the BRAND EXPLORATION workbook

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Charlene Amanda Foster
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1 the BRAND EXPLORATION workbook by Wild Side Design Co.

2 Phase 1 About your audience The very first step to defining your brand is understanding the people you serve. The better you know who they are, what they do and what problems they have, the easier it will be to define your business! 01 Who is your target audience? Try to be as specific as possible. How old are they? What are they interested in? Do they live, work or hang out in a certain area? If it helps, try defining them as one specific person. For example: a 35-year-old, middle-class working mom who likes DIY arts and crafts projects. See how specific we got there? 02 What do these people need help with? What are their pain points? What are they struggling with or what could they do better? For example: this woman mentioned above may not have enough time to do the crafts she loves because she s already juggling a million other things. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 2

3 03 How can you help these people? Can you alleviate their pain points? What problem will your product or service solve and how? For example: you might have a blog about time management and quick & easy DIY crafts, so this woman can get everything done and still have time for her hobby. Now let s sum it up! Look at the answers you brainstormed to the questions above. Get ready, because we re going to do some copywriting. I know, right? I tricked you into thinking this would only be about branding. But wait, here s the kicker: your copywriting is as much a part of your brand as your logo is! *gasp* In one sentence, sum up the one major problem that your target audience faces. Try to use words that they would use (HINT: they probably don t know all the technical names for everything) In one sentence, sum up how you will solve this problem. Again, try to think about the way your target audience would say it. Don t overthink it - the more straightforward, the better! The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 3

4 Phase 2 About your competition So you have an idea about your target audience. Now let s talk about your competition. This is just to get an idea for how you can stand out, not to obsess over (guilty). Remember: don t compare your beginning to someone else s middle. 01 Who is your competition? Who else is doing something similar? This should be both locally (if applicable) and on a larger scale. Try to list at least 3-5 different businesses, along with their websites (if they have one). Rank them in order of influence. Who s making the biggest impact? 02 What are they doing well? Take a close look at each one. What are they nailing that s helping them succeed? Try to be as specific as possible. Think about it. Are these things you could implement in your business? Write down Y or N next to each one. It s perfectly ok if you can t! The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 4

5 03 What could be improved? What are they NOT doing? Identify any pain points that their own customers have. Is there anything missing? This is your chance to shine. Is there a gap in the market that isn t being filled? Can your business meet these needs? Write Y or N next to each one It s that time again - let s sum it up! Look at the answers you brainstormed to the questions above. We re going to help you come up with a killer differential that makes you SHINE. Oh, and some copywriting again. In one sentence, sum up the one major thing that your competition is doing WELL that you need to be doing too. Like before, try to use words that your target audience would use. In one sentence, sum up the one major thing that your competition is doing POORLY or NOT AT ALL that you can do better. This is your big differencial. You may have a couple in mind, so choose the most important one. And, you guessed it, write it like your customers would say it. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 5

6 Phase 3 About your business So you have an idea about your target audience. Now let s talk about your business. If you haven t started yet, that s totally fine. 01 Why this business? What is/was the number one reason that want/ wanted to start this business? Was it to gain more freedom, more free time, help people, build a community...what drove you to this? It doesn t have to be a noble cause either - to make more money is a perfectly legitimate answer! We ve all been there! 02 What is your business? If you have a business already, write down the different products or services you offer (a summary). If you haven t started yet, write what you want to offer. Write down the name and the tagline (if you have them). The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 6

7 03 What s your vision for this business? Where do you see this business going in the next few years? What other areas do you plan to expand to? This is important because you want to make sure your brand can stay evergreen with these changes. Now let s set some goals! Look back at your answers and think about your goals for this business. Most importantly, try to be realistic. Unrealistic expectations will only hurt your business (and your self-esteem). What s your goal for one year from now? How about in five years? Finally, what s your ten year goal? We re talking, BIG picture. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 7

8 Phase 4 Moodboard Now that you have a solid grasp on your audience, competition and your own business goals, it s time to start making it visual. IMPORTANT: this is not about your personal style - it s about your target audience and how you will connect with them. Think about what THEY like (in some cases it may be your personal style) 01 What kinds of images represent your vision? Are they black and white or super saturated? Do they show people? Do they focus on specific subject matter? What do they have in common? It can be as abstract as an emotion! Pinterest is great for this! Pin some to a board or put the links below. 02 What kinds of designs represent your vision? This can be a mixture of other brands or logos, typography, patterns or textures, color palettes, and more. Pay attention to what they all have in common. Add some to your board or put the links below. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 8

9 03 Let s put it together. Take a look at everything you ve gathered. What do they all have in common? Are there colors, styles, motifs or emotions that can be found in many of them? Write below the most important things they have in common. Now it s time to put it together in a Moodboard. Look at the things in common you wrote above. Select around 6-10 images that best represent those things. This should be a mix of photos, designs, typography, etc. Now you can either print them out and make a physical collage, or you can use a photo editing platform (Canva, Photoshop, even Paint!) to make a digital collage. Take a look at your Moodboard. What colors pop out? Try to identify 4-6 of them. If the collage is digital you can use an eyedropper tool. Write the colors below (if digital, the Hex code - if not, just write the color names) Now think about what emotions pop out. How does the board make you feel? If you didn t know anything about your business, would you feel like you were in the right place? Would your client? The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 9

10 Phase 5 Logo Discovery Ok so you have a moodboard, but now what? You may be thinking, I m horrible with design and art, there s no way I can create a logo. Well, maybe you re overthinking it! I can t teach design, but I can teach you the creative process. Of course there s no substitute for hiring a designer, but this is a great option if you don t have a lot to invest right now and want to do it yourself. 01 Think back on everything you ve explored so far. What keywords best represent your business and your vision? Choose Now let s transform those keywords into symbols. When you look at those words, what kinds of symbols could be used to represent them? It s ok if it seems totally ridiculous - just brainstorm! Get your creative juices flowing. It can be as obvious or as abstract as you want. Examples: bee for hardworking, square for dependable, leaf for healthy, etc. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 10

11 03 Are there any that stand out? Which one do you think best fits with your business vision and your moodboard? Why? How could you incorporate this symbol in your logo or brand? Note: not all brands use symbols. If you think just a wordmark (text) is the best fit, just keep going! 04 Now let s choose a font! There are lots of great font sites out there (check the Wild Side resource library for a complete list). But first you should determine what kind of font to look for. Here s a basic guideline: Sans-serif: modern, casual, friendly - clean lines, no little feet on the letters Serif: traditional, classic, fancy - have little feet AKA serifs on the letters Script: fun, artistic, unique - many styles, from handwriting to fancy calligraphy Again, think about your target audience, NOT your personal style. You may like calligraphy, but it has no place in your accounting or law firm! Browse through and pick your top 3 fonts. List them below with links. What feeling do they give you? Do they fit with your moodboard and brand vision? The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 11

12 Now let s bring it all together. Using a graphic editing program of your choice (Canva, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc), bring in the fonts that you chose. For your symbol, you can either try to create it from scratch or use some online graphic libraries (see the Wild Side resource library for the list). Test different combinations until you find the top 4 variations. Again, think about your target audience, not your own personal taste! Think about your business. Where will be the primary places that the logo will be displayed? Are there any specific submarks that will be needed? List them. Example: a monogram or tiny symbol to stamp on all your products Take your top 4 variations, and create a survey. It can be as simple as a post on Social Media, but it should be directed at your potential customers. Ask them which option they think makes the most sense (as a client). Which best represents your business? This doesn t have to make the decision for you, but it should be taken into serious consideration! What you think of your brand doesn t pay the bills. Your clients do! Time to choose! What does your new logo say about your company? What kind of feeling does it convey? If you have a tagline, consider adding it (if it helps understand what your business is about). Remember, someone should be able to tell the basic idea of what your business is about by looking at your logo! The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 12

13 Congratulations You re an official brand explorer! If you ve made it this far, you re already well on your way! If you re looking to go even further, I d love to help you get there! Here s what I have to offer: WORK WITH ME: Custom Branding If you want to take your brand creation one step further, you re in the right place! Maybe you don t have enough time to do it yourself, or you want a second opinion. Or maybe you take one look at the logo design process (or graphic design in general) and think, nope, I m out. Don t worry, I ve got you. Check out my packages, portfolio, or get in touch! BRAND BAZAAR: Premade Brand Solutions If you still want something custom but don t want to break the bank, check out our newest creation, the Brand Bazaar! Take the guesswork out of the branding process.you choose the design, we tailor it to your business. All in 7 business days. PASSPORT TO PROFIT: About the Course Have you ever felt stir-crazy? Restless? Stuck? You know, it s like you re in one of those dreams where you re running in place but never get anywhere. Or you re like a marionette, dancing on the strings of some invisible puppeteer. Better yet, it s like there s a glass wall between where you are now and what you really want. In this course you ll learn all the basics about turning that dream, that itch, that inkling of an idea in your head into a rock-your-socks-off business. Plus how to go from student, stay-at-home-mom, 9-5er, part-time fortune cookie writer or whatever else you are now into a boss (pun intended) business owner and unstoppable force of nature with a plan. It s nothing short of epic. If you re a sucker for a good story and an adventure, like me, this is the course for you. The best part is the chance to create your own story. That s priceless. The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 13

About Meet Kelsey Hey, I m Kelsey! I m a self-made entrepreneur and digital nomad. I m originally from the Christmas capital and Greatest Small Town in America.

14 About Meet Kelsey Hey, I m Kelsey! I m a self-made entrepreneur and digital nomad. I m originally from the Christmas capital and Greatest Small Town in America. Right now I m soaking up life (and sunshine) in Brazil. I originally became an entrepreneur because of the freedom; I had always dreamed of living around the world (a true Sagittarius, I was born to adventure), so one day I packed my bag (literally) and embarked on my solo design career, moving to Brazil to reinvent myself and start my own business. Now I m excited to share what I ve learned about making that lifechanging decision, starting a business, building a brand and living and working remotely. My goal is to help people follow their dreams and live their own adventures by creating businesses & lifestyles that they re passionate about. I love all things adventure & travel, Stevie Nicks, and mojitos. I also love cheesy jokes. And puns. So expect to see a lot of those in this course! You re welcome :) Let s Connect: Website kelsey@ The Brand Exploration Workbook 2017 Page 14

Quick Start Workbook

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