Branding basics
Hello from Brandician, your brand’s caring companion. We believe that a powerful brand is more than just a pretty logo. Our mission is to unearth the heart of your brand, understand your customers’ deepest desires, and craft authentic connections that inspire loyalty and stand the test of time.
Here’s your Practical Guide to Affordable Brand Building with Archetypes, Storytelling, and AI.
This is Part 1 of a two-part series (click here for Part 2), adapted from Brandician’s “Caring for Your Brand” workshops held in Crypto Valley during 2023-2024. These workshops empowered startups to build strong brands from the ground up, even with limited resources. These workshops were designed to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to build a powerful brand from the ground up, even on a shoestring budget.
In these posts you’ll discover a refined, cost-effective method to create a superior brand identity while saving up to 70% compared to hiring a professional agency.
Be sure to check out Part 2 for more advanced strategies and practical guides.
What will you get
By following the steps outlined here, you will be able to develop a brand that is authentic, memorable, and effective.
The blueprint document that you will create as a result of this post will be a valuable resource for you and your team. It will provide you with a clear understanding of your brand’s identity, values, and goals. You can and should use this document to guide all of your marketing efforts, and you can also share it with external marketing/designers to ensure that they are creating materials that are consistent with your brand.
Here are two examples of branding guidelines that have been created using this method:
Our formula
Utilizing Jungian archetypes will show you how to weave storytelling into the very fabric of your brand, creating a narrative that speaks to the heart of your audience. And with the help of AI tools, you’ll learn how to engage in conversations that matter, ensuring your brand isn’t just seen, but heard and remembered.
Posts Content
Part 1
- What is a Brand and Branding, definition, benefits, challenges
- Stories & Archetypes in branding
Part 2
- Human psychology, motivation theory
- Advanced ideas and methods to implement them
- Practical steps to create or refine your brand with examples, worksheets, and AI prompts
We’ll begin with the essentials of what makes a brand, diving into its substance. Then, we’ll weave tales and tap into timeless archetypes to create a brand that cares and connects. Understanding the heart of human motivation will equip you with the steps to cultivate a brand that’s as compassionate as it is compelling.
For getting an effective brand for your company: you have two paths. The first is the traditional route—hire an agency. Sure, they’ll do a good job, but it’ll cost you both in time and money. Think $10,000 to $20,000 and a 3 to 6-month wait. Or there’s a smarter way—Brandician’s method. Start by reading two books, then use the guidelines and worksheets we’ve carefully put together for you. They’ll steer you through creating your brand’s DNA. Once your guidelines are set, simply bring in a designer to polish it off. The result? A brand that’s not only effective but also authentically yours, without breaking the bank or the clock.
Brand vs. Branding
Let’s talk about what a brand is and how it’s different from branding. A brand is the essence of your company’s identity. It’s the logo, colors, shapes, and images—the elements that people see and instantly recognize as you. It’s what you stand for and what you promise to your audience, creating an emotional connection through their experiences with your brand, leading to recognition, trust, and loyalty.
Let’s put this into a personal perspective with a relatable example:
Imagine you’re getting ready for a date…
The outfit you choose is your brand. It’s the visual impression you make, a reflection of your personal style and values. That’s what your date sees and what they’ll feel about you. But there’s more to it—branding is how you bring your brand to life. It’s like how you behave on the date, what you relay, the things you say, the vision and values you share, and how your voice and tone weave your personal story. It’s the strategy behind your actions, the quality of your interaction, and the way you market yourself on the date. It’s the entire process that defines how you’re perceived, remembered, and what sets you apart. Just like on a date, in business, your suit, your brand, is only as good as the way you wear it, which is your branding.
Brand definition
So, what is a brand, and why is it important to have one? A brand is much more than a catchy name or an eye-catching logo. It’s the essence of your business’s identity—the unique palette of colors, the shapes, the slogans, and the typeface that all tell your story at a glance.
But it’s also the feelings and experiences that people associate with your business. It’s the promise you give to your customers, the emotional journey you take them on, which sticks with them long after they’ve encountered your product or service. This is what forges a special bond between you and your customers. It’s this unique trust that turns a visitor into a loyal friend, advocating for your brand.
Benefits of branding
A distinct brand is your North Star, guiding customers to you in a sea of choices. It’s not just about the present, but the future – a well-crafted brand lays the foundation for lasting success.
A strong brand also empowers your team. When employees believe in the brand, their passion and commitment turn them into ambassadors. This can significantly boost performance and overall excellence.
A clear brand identity also builds trust with key stakeholders – investors, suppliers, and most importantly, your customers. It’s a signal of reliability and longevity. This trust transforms casual customers into loyal fans, fostering steady growth even in competitive markets.
In essence, a strong brand generates a ripple effect, resulting in less effort for greater rewards. This is because a well-crafted brand fosters emotional engagement with customers, inspires employees, and builds trust with stakeholders, leading to increased loyalty, better market positioning, and ultimately, long-term success.
The challenge of branding
Designing your own brand—is not a walk in the park. As a business owner, your brand is your precious creation, crafted with sweat and blood. It’s tempting to view it as your masterpiece, but here’s the twist: customers see things differently. They’re not invested in the effort behind your brand; they’re looking for something that makes their lives easier, something that helps them thrive. It’s all about stepping out of your shoes and seeing your brand through the eyes of those you serve. What matters to them? Does your brand solve a problem, fill a need, make their day better?
That’s the branding challenge—aligning your pride and joy with what really resonates with your customers. Seeing beyond the self-image is a common hurdle for many of my clients. Just like the gentleman in this picture, business owners often believe they’re addressing their customers, but they’re actually just echoing their own ideas. It’s like speaking to a mirror instead of the crowd.
This is precisely why stepping out and bringing in an external branding specialist is key. They offer fresh perspectives, understanding customer insights in ways you might not have considered. They provide an objective analysis, cutting through the bias to see what truly resonates with your audience. They bring expertise to craft a brand that adapts to trends and stands the test of time. So it’s not just about creating a reflection of yourself, but shaping a brand that truly speaks to and for your customers.
What happens if you don’t
What happens if you don’t involve an external branding specialist? This is a story many of my clients experienced firsthand: an entrepreneur approaches a friend, who happens to be a designer, with a request for a logo and a website. However, without clear branding guidelines, the outcome often misses the mark. While the creation may look aesthetically pleasing, it fails to resonate with the intended audience. Artists, driven by their unique visions, operate within their own universes. Without guidelines, they might as well be crafting messages for residents of a far-off galaxy.
This is precisely the pitfall many of my clients have encountered. The result can surprise or even confuse their customers, leaving everyone speaking different languages. It’s imperative to establish branding guidelines upfront to ensure your brand’s message remains clear and coherent, avoiding any loss in translation.
The power of storytelling and Archetypes in branding
The power of storytelling in branding is undeniable. Let’s delve into this fascinating chapter.
What exactly is a story? It’s more than a mere tale; it’s a vessel for information, emotions, and experiences. In branding, it serves as the golden thread that connects your brand to the audience’s heart. Stories carry rich meanings, values, and beliefs, painting your brand with a personality and identity unlike any other. Since the dawn of time, stories have been a fundamental method of captivation and education, woven into the fabric of human culture. The history of storytelling runs deep, ingrained in our psyche as a means to captivate and educate.
Every captivating tale follows a path that draws us in. It begins with context, setting the stage and connecting personally with the audience. Then comes the twist—the pain point, challenge, or drama—gripping our attention and stirring empathy. Climbing out of this trough leads us to the impact, where solutions and benefits shine a light. It’s the turning point that showcases the value brought by overcoming the pain. This structure isn’t exclusive to novels or films; it’s the blueprint for effective branding, turning a narrative into a journey from problem to resolution, leaving a lasting impression of success and value in the audience’s mind.
A common blunder in brand storytelling is portraying the brand as the hero. However, customers don’t seek heroes; they need guides. The customer is the protagonist of their own journey, looking for someone to illuminate the path, not overshadow their story. Your brand should be the wise mentor, offering solutions, guidance, and support. So, instead of boasting about being the best, show how you can help your customers become their best selves. This shift in narrative resonates deeply, where your brand becomes the trusted guide to the customer’s own success story.
One recommended resource for effective brand storytelling is “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller. This guide emphasizes the importance of a clear message in storytelling. By using the StoryBrand framework, you’ll see orders and revenue increase. Miller outlines a seven-step process, akin to a roadmap for effective brand storytelling. It starts with a character—the customer—who has a problem. They meet a guide—your brand—that presents them with a plan. Then, a call to action nudges them towards making a decision, leading to either success or failure.
Archetypes
Archetypes, traced back to Plato and further developed by Carl Jung, play a vital role in storytelling and branding. These universal symbols and images represent fundamental human motivations, each with its own set of values, meanings, and personality traits. Archetypes are like a universal language, allowing for immediate recognition in storytelling. By tapping into familiar archetypes, brands can create narratives that resonate deeply with their audience.
The rebel archetype challenges the status quo and breaks the rules to create change, while the innocent archetype embodies pure heart and endless hope. These archetypes are powerful because they are relatable, allowing the audience to see a part of themselves in the brand’s narrative.
Branding Archetypes
Let’s delve into another crucial chapter: branding archetypes to guide you through. I highly recommend the book “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands through the Power of Archetypes” by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson. This book explains how tapping into archetypes can humanize your brand, aligning it with your company’s vision, mission, and values.
Archetypes in branding do more than just differentiate you from the competition. They connect with your customers on a primal level, evoking deep emotions and establishing a strong, meaningful relationship with your audience. They provide an instinctive understanding that goes beyond the conscious level, resonating with the universal stories that shape our collective unconscious.
Branding archetypes are powerful tools that brands like Disney, Tesla, and Red Bull use to connect with their audiences. Disney channels the magician, creating enchanting experiences and making dreams come true. Tesla, with its innovative technology and cutting-edge design, also embodies the magician archetype, transforming the way we think about transportation and energy.
In contrast, brands like Diesel, Harley-Davidson, and Virgin embrace the rebel archetype, challenging conventions and embracing the maverick spirit. They stand out by pushing boundaries and redefining norms, resonating with those who see themselves as individualists.
Finally, brands like Ikea, KFC, and Levi’s tap into the Everyman archetype, focusing on accessibility, reliability, and creating a sense of belonging. They build their brand story around being approachable, dependable, and an integral part of everyday life for their customers.
Archetypes make branding easier. Identifying your brand’s archetype provides a guiding compass for all other elements: colors, shapes, language, tone of voice, values, mission, culture, and brand promise. Each aspect becomes clearer through the lens of your archetype. Consider your archetype the essence of your brand’s personality. It simplifies and streamlines the branding process. Once you understand your archetype, it intuitively informs your choices about branding elements.
Here’s an example of how easy it is and anyone can do it even without designer training.. Imagine you need to do branding for a hero archetype company without a name or backstory. Which colors, shapes, and fonts do you feel resonate with this archetype? See the picture below, Take a moment to think about it and select what color shape and font are the most fitting..
Intuitively, the choices that align with a hero brand include a vibrant red that speaks of passion and action, a star shape that represents a beacon or guide, and a strong uppercase font that conveys confidence. These elements are quintessential for a hero archetype, illustrating how instinctively you can approach branding when you understand the power of archetypes.
End of Part 1
By now, you have a solid foundation in the concepts of brand, branding, and the power of storytelling and archetypes. You’re well on your way to crafting a brand that resonates deeply with your audience. To further enhance your understanding, be sure to check out these three videos that delve deeper into the topics we’ve covered:
Proceed to Part 2 of this guide, where we’ll dive deeper into the psychology behind customer behavior, exploring motivation theory and advanced branding techniques. We’ll provide actionable steps to create or refine your brand, complete with real-world examples, practical worksheets, and AI prompts to help you on your journey.