What I Learned in Branding School

A little over two years ago, I embarked on a journey. I was coming from the startup SaaS world, and I had learned a ton about lead generation, sales support, and how to run an effective marketing department, but there was one black box that I just couldn't seem to understand... Branding.

That's when I met Josh Miles.

Josh was, at the time, the owner and Principal of Miles Design, which was widely regarded to be one of the best design shops in the state. I had done intensive research on their past work, and was blown away by the design and development prowess he had on staff. I knew that, if I was going to learn about branding from anyone, Josh would be the perfect teacher.

Going in, we both knew the score. I told him that I was looking for a two year stop where I could learn a ton. He said he was looking for someone to help them explore more digital marketing opportunities. It was a perfect match. He had exactly what I wanted, I had exactly what he wanted.

Over the next two years, Josh and I went through a lot together. I helped increase his monthly site traffic to over 10 times its initial volume. I helped him build a growing and highly-engaged email list. I helped him launch a podcast, Obsessed With Design, which ended up making the top 50 charts on iTunes Arts podcasts within its first two weeks. In return, Josh and his team taught me everything they could about great branding, design, and web development. These lessons are at the heart of my book, and will be at the heart of every marketing department that I go on to build along my journey.

Today, that journey is ending, but I'd be remiss if I left without talking about the valuable lessons I learned with Josh during my time in his branding school.

Branding is About Perspiration, Not Inspiration

Part of the reason I struggled to understand branding was because I looked at the end product more than I looked at the process. A great logo or tagline defied explanation, because it just seemed perfect. I guess I always just assumed that some people had it and others didn't. As if a magic branding angel would come down from on high and inspire a designer to craft the perfect logo.

After spending two years working with great branding professionals, I can tell you that is absolutely not the case. Usually, that logo is one of a few hundred iterations of a logo, which were crafted based on countless hours of interviews, research, mood boarding, sketching, and brainstorming.

What set MilesHerndon's creative work apart wasn't some magical "it" factor, or some intangible creative genius, it was hard work and obsessive attention to detail. The creative members of our team are world-class, don't get me wrong, but they got that way through obsession and hard work, not because they have a magical eye for design.

Web Development is More About Crisis Prevention Than Coding Prowess

I remember the first time I watched The Social Network. When an angsty Mark Zuckerberg said:

"Let me tell you difference between Facebook and everybody else. We don't crash ever!"

I always thought that was a joke. Some sort of slight about Mark being controlling. I didn't believe that was a way of thinking, until I met some of the brilliant developers I've worked with over the past two years.

Some of my biggest areas of growth have been in understanding what makes great web development work. Things like progressive enhancement and asynchronous javascript sounded like nonsense when I started here, but have now become part of my ideology. Websites must work for everyone, regardless of device, rendering settings, or internet speed. These principles seem fundamental, but are too often overlooked.

Great Design Rests on Your Ability to Communicate

Finally, the best design rests on your ability to communicate your objectives.

Something funny happens when you work with designers every day as a non-designer. You start to pick up their language. You start to understand their worldview, and you learn more about visual communication than you ever could have grasped before.

I love writing and public speaking, but I never fully grasped the importance of visual communication until I worked with truly remarkable visual communicators. Today, I've grown in both my ability to recognize great design and my ability to communicate effectively with designers in a way I never could have been able to communicate with them in the past.

The past two years have been a remarkable journey, but it's time for me to move on. In the coming weeks, I will be announcing my decision regarding my next steps, breaking down the compelling marketing challenges that company faces, and setting the stage for some big moves that will play out over the coming years.

Stay tuned. And to Josh and the whole MilesHerndon crew, thank you for your support and guidance over the past two years. You've been wonderful teammates and I'm sure our paths will cross again soon.