When establishing your new business, it can be challenging to know where to start – and what to invest in – when it comes to developing your brand strategy, identity, and visuals. This checklist for building a successful brand guides all that we do at our agency – and it will give you the tools to understand where to begin when it comes to investing in launching a business with impact.

It’s become a “chicken or the egg,” conversation in the creative space – is your audience drawn to a visually aesthetic, on-trend brand, OR are they connecting with an established business, who just so happens to have beautiful visuals? 

The fact is, a successful brand with long-term staying power will have invested in the whole package. Good branding isn’t a bandaid for bad business – but good business isn’t always enough to keep your customers coming back for more (and telling all their friends about you). 

A beautiful logo suite will never make up for a lack of business foundation, *and* an established business can still be lacking without strategic brand visuals and a customer experience that directly connects to your ideal audience.

Graphic design is, by definition, a form of art. Without strategic substance, it ends up being just that.You can’t graphic-design-yourself a brand – just like you can’t wallpaper-yourself a house. It takes an intentional, researched approach to lay the foundation your brand needs to thrive. 

Below, we’re sharing the three pillars of brand building our agency uses to develop brands built for success. Is yours missing anything?

BRAND STRATEGY

• Mission statement, brand story, and your why
• Target audience + their needs
• Why your audience will be drawn to your brand
• Tone of voice + communications strategy
• Brand values + beliefs
• Key differentiators

BRAND VISUALS

• Custom colour palette
• Typography system
• Logo designs + brand marks
• Illustrations + textures + patterns
• Visual directives for photography
• Ongoing design support

BRAND EXPERIENCE

• Strong + consistent online presence
• Strategic brand touchpoints
• Seamless customer experience
• Bespoke steps of service

Good design is crucial for the success of your business, but there is SO MUCH MORE required to lay the foundation that holds the whole place together.

Learn more about how Oh Sierra establishes brands and businesses for aspiring industry leaders here, and reach out here to book a free discovery call so we can breathe new life into your brand, together.