Crafting memorable brands requires an effective creative process

Proven process for brand creation

Our brand design process at Chalkbox applies to all our brand clients. Without going into a long, boring step-by-step, here are the broad strokes.

Strategy first

• Discovery
• Research
• Persona

A brand is memorable to the right people for the right reasons. The strategy process will establish who those people are, what the right reasons are, and how the brand should be showing up to them. It also establishes the why of this work: the goals of the organization as a whole.

Establishing all this requires good input. Our discovery sessions with clients and stakeholders gather their knowledge and assumptions about the business, and research confirms or challenges those assumptions. Findings and insights are wrapped into brand and audience personas, competitive opportunities and threats, and more, all of which feeds directly into our exploration.

Open, concept-first exploration

• Creative brief
• Broad idea generation
• Unfiltered review

Creating a memorable brand means exploring well beyond the first and most obvious ideas to those that are distinct and unique. This piece of the brand identity process begins with a creative brief that guides an extensive exploration of concept. Harvard Business Review encourages a focus on questions, not answers, in the brainstorming process. And for us, each idea is another “what if” question to be answered later.

And instead of presenting only the ideas we prefer, we guide clients through our entire exploration: our thinking, our dead-ends, and our epiphanies. This open, unfiltered, and collaborative approach ensures the selected concept aligns best with the strategy, audience, and organization’s goals, building toward a truly memorable brand.

Client involvement

• Client participation
• Client ownership

A memorable brand aligns with an organization's purpose, mission, and values while also being effective in meeting goals and audience needs. Involving clients in every stage, from strategy to concept to refinement, prevents deviation from those targets.

But our favorite thing? This process gives clients a front seat and a role in each decision, providing a comprehensive understanding of the brand's development. This inclusive approach contrasts with the typical pick-one-of-three-options method, offering a more meaningful and collaborative experience, and a very real sense of ownership.

Assessing results

Does the process work? Done right, yes. There are a few qualities that we believe are essential in creating a brand. Every step in our process is designed to enable these qualities.

• The brand should be distinct and memorable. Always push beyond the obvious, and always, always focus on the audience.
• The brand should be based in reality and anchored in the future. Assumptions are no good, and if you drop anchor where you are, you won’t get far.
• The brand should be well executed and flexible. Shoddy craftsmanship won’t cut it, and the results should be built for the future’s unknown applications.

A memorable brand absolutely contributes to an organization's success. And that ideal outcome requires the right process.

Others may employ a different process for this work. But if you’re working with experienced professionals, they’ll have processes for the work they do.