Onward is where our clients will thrive.

Onward is where we will be shepherd the brands we get to work with.

Onward is hope because it means we are not stopping. We are not expecting a return to yesteryear’s normal. We go onward into the new normal.

Onward is where we go from here.

These 4 ingredients we have covered so far are vital to brand development, but there is a 5th ingredient that needs to be mentioned as well:  A chef (aka, guide, shepherd) to help work through the process of brand development.

That would be us, Brand Shepherd.

Having a chef to guide brand development is obviously important from an expertise level. Brand and business stakeholders use experts for anything, from HVAC service to CPAs to facility maintenance and, yes, brand development.

Yet a guide is also important because having a mind from outside the brand will give the development process the perspective it needs to be successful.

The brand’s visual identity (aka, logo) should reflect the brand voice, be familiar to the customer persona(s), and segue to the final ingredient, the brand’s “Why.”

Let’s talk about what goes into the making of a brand identiy.

The brand is always speaking, always communicating.

Product brands are always persuading, selling, and providing delight for their users.

While it’s true that the brand should reflect the values and even personalities of its key stakeholders, the brand ought to present as an entity of its own: Its own personality, unique value propositions, and tone of voice.

Developing the brand voice is done through a number of exercises with key stakeholders, product managers/owners, and user research – all with guidance from experts who know how to sort and organize the information into useful, actionable data.