Being a branding company is much different that being a design firm or development shop. The product of our work is often something that would come out of a more traditional design, development, or marketing firm. But it’s the integrity of our process and approach that defines and drives us individually, and collectively.
On the surface, we are, of course, measured by the products we create. The logo you see on a page. The website you interact with. The campaign strategy that adds to the bottom line. We’re a results-driven business, but we elevate our process. It’s important for us to explain how we arrived at what we’ve come up with.
For a recent client presentation (a new condo development in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood), it was hugely important for us to give a holistic presentation. We created a presentation that harkened back to our defined “brand identity” and our target audience.
Close your eyes and imagine this…
We begin presentations like this asking our clients to clear their head. Physically close their eyes, open them, and approach the feedback and review process through that lens of their perfect customer. We ask them to use the brand identity we’ve defined as a measuring stick.
- As a 44-year-old mother of two, would I buy this?
- As a 25-year-old software technician, would I use this?
- As a single 31-year-old with two dogs and a love for the outdoors, would I live here?
It may seem obvious to approach a presentation like this, but it’s hard to review what you’re seeing in a non-subjective, “what I like/don’t like” way. But what we create isn’t for our clients (though of course, they need to be comfortable with it), it’s for their customers, supporters, fans, and followers. Personally liking the color green or loathing the use of the word “jazzed” carries little weight. We push our clients to leave those subjective reactions at the door.
All opinions and ideas are of course, welcome — and saying what’s on your mind also helps us get to the best end result. But those opinions and ideas are most useful when they’re delivered from the perspective of “What would my customer do/say/think”?
If you work with us, don’t be surprised when we tell you to close your eyes and open them as your perfect customer. It’s eye-opening (see what I did there?) to review creative work from their perspective.