Let me set the scene. I'm at an event and get asked a relatively innocent question, "So what do you do?" As I begin to answer the question with my pitch, I typically get the response,

"Oh you do branding, so like logo design right?" 

That person would be partially correct. As a branding consultant, I position companies in order to highlight their value, focus, and most importantly, bring an emphasis to their messaging. That's done generally in several components including unique value positioning, supporting visuals (including yes, your company's logo), and supporting communications content. My favorite definition of a brand,

Through a process that starts with meeting with founders, I help define the brand's purpose and positioning which is the foundation to a company's messaging.

• How did you come up with the company idea?
• Why does your company exist?
• What's the big picture that you're looking to accomplish? 
• What's the personality in your company's tone? 
• How do you want to position your company in the industry?
• What values are important to your company's ethos? 
• Who's your ideal customer?

Then I audit the industry to determine who the key players are, what are the standards that they've set, what's the tone and messaging within their branding, and how are they differentiating from their competitors. Then it's off to the drawing table (my trusted Adobe Suite) to start conceptualizing concepts for a logo, typography, and complimentary color palette. A company's business strategy should work in tangent with their branding. Some founders don't touch branding until they come to a point where they need to start prototyping their MVP which is a huge missed opportunity. Start early. Make sure your positioning reflects the value add, target audience, and story that you're looking to tell.

I pull out my bag of tricks to help companies set the right expectations, trigger the complementary memories, and account for the stories and relationships that help consumers make a decision about your company's brand. From messaging, logo design, supporting communications content and visuals, I guide founders through the process to increase their chances of success to reach that round of funding, acquire their first user base, and bring awareness to their brand to build brand equity.

If you're a startup founder who's looking for more than design, get in touch!

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