Building a brand from scratch can feel like standing at the base of a mountain without a map. With endless opinions and advice available online, how do you know where to begin? Should you jump straight into designing a logo and picking colors? Or is there a more strategic approach?

The journey to building a powerful brand starts with understanding your audience. As our lead brand designer Andrew Wiseman explains, "They're going to start telling you who you are and they're the important voice because they're your customers." Rather than trying to force your self-perception onto the market, listen to what your customers say about you. Interview people who've already purchased from you.  Even just three to five conversations can provide invaluable insights that shape your brand foundation.

A critical revelation for many founders is accepting that your brand is a living, breathing entity that will evolve throughout your company's life. The strongest brands in the world, like Liquid Death, continuously evolve through customer interaction. This perspective relieves the pressure of creating a "perfect" brand from day one. Your brand needs to be clear about what it stands for and the one thing you want to be known for.  Entrepreneurs often struggle with this, wanting to offer multiple services, but trying to be everything to everyone leads to confusion. Define exactly who you help, the transformation you deliver, how you differ from competitors, and why you stand apart.

Before touching a single visual element, develop your verbal identity...how your brand sounds, the tone you use, the language that reflects your culture. These verbal elements create what Wiseman calls "visual words" that later guide design decisions around colors, typography, and overall brand expression. Your visual identity system goes far beyond just a logo, encompassing consistent color palettes across different applications, typography, and brand expression guidelines. When all these elements work together across your website, social media, and other touch points, you create a cohesive brand experience that resonates with your audience and drives business growth. Remember, strategy before design.  Always.