Q: How do you know what branding will appeal to your customers?
Clue: It’s not about what you like personally. We are not decorating your home here!
A: We need to work out who your ideal client is. We need to create a Client Identity Board.
In this video I go through the importance of understanding the whole aesthetic world of your client; what other brands they buy, what apps they might have on their phone, what social causes or values are important to them, what books they read etc etc.
When we understand the whole, we can design a unique brand that fits right in, yet stands out….
In this video, I show you some examples of client identity boards I created for clients.
Working out your ideal client is often the first thing that a business coach or course will make you do. But in reality, it’s not the most useful exercise to start with. How can you nail down ONE type of person as your ideal client when the reality is more complex and nuanced?
I remember taking my very first online course in 2013. Before I had even sold anything, not made a single $, they forced me to map out my ideal client. The rest of the course hung on this very crucial information. I did a lot of guessing….and mostly I was wrong!
But you do need to draw a line in the sand somewhere. Make an educated guess, if nothing else. Even a vague direction is better than no direction at all, and you can course correct.
Luckily, most of my VIP Expert clients have been in business for a while. They are either rebranding an existing business and know who their customers are. Or they are building a new business with a client base they previously had experience with.
In every strategy session, I go through a number of exercises with my clients to establish their brand attributes, brand statement, marketplace, competitive landscape, 12-18 month goals and we discuss the target audience and client.
I deliver the Client Identity Board and we review it together before I continue on with the design process. And next step in the design process is creating the Stylescapes; visual aids that denote the overall visual direction, brand imagery & photography, pattern, texture, colour palette, typography and graphic design style.
But that is a video and blog post for another time!
Interested in working with me? Let’s hop on a quick Discovery Chat. Book here