Getting inspired by the best

It’s almost impossible to build a brand (or anything) in total isolation. There are so many inputs we receive every day that consciously or unconsciously we are influenced by everything we see.

The way companies like MailChimp managed to create a unique brand voice that’s natural, friendly and straightforward and how Patagonia has built such a solid brand is by sticking to their core values. It’s something that we can’t ignore and should inspire us when it comes to developing our own brand.

That’s why at HolaBrief we created an exercise to help you document the brands you love.

Inspiration is a necessity in life to make progress or evolve.

The exercise itself is very simple. The trick here is to open your spectrum and look from brands that are not related to your business. Forget about your competitors, we have another exercise for that, try to find brands that you know are doing great work and explain why you like these brands so much. It could be their tone of voice, their look and feel, their customer service…

This exercise will help both client and designer to start building the brand in the right direction and find the right combination of attributes that will make your brand unique. Before you fly you must find the airport.

This article is written as part of a collaboration between HolaBrief and Let’s talk branding.

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Do you want to learn more about Brand strategy?

Learn more about my Let’s talk branding online course: Brand strategy for designers: become a more valuable designer.

In this course I teach you about Brand strategy; what it is, how to charge for it, how to do it and how to bridge the gap between strategy and design. We cover the whole spectrum of brand strategy, from selling, facilitating, positioning to design. The goal is to become a more complete and strategic designer, so you can charge more and create brands that connect with their audience.