Why should your brand even exist?

I hate to admit that I’ve accepted gigs for brands I simply didn’t believe in, and while I know that I can always whip up some fake belief, the truth is that those brands never turn out great, they just keep hanging out in the “okay” area. And most of the time, that’s because they don’t really believe in themselves, which they don’t because they don’t really know why they exist. Can you tell I’m about to tell you that brands that believe in themselves because they have a clear reason for being do turn out great? Yeah, that! Ever talked to someone who really believes in something? Even if you heartily disagree, I bet you felt something.

What I want for you is to believe in your brand, whatever it is, because that’ll give you energy to keep it up AND something to talk about.

I did the work I’m about to describe for my own studio way more recently than I care to admit, and I can say from experience that I feel a lot better about my business as a whole after having gone through the homework that I’ll give you today. And what’s this work? It’s the honest answer to the question what is this brand’s reason for being?

Small reminder here that “brand” can mean company, but it can also mean community, event, online presence, video, you name it. If you’d put your stamp on it, it’s your brand.

So how do you get there? To quote Simon Sinek, you “start with why.” Brand identity work is all about - you guessed it - identity, and let me tell you, a list of a la carte services on your website is not the same as an identity. No one in your audience will get any form of gut feeling from reading the line “I offer wedding catering services.” They want to know that you’re excited about offering them the amazing transformation they truly desire, and we can talk more about that transformation another time, but for now, we’ll take a look at how to make your excitement and expertise clear through your why!

Ask yourself: what is the reason I think this brand must exist? Before you answer, try removing your medium from it. It’s tempting to answer from the perspective of your skillset, saying things like “I want to make beautiful art” or “I love cooking for lots of wedding guests” but why did you pick up this skillset, and what types of problems does it solve? I’ll share my own answer below. What we need to get to is the core drive that, if you stripped away every service or channel or offer that you have, would always give your brand new ways to keep going.

Worry not, I don’t expect you to be able to answer that with ease! I’m offering you a few great tools for exploring the core more.

Tool number one

I already mentioned Simon Sinek, and I’m not even embarrassed about it. His Start With Why Ted Talk is genuinely great, and you can find more resources over on his website.

Tool number two

The Ikigai diagram exercise is a really good one, especially for the self-employed. It’s all about connecting the dots between what you love, what you are good at, and what you think the world needs. Some version include the topic of what you can get payed for, but I have used this version because isn’t so focused on the idea of making money but rather on core values. I personally feel like making lots of money is more of a result than a core factor of life. Bonus: what happens if you pretend that your brand is a person answering these questions, do the answers differ from your own individual ones?

Tool number three

Finally, if you’re like me and need to make things quite literal and visual, there’s The Lists. This is an exercise I learned in school and still use constantly in any brand identity work. It goes as follows: grab a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left, write the title “denotative.” On the right, write the title “connotative” (most of us need to look up those words, don’t worry, just lean into the poetry). On the left, you will list every single thing your brand literally is or does or offers or uses. In my instance, that’s things like mentorship, workshops, virtual meetings, sketching, adobe illustrator, moodboard etc. On the right, you will list every single thing your brand is – or should be – associated with of feel like. In my instance, that’s things like collaborative, deep, humorous, witty, fun, curious, no-nonsense, energized, etc. You don’t need to overdo it, and things can go on both lists. Don’t be too precious, this is workshopping. At the end, you’ll have emptied your brain of things that fit and don’t fit your brand. Circle a few items on each list that are absolutely essential to what you do and why you do it. Why did you choose those things and what does that say about who your brand is?

These exercises should help you answer the three golden circle questions. I’ll share my answers here, feel free to rip ‘em right off!

Why does your brand exist?

Studio Otherwise exists to go deeper.

How does your brand express its why?

I do so by focusing on step one, living for the conversation, adopting a coach mindset, seeking out the unexpected, and staying excited.

What does your brand do based on its why and how?

As a brand identity advisor, I offer coaching, workshops, concepts, and guidelines that help people figure out who their brand really is and how to express it boldly.

If you’re in the process of starting a brand, I truly recommend going through these exercises to find your why. If you’re stuck, talk to someone – a sounding board is priceless in these processes. You’re invited to DM me right here to book a session!

Next time, we’ll look a little more at the context of your brand – the audience, the competition, the world.

Stay tuned.