A client once referred to the advice they received from various agencies and consultants as “hot air”. We could understand this sentiment because it often is just that: a brain fart that sounds smart in the moment.We dislike how branding is done right now.
Too much revolves around pre-made systems that remind us of Marketing 101. We don’t believe that your brand identity can be found with a template of exercises that you do step by step in a group setting.Finding your identity is an art form in itself. It’s not a straight line from A to B that follows a book of rules. For our clients, creating a company often means taking a huge risk and betting all their energy and efforts on one card.
This is about their life’s work. We talk about their calling, vocation, or yes, even destiny. We talk about a seed that has the potential of becoming a tree lasting for generations to come. To treat this like an exercise in the latest marketing trends is disrespectful to the depth of the task. Helping to find a brand identity means listening and searching for small hints that are lurking in the depths.
Usually, everything is already there but is undiscovered, yes, even hidden in plain sight.Identity is never created; it is always discovered. You search for what is already there and imagine what it could develop into.
This is an exercise as much in intuition as it is in logic. Like the character of a novel that lives in the subconscious of the author, a brand already exists below the surface. And don’t get us wrong: all these tools and exercises have their purpose and are very helpful to build structure and clarity.
But if you forget that branding is more an effort of channeling the true spirit of a brand than it is about creating a clever but generic outfit for a company, you are missing the point.
