Creating or updating a brand can be overwhelming. The choices are hard: lemons or limes? Stands or booths? We know firsthand at The Lemon Ad Stand both how challenging and how rewarding the process of brand development can be. And if you’re wondering where to begin, we suggest right here. .
First, let’s consider what, exactly, a brand is and what it does.
A well executed brand represents and speaks for your company or organization. Your brand will articulate your purpose and validate your expertise.
A brand is also visual: your logo, key color palette, and signature graphics. It appears on your website and social media accounts, and it shapes both your external collateral and internal documents.
Your brand is also the way you speak about your work. Is your tone formal or casual? What words are key to describing your purpose or mission? When you combine the way your company or organization appears and sounds, you have identified your brand.
At its core, a brand is what people who don’t know you already know about you.
Still feeling overwhelmed?
That’s where The Lemon Ad Stand comes in. We can help guide and support you at any stage of the branding process, but here are some helpful questions we ask at the very beginning of a brand design journey to get you started:
Who’s your audience?
Defining who, exactly, your work should reach is an important part of both organizational and brand development. If you’re a nonprofit serving schools, for example, you may have a variety of stakeholders including teachers, parents, and school administrators. If you’re a local bike shop, your answer might be cyclists of all ages.
The Lemon Ad Stand has the tools and expertise to take the guesswork out of your audience research. We can identify and define your potential customers and help you understand your new brand’s audience.
From there, you can begin to anticipate what sort of branding choices target customers would respond to—and move forward in your branding process with these individuals in mind.
What story are you trying to tell?
This is a large question—we know. And there are a few other ways to ask it, too: What do you want strangers to know about you? What matters to you?
You may want a prospective customer to understand your deep level of expertise or your commitment to your community. You may want them to see your sense of humor or passion and understand your organization or company’s history.
At The Lemon Ad Stand, whether we are redesigning a logo or creating brand guidelines, your story remains front and center in our work.
Your brand, like your story, should communicate all of the things that are important to your work.
A well executed brand is a good representative of your story.
What makes you stand out?
Understand your competitors—it’s good business, and it creates good branding, too. If there are others offering similar services or products, it’s important to note how, exactly, you’re different.
If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to market research, that’s okay. We can help, too, and ensure that your brand sets you apart.
Remember, your brand itself is an asset—and developing it is a process both long and worthwhile. We’re here to help along the way—and we can’t wait to get to work!