The Branding Tool Kit
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in branding and the branding tool kit. I think you’ll find this tool kit to be great tool in
your brand exploration process.
What is branding?
We are surrounded by business owners, nonprofit organizations, individual artists and ensembles that have their own unique personality, voice
and story to tell. Stories evoke emotion and a sense of belonging and connection. This is the heart of what we mean by branding. It’s this
connection and identification that creates brand loyalty and drives people to buy.
Trust me, if there’s a story to be told, people want to hear it. Moreover, people want to hear it in a compelling way. Do you sense of identity? Do
you know your personality? Do you know your story? What are the key values and messages you want consistently conveyed in a particular
manner?
I’ve worked with a lot of artists and small business owners to know that even in small there is a great story, a great vision, and great values. We
don’t need to be Nike or Apple, have hundreds of thousands of dollars and resources to be a brand. Brands come in all shapes and sizes. It’s just
a matter of getting clear on who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
The Branding Toolkit is a step by step guide to creating your brand. It walks you through the processes of identifying your values, your vision,
your brand’s personality, and ultimately, the external image that best represents it. With all this information, you can then craft meaningful
marketing messages targeting your clients, audiences, etc.
The most important rule is that all brands are built over time. A brand is a living breathing organism. It’s more than the logo, the tagline, the
fancy website and marketing collateral. It’s how you speak, what you say, how you say it, the relationships you build, the values you stand
behind, how your clients and audience perceive you, and what drives their loyalty.
If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by the abstract notion of a brand, look no further. The tool kit takes the abstract out of it and turns the
knowledge you already have into the something concrete. Download the kit now to be on your way to a better more focused vision, mission, and
brand.
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com
What do you get?
The Branding Tool Kit has been designed by Piccadilly Arts primarily for individuals and small-medium sized businesses. We’ve pulled from
experience and workshops attended and facilitated to bring you the best of the best. What we’ve learned in our consulting is that freelancers,
artists, artistic ensembles, and small-medium sized nonprofits and corporations have limited staff and resources. We crafted this tool kit with
you and your needs in mind.
The branding tool kit kick starts your business’ planning. What you get are three (3) exercises that when completed thoughtfully and carefully, in
their chronological order, will provide you with overall brand themes. These themes are the platform on which you build your marketing
messages and on which you craft your logo and visual identity. It’s meant to be used as is or in conjunction with a planning workshop or
extended consulting services.
The three exercises are as follows:
Brand Values and Vision
Brand Personality
Brand Image
Each exercise instructs you to carefully consider who you are, what you do and most importantly, why. This is a brainstorming session and is
what any brand consultant or agency would do first before ever whipping up some marketing materials.
What the kit does NOT do:
The tool kit does not create the marketing messages for you nor does it generate possible visuals like logos, identity (stationary, web, etc.).
However, it will provide you with next steps once you complete the exercises.
For more information about our business consulting services, please visit Piccadilly Arts.
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com
Brand Vision
The Values Exercise
What is a brand vision?
Every strong brand has a clear brand vision – an idea of what it wants to become. A clear vision is backed by solid values and creates the
emotional connection. It lays the groundwork for the organization’s mission.
A brand’s vision is defined by a collection of three-four values. These ideals should reflect the true positive nature of the organization. It’s ok if
the adjectives describe what the brand wants to become as long as they are true and believable in the current state.
A brand vision helps an organization state its purpose – the why behind what it does and provide the emotional connection its audience and
shareholders need. It gives the brand human values that people can connect and relate to.
One example of a strong brand vision is Ten Thousand Villages – think of the difference between this organization and similar gift shops. This is a
more than a gift shop – it’s an organization that values social change. It’s evident in every aspect of their business. There may be similar shops
with similar fair trade products that also value social change but their vision may not be as solid, not as focused.
Now let’s work on yours.
What is the Values exercise?
Simply put, you will be listing all the ideals and beliefs you/your organization cherishes and feels strongly about with some detail into why.
If you are stuck, think about your favorite brands and consider their values and why they resonate with you. For example, I shop at many
independently owned boutiques because I value independence and a strong work ethic.
The objective is to create a list of values that feel like you and your brand. There may be a lot overlap and that is OK – you will eventually see
themes and how one value feeds into another. We will dwindle the list to a few.
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com
Branding Personality
The “More Like/Less Like” Exercise
What is a brand personality?
Every strong brand has an authentic unique personality – the way it acts, looks, and feels. A strong personality gives a brand voice and
character. It brings the brand to life as if it were a person.
A brand’s personality is defined by a collection of six to eight human traits. These adjectives should reflect the true positive nature of the
organization. It’s ok if the adjectives describe what the brand wants to become as long as they are believable in the moment.
A brand personality helps an organization connect with its audience in a meaningful way because it gives the brand a human voice and
emotional connections. It also ensures that every action or communication is consistent which helps the audience build a strong understanding
of the brand.
Examples of brand with a strong personality – think of the difference between Target and Wal-Mart or Land Rover and Subaru. It’s not just the
products or services that are different but how the brands communicate and behave. These brands have defined unique personalities to
differentiate themselves from the competition and to connect with their target markets.
Let’s get to work on yours.
What is the “More Like/Less Like” exercise?
One way to identify brand personality is by comparing your brand to other brands. In this exercise you select brands that sound, look, or feel
“more like” or “less like” your brand and document the traits that you share with the “more like” brand.
The objective is to create a collection of brands that feel like your brand and a list of adjectives that describe you. Remember, it does not matter
what the brand actually produces – it’s about its personality and emotional connection.
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com
Clothing
Magazines
News Stations
Recording Artists
Brand Image
The Design Exercise
What is a brand image?
Every strong brand has a brand image – the external face of the brand. This means the logo, the identity package (business card, web design,
brochure, etc.). It’s the colors, the font, the text size, the placement and design elements that all come together to represent the brand’s vision
and values. A clear brand image is backed up by all your thought processes up to this point and provides the roadmap for all externally facing
touch points.
A brand’s image is defined by its name first, then by its logo and then by corresponding text and color. It should speak to the organization’s core
values and personality as well as consider where and how it’s positioned in its market. What are competitors doing and using? What you’re your
audience/market responds to?
Some logos include a tagline or slogan either to give context or as a call to action.
They should be memorable.
Examples of strong brand images: The Nike “swoosh”...Martha Stewart (her face, her products, the typeface)
Strong brand images don’t all have to be big multibillion dollar companies…but think of local shops or organizations that have consistent and
compelling imagery as well as loyal clients. It could be your local coffee shop or co-op or yoga studio.
Let’s get to work on yours.
What is the Design exercise?
This is the fun part of any branding work. This is where you get to delve into images, logos, colors, fonts, and all the exciting design elements that
can and will be the roadmap for your unique imagery. Chances are there will be a few different themes – a few favorite logos will resonate with
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com
Branding – Next Steps
So you’ve completed the exercises and you have a wealth of ideas and notes scribbled on papers and you are feeling pumped
and clear about who you are, what you do, and why you do it. You have the basics of your brand. Now what?
Messages/Messaging
Your next move will be looking at and digesting all the good work you’ve just done. Chances are there are many overlapping themes between
what you defined as your values and company vision, your personality, and the reasons you are drawn to certain fonts and images. Start
grouping like with like. You should be able to identify 4-5 overall themes or concepts that describe your brand.
Next, try crafting vision and mission statements from these concepts. A vision statement is the long term vision of the company – what you
hope to be and strive for in your products/services. The mission statement is who/what you are now. Good mission statements are short,
simple, to the point, and action driven. Say it in as few words as possible. Both statements are works in progress. Come back and revise over
time because businesses can and do change.
Next, consider your competition. Make a list of 3-4 businesses that are doing/offering what you offer. This can be directly or indirectly. What
are their value propositions? How do they set themselves apart? Do they set themselves apart? What is it about your business or organization
that is different? This is what we call positioning – how you position yourself in the market visa vis the competition.
Using the brand themes and concepts and what you know about yourself and your competition, try your hand at positioning statements. It will
incorporate all of the key findings from your branding exercises but also point out how and where you are different. The positioning statement
gets boiled down to the basics for a boilerplate – you know, the “stamp” we see at the end of a press release or the first few sentences on the
About section of your website.
Design
Finally, take all this awesome research and back end homework you’ve just done and find a GREAT designer. And by great, I mean, someone
that designs with brand in mind. We all know someone who can design on the cheap. You will get what you pay for. You’ve invested this much
so go a little further and hire a designer who will work with your findings to craft a logo and identity package with YOU in mind.
Piccadilly Arts, LLC | A Branding, Marketing & Management Company | Swarthmore, PA | piccadillyarts.com
Chrissie DiAngelus | Communications Consultant | chrissie@piccadillyarts.com