What Do I Get Out of The Branding Process?

Ah, the branding process. 

Whether you’re in the process of creating your brand or you’re looking to revamp what you already have, the branding process can be equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming. Are you wondering why branding is important? Or more importantly, what can you get out of the branding process? 
Don’t worry, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we promise that this time it isn’t a train. We’re here to walk you through the key concepts and make sense of what can feel like an overwhelming process (but doesn’t have to be!). 

But wait- what is a brand?

Your brand is so much more than a mere logo. You need to be thinking about branding at a higher level. Your brand is defining who you are to the world as a company. Good branding is standing excitedly on the rooftop, shouting at passersby what makes you unique. People should understand from the digital ecosystem that you are creating who you are, what you do, for whom and why you do it. All the while grabbing the attention of those people walking by. 

This digital ecosystem is composed of several elements (we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of those later in the article- so stay tuned): 

• Brand definition
• Positioning
• The Manifesto
• Your Digital Presence
• The Brand Book - which includes:
  - Your Logo (and how it should be used!)
  - Colors
  - Fonts
  - Imagery
  - Tone & Voice

Looking to have some powerful branding? Everything should be consistent and work in harmony. Think of your branding as a map. We’ve all been given directions by a scatter minded friend. In the same way that you don’t want to hear 8 different routes to the same destination, you wouldn’t want to confuse your audience with too many messages. You want them to identify your brand as you’d like them to, in the simplest terms possible.

The Process

We’re well familiar with the branding process at Flying Saucer. We’ve tested our process and refined it so you don’t have to. Don’t believe us? Just ask our happy clients.

“Flying Saucer has been instrumental to our company’s rebranding and relaunch. They’ve helped us turn ideas and concepts into copy, illustrations, landing pages, products, emails, videos, and ads. They’ve made our brand come alive.” - Lauren Minches, VP, Product & Marketing at Blueprint Income.

So without further ado, let’s get into our branding process! 

1. We start with a quick survey that allows us to get to know the client better and formalize their vision. This includes brand targets, audiences, values, spectrums, and quadrants.
   
   
2. After the survey is complete, we then set up an interview with the key stakeholders of the company to better understand the bigger picture and goals. We’re looking for those #GoalDiggers. It often raises questions of alignment and we work with our clients to align internally.
   
   
3. The next step is market research, which is crucial to understanding the context of the brand and finding its sweet spot. We want to get in there and discover where Brand X should begin and why.
   
   
4. Once everyone agrees with the plan it’s time to start building a moodboard based on the results of the survey and the interview. This helps us get a sense of what the client likes and responds to. Want to learn more about moodboards? Take a look at this.
   
   
5. All the previous steps and the research process leads up to building 3 directions that we feel would work for the client. This includes black and white drafts for the logo, a motive for the brand and a more targeted moodboard.
   
   
6. After 1 or 2 rounds of feedback, we end up finding the best direction that we can push towards and improve the logo by adding colors and changing fonts if needed. The brand book is starting to take its shape and everyone can see the direction of the branding process. Think of it like pulling up onto your street after a long trip. You’re excited to get there but the journey was well worth it.
   
   
7. The final step in the branding process is really about how this new branding would affect any collaterals, such as the brand’s social presence, website, marketing assets, event booths, business cards, stationary - the list goes on! 

Of course, the research process can be as extensive or as small scale as the brand needs. It’ll take more time and resources to start branding from the ground up, less if you’re just giving your brand a little freshen up. At the end of the day- it’s all about finding balance. Not everything will need to be changed and that’s okay! It’s about seeing what works best for your needs.

So what do I get out of this? 

This entire article has been learning up to this moment. 

Your brand will be able to scream off the edge of the rooftop about: 

1. Your Memorable Logo
2. When a logo is created properly, it becomes an open canvas for customers to fill in with the positive and memorable experiences they have with a brand. Think about Airbnb’s ‘Bélo’ as a simple of belonging or Nike’s iconic ‘Swoosh’. The simpler the logo, the easier it is to scale between mediums. From digital advertising to traditional print, simple works best.
   
   
3. Brand Personality That Pops!
4. Your message is important because it’s how your brand communicates with the world. It’s all about what you say and how you say it. Having a solid foundation for your tone of voice allows you to set guidelines for collaborators and generate the best bespoke content for your brand.
   
   
5. Professional and Attractive Colors and Fonts
6. Once again, consistency is key! Your whole team and any contractors or freelancers need to maintain the standards that you set as part of the branding process. Having elements that people can stick to not only looks better, but it also saves you invaluable time.
7. Consistent Materials
8. Thanks to all the hard work put into what’s been mentioned above - your marketing assets and basically anything that you produce will be united! Your audience will be able to just look at an advertisement and even without seeing the logo will know that it’s your brand behind it. This is where the magic happens!
   
   

There you go! You have the tools, the bag of magic beans, the solid foundation to achieve your upcoming goals. Look at you #goaldigger!

Today we’ve laid down the foundation to help your brand through the branding process. While you may be tempted to cut corners to save time, money, or both - but you’ll only be cheating yourself. Our branding process works for a reason. It’s easy for branding initiatives to get help up in internal discussion and fail to move forward. You need to work to keep discussions on track. Remember what you began your branding adventure for!

Building your brand should be exhilarating. It should be an exciting and reinvigorating process. It gives your brand a fresh perspective and new opportunities to continue to grow. 

Have the patience and perseverance to master the process and you’ll be building a stronger future for your brand. 

Looking for some help with your branding strategy? Don’t worry, we’re here for you. Book a call with us!

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