Branding.

I had no idea that sorting out my own brand would be so difficult!

A quick view at the British Design Council  really helped me  think about how I want to present myself and my product.

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/power-branding

The problem is I am having difficulty deciding just what my aesthetic will be.

The site suggests defining my brand will mean looking at:-

• The Big idea or what lies at the heart of my business?
• Values or what do I believe in?
• Vision or where I think I am going? 
• Personality  or how I want to be seen to come across to my customers.

This may not seem daunting to many people but honestly, these decisions are quite difficult to make.

Lets look at the first bullet point. This all depends on things like:-

• How I can make myself stand out from my competition.
• What makes me different from others.
• What my customers want or need.
• What is my personality
• looking for gaps in the current market.
• and that singular "thing" that only I can offer.

I would want my personal style to reflect my shop style, but I am still on the journey to find my personal style. words like sophisticated, luxurious, and aspirational do not seem to fit well with me.

What makes me different? well , I am starting this part of my career late in life, so I may be mature, but not like an old fine wine more like an aged bottle of Newcastle Brown. 

I  have not done market testing to see what customers want, but I think words like Value and  quality always seem to be in the list.

I asked my son what he thought customers want.  Harry said " different things are important to different people Function over form or form over function, who knows?" It is an individual thing.

What is my personality?      

• Hummm, I like to make people laugh
• I think I am caring
• I tend to be a bit harebrained.
• I will have a go at anything
• I admire quality and skill in others work.

How this information can be utilized in my brand, I am not sure. I do know that this has really got me thinking and I now know that my branding is not just printing off a business card and letter head from a template on my computer.

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