For most people, when they think of branding, they think of a logo and some pretty colors that they feel would work with their brand.
In the Caribbean, especially, the idea of branding seems like a far-off concept (this is especially true for the older Caribbean community). Really, all that’s needed is an elaborate (and most times, confusing) logo and colors.
Today, businesses still circle around the idea that a logo is all that’s needed, and for a while, when curating my branding packages, I separated assets according to what people were willing to buy.
What that meant, unfortunately, was that people would pick and choose what they thought they needed, ignoring the fact that branding goes deeper than simply a logo and a color scheme.
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My Initial Implementation Plan
Initially, I’d opted to create brand packages at different price points, offering a range of things a business would need to launch, but the branding element was still missing.
I realized that people didn’t need *just* a logo. They needed a template and a guide for targeting the customers they want. True, most people want to make money, but people who get into business want to sell an idea, a story.
They want to share a unique vision.
The biggest brands out there addressed a pain point of their time, shaping culture and creating a storyline through a vision.
Take McDonald’s, for example. McDonald’s wasn’t always the international franchise it is today. It started as a humble restaurant founded by two brothers with a passion for food and a desire to help a growing number of working families who didn’t have time to cook.
As the popularity of their fast food grew, they expanded, adapting to the times and meeting their customers’ demands without losing their essence.
If McDonald’s were to suddenly start offering farm-to-table, three-course dining experiences, we would find that weird, and it wouldn’t stand out as the brand it is today.
The New ‘Package’
Clarity generates customers.
What businesses want is clarity, direction, coaching, alignment, and cohesion across everything they do.
When I realized this, I shifted my pricing strategy from ‘packages’ to ‘phases’ through a program designed to help businesses set their foundation and launch into branding.
The Brand Engineering Blueprint is a system curated to help scale businesses from concept to execution. It’s not about designing the brand, it’s about becoming the brand.
I realized that neither ‘designer’ nor ‘strategist’ really fit.
Engineering refers to the formation or construction of a thing. It’s calculated manipulation or direction.
It’s guidance, skill, and the intentional crafting and building of something from start to implementation and continuous alignment.
My skills in both design and strategy are used throughout the process, but I can outsource elements if needed. For example, I can create the brand in-house, but I can outsource photography (or guide the photographic direction), animation, or any other necessary components.
That way, there’s clear cohesion from the brand, because someone who knows how to communicate the vision and idea to the appropriate channels does so efficiently.
The business owner only needs to focus on what they do best: managing the business.
How the Blueprint System Works
The system starts with strategy, building the foundation every business needs to thrive. Each business is grounded in its core beliefs, and the framework is developed around its core values. This helps develop the business’s visual assets.
“Clarity generates customers.”
By the time my client has gone through this system, they’re able to understand how to manipulate their branding to generate the sales they want to see, and it’s done through marketing, messaging, and long-term partnership.
Starting the Journey
The reality is that most people don’t care to know what’s being offered. They’re simply interested in how their problems can be solved. They’re interested in the final outcome, the result, the solution.
If a business wants to grow and is struggling to get customers to buy its product or invest in its services, it has a problem.
How do I solve it? I look at the business as a whole, ensuring that their brand model, market, messaging, and platforms are aligned, cohesive, and representative of their purpose, philosophy, and mission. If the brand doesn’t have these things, we create them so the brand can thrive.
It’s not as easy as discovery and audit. Sometimes it requires a complete overhaul, starting from scratch, to ensure the foundation is solid before the house is built.
Want to get started on realigning your business vision? Start with Phase One: Essence to capture the essentials and lay the foundation for your brand.
I’m giving away my RAVYN Branding Workbook that sets you up for a successful, purpose-driven business. It’s got all the things you need to ensure that your business is *almost* ready for launch.
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