Brand Strategy — How to Find Your Core Values
Identity is an idea of who you are. It’s an impression, abstract and intangible. At the core of who you are are your values. Identity is fluid, organic and malleable as you grow and change through life.
In the end, it is your values that people will remember after you’re gone. What you stood for. What you valued above all else.
As you are now, perhaps you value self-development, good morals, and spontaneity. As you grow into the next ten years, perhaps your values shift to your health, freedom and cultural traditions. And again, perhaps these shift into your values of family, your life achievements and charity. We are all changing, all of the time.
We are all unique, and at any moment in our life, we have a unique collage of values, unlike any other human.
Throughout our lives, our values will change, and along with these changes, our identity changes. Change is the most fundamental part of being alive.
Organisations are their people. And, naturally the interests and values of organisations, also change and develop with time. When a company begins perhaps its looking to disrupt an industry, and to do things differently, as it grows and evolves, these values might shift to become a little more conservative, valuing its people and culture more than before.
Visual identity will need to evolve with the company, as its values change. The company repositioning into new markets, dealing with cultural shifts, political contexts, etc., are all fundamental to the need for a change of values, positioning and personality.
Great branding communicates the organisation’s values honestly.
Brand strategy is the process of uncovering the organisation’s core values and aligning the team through brand personality, positioning and the mission statement.
How a brand communicates, starts with its core values. The purpose of brand strategy is to uncover core values and build the visual identity design brief.
Reaching your core values:
Problems you solve¹ → Reason for being² → Core values³
Dig down deep into your company’s DNA. Start by considering the problems that you solve for your customers¹. Critique and distil this into your reason for being, your raison d’être². From this, brainstorm your values. What do you value above all else? Critique these into the three most important values. These are your brand's core values³.
Create your mission:
Core values³ → Purpose⁴ → Brand personality⁵ → Positioning⁶ → Mission⁷
Create an internal purpose statement⁴, from your core values. Consider your brand archetype, your brand's character or humanistic personality⁵. Consider where your brand sits in context to your competitors⁶. Consider your mission statement, your brand's promise⁷.
Historically, the process of brand strategy has no strict approach or method — which is why we’ve created brand strategy toolkits and templates, to help designers, strategists and agencies level up their brand strategy.
Check out our templates and toolkits here.
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We know that brand strategy can be a difficult beast to master. We create brand strategy templates and resources that help designers, agencies, and brand strategists master brand strategy.
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