Discovery → Strategy → Branding

Real Quick

Our client expects great work from us. We want to deliver on the promises we make. To have confidence that we can pull through, we begin a discovery process with the client. It leads us to a creative strategy. The strategy will allow us to put together something of real value.

There is a deeper meaning to branding, and it’s uncovered when we get together with the client and learn about who they are. This article is about the importance of discovery, how it relates to branding, and why we need to provide a client with a creative strategy before we create anything.

Imagine you want a new logo. There are online services that allow you to create a logo yourself, and some of them cost nothing. Try to imagine that outcome - it's kind of a blank slate. You can approach a graphic designer to create a logo for you. You tell them your company name and what industry you’re in. They will turn around a new logo the same day, and even pick a few colors. But the outcome is disappointing. It's easy to articulate what you don't like about it. But it's never easy to tell them what you want.

A valuable connection is missing. It's the connection between you and your customers. To imagine an inspired logo, we have to start with a few meaningful conversations. The new logo will come from talking about what you believe in and what your customers are searching for.

Why strategy matters

When I first started making websites for small businesses, I felt like I was lucky to get the work. I would make the best website I could and the client would tell me they were happy, that it was way better than what they had before. During the design phase, I’d feel the smallest pang of guilt. I knew deep down that I created a website for a company I knew little about. I didn’t understand the industry and knew close to nothing about their customers. I didn’t know how to ask, and I didn’t want the client to doubt me.

I longed for a better way to do things, so I researched what great design firms do with their clients. I was overwhelmed by the amount of discovery, research, planning, and collaboration that went into their work - and how the client was involved in the process. I learned about strategy, and my thinking changed. I wired on ways my team could apply this new thinking, and our process changed. Then our outcomes changed.

When we know why a company loves what they do and who their customers are, we have confidence in what we do. We're given a flashlight to see in the dark. We can see the path toward creating something meaningful.

Let’s say you’re convinced that you need a new website, and you’re looking for a local website design company to help you. You see them as the experts - they’ll know what to do. But how will some other company create a website that is right for you? What will make it a success? Here’s how we start thinking about any new project:

“Let's sit down with your team and learn everything we can about your company. We want to learn what matters to you, and what you want to achieve. Then we’ll talk about who your customers are and how you help them.”

We’re not going to use magic. Or luck. You have all of the answers we need to do the work. No one knows your business better than you do, so we’re going to ask you about it. We want to uncover the needs of your customers and meet them where they’re at. It’s about you, and it’s about them.

Your brand is not what you say it is

“A brand is a person's gut feeling about your company, product, or service. That means it’s not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.” — Marty Neumeier

Your brand is what they say it is. That might sound like silly marketing babble. What if it was true? Anyone who has come across your company has an opinion about it. Their opinion starts when they hear about you and evolves as they browse your website or scroll through your Instagram posts. That’s your brand. It’s built by other people. And you can work on it.

Your customers create your brand by interpreting your message. You can tell them who you are and about your product, but without meaning behind what you say, they'll make their own opinion. Customers remember their experiences with you. In the best-case scenario, they remember how you solved their problem and how it made them feel. This is how your customers will build your brand for you. This kind of incremental change takes time. Working on your brand is a long-term plan.

Why are you in business? Beyond the need to make a profit, what drives you to do it well and to be successful? There may be something there that your brand doesn’t talk about. You can define what you love about what you do and say that to people. Speak in a way that’s meaningful to them, and you’re going to see a difference in engagement.

Discovery leads to strategy

For creative work to be successful, we want to give ourselves a path toward it - a strategy. We can’t start work without any insight into why it matters and who it’s for. Without a creative strategy, we have no frame of reference, and we should not start creative work. But we do know where to start.

Discovery creates a clear path to strategy. During discovery, we get to hear you tell your story. We learn about why you do it, how you do it, and who you do it for. We research the competition. We want to know where there is room for your business to succeed in the landscape. We talk with you about your customers. We need to know why they’re looking for you, what they’re looking for, and how you’re going to help them.

Discovery is a set of 3-5 facilitated sessions, each one focused on what we want to accomplish. We want your key people involved, so we set schedules. Getting to the meaning of things takes time. To sign up for discovery is to invest in yourself. It means a great deal to us when a client agrees to discovery. It tells us they want to collaborate, and they are willing to put in the work to make something valuable and lasting.

When we finish discovery we have a complete understanding of your company. We know the competitive landscape and where you fit in. We’ve identified the people you want to attract, we know what they want, and how you solve their problems. We document everything and present it as a technical document for your company to use as a reference, and we use it whenever we need inspiration. We are now ready to do creative work. The discovery document will lead us to a new logo, pointed messaging, and a new website. a new website. As we collaborate with you, you see how it connects to you and how your customers are going to experience it. To us, there is no other way to do this.

We want to do something big for our clients. What do you think we can do to change your business?

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