And then the fun stuff happens – your brand starts to take life!

1. Competitor analysis and research your fav brands
   You’ve identified your competitors and brands that you admire in your questionnaire and now I will research their marketing and visual identity. I’ll figure out what makes them work and what doesn’t, so I can apply only the best elements that you need to your branding.
2. Moodboard
   I’ll interpret all the initial behind-the-scenes work that we’ve done, all the research and I translate this into a moodboard (think Pinterest board) of how I envisage the brand. At this point I will forward for approval. NB: This is the easiest stage of the process to make changes to the feel of the brand, so it’s important that you are happy and provide feedback. The moodboard is the foundation of the entire brand and all collateral that is created in the future, so multiple variations may be needed before it gets to a point you’re happy to proceed.

Part 3: Concept Phase

The fun part!

1. Logo concept(s)
   Pretty self-explanatory, but just to confirm…. Once a moodboard is approved, it usually takes around 2 weeks to develop concepts (this can be longer if you have multiple concepts). Concepts are the working files of your logo.
2. Feedback
   Once concepts are presented, it’s feedback time! Time to get honest and let me know your thoughts on your potential brand. Not a fan of providing feedback, or wouldn’t know where to start? Here are some tips;
   1. Be specific: if you don’t like the colour then say that. If the font just isn’t doing it for you, tell me why. Being vague is the quickest way to another failed concept.
   1. Consider the compliment sandwich: start with something you DO like about the concept, then provide constructive feedback about the things you don’t, and end on a positive note.

Part 4: Creating Touchpoints

With a logo decided on and the files all packaged up and delivered, it’s time to consider how else you might like to create touchpoints for your customers/ clients.

• Business cards
• Promo flyers
• Brochures
• Business documents and forms
• Content upgrades and workbooks
• Social media imagery
• Promo items
• Signage

And that’s all folks! Now that you’re aware of the process, hopefully it’s a little less daunting than first anticipated. If you have any questions that I didn’t cover, let me know!