Let’s Be Blunt: You Can Grow Your Brand Like You Grow Your Weed
This first stage of growing anything worth a damn? Nurturing the seedling, in this case it’s the inspiration for your future brand. This takes time, and requires patience. Sure, some designers just throw some “seeds in the soil” and call it a day- but we all know the best product comes from letting a seed soak. Giving it time, and inspiration.
Spend this first stage mostly soaking things in, giving very little output.
View competitor brands online, or visit a shop from a different industry with a solid brand reputation. What are they doing right? What could you do differently? Ask your friends, social network, and others what they like and dislike about current brands. What would make yours stand out?
Make sure you collect tons of info, and dream big. Lots of ideas should pop out during the germination stage.
Questions to get you started:
When were you last inspired/surprised/annoyed by a brand?
What brands do you love?
What brand concepts are overused?
Who has a great brand reputation in your city? Why?
What could your brand have that surprises and delights your customers?
Stage 2 is commonly overlooked or rushed through. Take my advice and take some time to grow several ideas. Take your info and inspiration from Stage 1 and begin to develop the starting point for a brand (consisting of fonts, colors, shapes/textures, and photos to start). Once that brand feels okay, do another one. Keep them solo’d when they’re small, you’ll be able to combine them later to make them stronger.
Remember to give yourself an optimal environment for your ideas and inspirations to grow. Set yourself up in a place where you feel comfortable, with lots of water and sunlight. Not that YOU are the weed plant… It’s just a coincidence that those things are good for both plants and people. Take care of yourself, bud!
Questions to get you started:
What is an uncommon color palette for your industry?
What are your favorite font styles?
What color represents your font best?
How do you communicate your brand without any words?
What is a traditional symbol/icon for your industry? How could you change it?
It’s time to pick a brand and really grow it. Get feedback from people you trust (and the internet) to pick a direction from the core brand ideas you made in Stage 2. Which feels the most authentic to your vision? Is it unique and understandable? Pick your strongest brand and move it into a bigger container… because it’s time to grow this thing like crazy.
What does it look like to develop a brand? Starting with the core brand ideas from Stage 2 you can begin to build a visual identity for the company. Review your color and font selection to see if they can be dialed in more. Add design assets like custom shapes, photo masks, filters, overlay, icons, merch, and interior design inspiration. Not only your visual assets but also your tone of voice, mission, vision, and values.
Questions to get you started:
What does your brand sound like?
If your brand was a car what would it feel like to drive it?
What is your favorite part about your product?
Why will your clients do business with you instead of your competitors?
You’ve spent time soaking up inspiration, cultivating multiple ideas, and then picking a direction to spend time growing. You’re done- right? Bong! Sorry- wrong!
Stage 4 is all about listening and adjustments. Continue to develop and strengthen your brand by showing it to loved ones, business friends, your mailman, and fellow cannabis connoisseurs. The trick to getting a solid brand is actually listening to what people (and your idea) are asking for, and making small adjustments. You may need to “turn the heat up” in the colors or do some pruning in the messaging to help it flourish. Attention to detail is how memorable brands are grown.
While sometimes the longest and oftentimes the most painstaking stage, it bears the most fruit.
Questions to get you started:
What part of the brand are you always having to explain?
Can anything be simplified? Can anything be implied?
Have you viewed it on multiple devices?
Is it scalable? (Can it grow?)
Have you read your messaging out loud?
Everyone’s favorite stage: START REAPING THE SWEET BENEFITS. With a strong brand identity and developed core messaging you are equipped to share your brand with the world. Use it to make your website, design your retail space, and even the album artwork for your podcast “Flying High: (Mari)Wanna Get Away”. Anyone who comes in contact with your brand from now on should have an elevated experience.
Not sure you can grow a brand like you can grow weed?
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