GET TO KNOW YOURSELF SO YOUR BRANDING BECOMES CLEARER

rusticsimpledesign
6 days ago
4 min read

You may know what you like and what you like to make, but if you're not clear on the things that will always be true about you and your brand, your customer won't be either. I used to fear this. I wanted to appeal to everyone. I mean, who doesn't like to be liked. But the problem is that when you're catering to everyone, your missing out on talking to those specific people that REALLY get you and will follow you to the ends of the earth. So let's talk about how to get to know yourself so your branding becomes a bit more clear.

If you asked younger me, even 5 years ago me, I wouldn't have been able to explain directly which things will always be true about me the way that I can now. I would have been able to go on a lengthy winding conversation that concluded a few things, that probably mentioned peace, kindness, and maybe quality, I don't know. I didn't find great guidance online, even paid advice left me without a clue. I stumbled upon my branding values accidentally.

When I was starting my business, I had tons of designs and products created long before I launched the business because I couldn't decide on a business name. Every name I thought of, I would spend a few days saying it, writing it, googling it. I needed to KNOW that it was going to be THE. RIGHT. ONE. cause I didn't want to change it. I had a notebook where I started writing every word that I thought could describe me or my designs or products. This one sheet of front and back notebook paper with doodles and circled words held so much more value than just a name. I kept coming back to certain words over and over, pairing them with new ones. When I decided on Rustic & Simple Design, it was because I kept pairing every new word with one of them. I used simple cause I crave simplicity (Is there a simpler way to do this?) yet I also love nature and the sketchy imperfect way I draw it that feels rustic and wholesome. The name felt like me before I even recognized how authentic it is, both to me as a person and as an artist.

I think I've shared before that the drawing I did for my logo is from some wildflowers my husband picked for me from the side of the road. It is both rustic and simple. But my branding developed over time, unfortunately. Like I said, I didn't find great advice. I tried out things I liked until someone asked me for advice on their business. Instinctively, I asked a few important questions:

What is the purpose of your business; how do you hope it grows?

How would you describe your style?

What are a few words that describe you?

If someone had to describe your brand using only adjectives, what are the best ones?

What colors feel like you or do you use often in your work?

You can start to see it now, right? I had already recognized some of the things that mattered when setting up your business to be successful. And I went back to that little notebook paper and decided to see if I could figure out which ones fit my brand identity.

I found I had written these two quotes on the page next to it.

"My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature." -Claude Monet

-and-

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anaïs Nin

When I reread them, they felt like me.

So then I started a new list where I narrowed down words that felt both like me and the brand I wanted to create. I wanted my brand to have this down-to-earth, wholesome, likeable, easy-going quality. If I had a brick and mortar shop, it would be the store you loved to walk in to that smells amazing, has a dog greet you at the door, that you could spend hours wandering around because it's just that cozy and lovely. You could sip tea and munch on homemade cookies while chatting about life. It would feel like time stood still, no one is in a hurry, and you could escape the hustle from the outside world.

These are the words I chose. Even as I look at it today, years later, there's nothing I would remove. These descriptions will always be true both about me and my brand.

Once you've identified your brand voice, that makes it easier to pick your colors, fonts, and logos. You can see how bold bright colors wouldn't work for my branding. But you can also see why I'm instinctively drawn to neutrals in my life so they naturally work well in my branding.

I walk members through a process to help them find their voice + visuals, but this is a great place to start. And hopefully once you clarify your brand voice, the rest gets easier also.

Warmest regards,