Here at Lore, we believe that storytelling is essential to building a strong brand that connects with your audience, but how do you go about it? In this post, we are going to discuss the top 5 things we focus on when building an intentional brand strategy for your business. Before we begin any design project, we deep dive into what we call Brand Strategy. The purpose is to discover who you are and what makes your business unique. It’s a process we’ve honed to get to know you and your business on a deeper level in order to craft a meaningful and compelling visual narrative that tells your story. We’ve simplified our process into 5 core pillars, which allow us to get to the heart of who you are, who you want to reach and how you want your business to be perceived.

1. Uncover your origin story

Every business has a unique story. Digging deeper into how your business began and why you do what you do, provides a powerful insight to develop a strong visual brand and connect with your audience. Your story, your values, and your purpose are what connect you with the people you want to reach. Defining and strengthening these connection points with your ideal clients, help to bridge the gap – and create a level of trust that encourages them to do business with you.

2. Identify your goals

It’s important for us to know what is going to make the project successful in your eyes. There are often clearly defined measurable goals – which could be anything from increasing your brand awareness, earning brand loyalty, establishing a more professional presence or even positioning yourself as the authority in your industry. However, there are usually immeasurable goals as well – such as making a positive impact on the world, which are just as important when it comes to developing a brand that authentically represents you, strengthens your connection with your audience and ultimately achieves the goals you’ve set in place for your business.

3. Define your target audience

Who do you want to reach? We want to get specific in defining who you serve and how. What are their likes and dislikes? What do they value? What pain points do they face? This allows us to find where you and your ideal client or customer intersect and craft your visual identity to attract these individuals. Getting specific here is the difference between designing a brand that’s just lovely to look at, versus one that’s inherently strategic.

4. Define your competition

Which other brands are trying to reach the same people? Once we determine your competition we can research the market and industry standards to ensure that you stand out in the eyes of your people, with a brand that undoubtedly reflects you. It’s incredibly powerful to have a quality brand and digital experience that stands out from the crowd and showcases what makes you truly unique.

5. Develop a visual direction

Now that we’ve gained significant clarity and have a strong foundation, we begin to take all the information from this phase and use it as the framework for creating a visual direction that articulates who you are, connects with your audience, and ultimately represents your business in a way that is authentically and strategically you.