If you’re a business owner who has tried and tried again to figure out your brand style to no avail, copying what you see others doing, putting together stuff that looks good but doesn’t feel like you, being indecisive on what look to go for…?

Then I’ve been in your shoes.

Don’t believe me?

I once had a branding that was entirely different from what it is now.

See the references below ​​vvvvvv

Now, is there anything inherently WRONG with my initial branding design? No, honestly I still look at it and love it, and if I ever come across a client who fits the bill I’d love to revamp it to fit their style.

The issue was, it was NOT ME.

The first branding I had was a bold, avant-garde creative style mixed with a modern touch. I look at it and feel like the girl who runs that brand commands the rooms she walks into. She’s feminine but in a “girl boss” way. She wears clothes with labels I’ve never heard of, marches to the beat of her own drum and likely gives no f*cks. She values the arts and creativity, especially the bold and daring, the more “unique” the better. 

My new branding is pretty damn opposite. It feels soft and feminine, timeless yet free. The girl behind it seems like she’d speak kindly and welcoming, someone you wouldn’t be afraid to approach. She enjoys elegance and finery as much as she would love running through a field of wildflowers and collapsing on a blanket laid out in the grass, reading a novel with worn pages under the shade of an oak tree. She romanticizes life and appreciates the old and vintage but has a modern charm to her as well.

And well, all of that is true. The first description is quite opposite of who I am as a person, but the second, is pretty spot on at being right in the center of 3 things:

1. Who I am
2. How others see me
3. Who I want to be

Disclaimer: Here’s where I must mention, brands don’t necessarily equate to the person who started them, (especially for larger companies of course). But if you’re on this blog and looking DIY your brand, you’re likely not that. So that being said, let’s begin.

Step 1. How Do You See Yourself?

The first thing you must do is be honest with yourself and write who you think you are. This can be written in single words or sentences, just be HONEST. 

This is the list I used for myself:

What are my personality traits?

What are some values I stick by (especially pertaining to my work)?

Do I have any personal mottos or phrases I often use?

What are my strengths and weaknesses?

How would I describe myself to a stranger?

A little bonus you could do here is take a personality test! This one is my fave!

And I am a Mediator (INFP-T) see? fitting, right?

Step 2. How Do Others See You?

Okay, so I totally took this from that trend on socials where you ask your boyfriend or friend all of these, “What would I be if I were a flower/color/season…?” etc. etc.

The reasoning for this instead of just asking similar open ended questions, is that you get a visual idea of yourself.

We’re building out a brand style here, so we need to be able to visualize what that may mean. I personally find having the combination of text based answers mixed with imagery really paints a fuller picture.

When you send these out, make sure to emphasize this list is not necessarily your favorites, it’s just you, your essence, your energy, your vibe.

Below is the exact list I sent out. Feel free to swap in different items! Especially if they pertain better to the specific business/industry you’re in.

What would I be if I was a…

1. Flower
2. Color
3. Season
4. Animal
5. Time of day
6. Drink
7. Movie
8. Song or album
9. Type of weather
10. Fruit
11. Gemstone
12. Dessert
13. Sport

Love Note:

The more people who know you from different facets of life, the better. You get a broader reach that way. You’ll definitely see both major differences and overlap depending on who knows you and how!

Step 3. Find The Overlap

Now that you have all of the answers your friends, family, and loved ones gave, it’s time to find the overlap! Take all of your answers and find the commonalities, for example, almost across the board, the season I got was “Spring”.

Same with dessert, oddly enough I got 5 different people who all said I was a strawberry shortcake! Which, love that. Lol

Take your overlapping answers and compile them into a new list. These will serve as your basis for how others see you.

You’ll definitely have plenty of outliers as I said before, so what we’re really looking for here is the parts of you that show up repeatedly.

Love Note:

For further context, reach out and ask about why people got to certain answers! It helps even more with getting an understanding of how others see you!

Step 4. How Do You Want To Be Seen?

Time to visualize. I’ve come across plenty of branding experts who say your brand is you. Leave it at that, you already embody it, embrace it.

Personally, I had trouble with this and I’m sure others out there do, too. Especially if you’re like me and change your mind a lot, or have gone through different phases of life, lost yourself at times, or even don’t like where you’re currently at and are striving for a bit more.

Fear not.

Because since doing this branding exercise for myself a year ago, I have really stepped into the brand I created for myself. Not just in my business but in my life, because I started to feel power and confidence about who I was, and funny enough, it turns out it was much more in line with my younger, true self than I realized.

That’s also why this step comes after the previous ones. At this point you’re creating an idea of the “you” out there in the real world, and probably asking yourself if it’s someone you’re proud of, or someone you want more out of?

So, that being said…

How do you want to be seen?

Ask yourself these questions: 

“In an ideal world, what would people say about me?”

Examples: 

She’s so helpful and super creative! I felt I could trust her every step of the way.

Oh Bobby? He’s so confident and outgoing! He’s such a great leader.

“In an ideal world, what would people say when speaking about my business?”

Her work is to die for, it’s so feminine, vintage and romantic.

He’s the best mentor to work with, he’s so kind and thoughtful when it comes to motivation! Not like those brash guys.

Love Note: 

Get idealistic but stay true to yourself! For me, my ideal phrases aligned a lot with who I was already, but I definitely had areas for improvement and things I liked but wanted to push even further! I wouldn’t stray too far from who you really are and cause a whole overhaul. You want to stand in your truth, your uniqueness, what makes you, you. With a dash of optimism of what the “future you” holds.

Step 5. Bring It All Together

It’s time to connect all the dots!

Bring out the list you initially made about how you see yourself, the overlapping list of qualities others see you as, and finally the answers to your idealistic self questions.

You should see a lot of major themes here. Write down a list of one word adjectives to describe what you’re seeing. This list should be a perfect blend of who you are, how others see you and how you’d like to be seen. 

At this point you should be able to identify some solid recurring themes, that’s the purpose of redoing similar questions over and over again. Because the data should show themes that keep popping up!

For example, this was my list by the end:

• Soft
• Sweet
• Passive
• Nice
• Friendly
• Warm
• Easy going
• Emotional
• Playful
• Youthful
• Fun
• Funny
• Creative
• Poetic
• Whimsical
• Artistic
• Free Spirited
• Feminine
• Romantic
• Genuine
• Authentic
• Approachable
• Nostalgic
• Timeless

What Next?

And now you’ve got it! Your wheels are turning, you have a vision to lead with. The next move is to begin translating that into design (which is a whole other conversation on its own). But use this master list as the foundation for your brand style.

Conclusion

I’m sure you’re now eager to get your actual branding up and going but I want to emphasize once you have your final list, you have so much more direction than you think.

You’re no longer in need of copying others, staring at a blank page and wondering what your brand should look like. You’re now working from a starting point of feeling, personality and a point of view.

So your list becomes the filter for your brand profile. That’ll shape the colors, fonts, imagery, tone of voice and overall feeling people get when they land on your business.

Simply notice what aligns, what feels like you and the version of your brand you’re trying to grow into. Because all of those design choices? They all have feelings associated with them. Different colors, imagery, messaging, all of it conveys a feeling that should correlate with your brand style.

If you’re itching to make a move. Make a mood board out of your list. (imagery, colors, fonts, textures, quotes, messaging, emojis, tone of voice, songs, get creative!) Let your brain just start moving while you’re in the middle of this project and it’ll begin to flow with ideas.

That’s what I did next. I began to pay attention in life as well, to what really resonated with me. Like I said earlier it was pretty awesome to see me really dive back into what “true me” felt like from doing this exercise. 

Every little thing I bought, chose to do, even the way I acted felt more aligned and I felt confident because I was fully leaning into me and my sense of self.

Anywho, as always I have SO MUCH MORE where that came from. I love this stuff, so follow along so you don’t miss out on more ways to improve your business online and beyond. I have Instagram, Pinterest, and now a YouTube channel! 

But the best way to stay updated? Aubade Letters, I always announce new blogs there, and serve advice, inspo, and other business related help in an entertaining format every Sunday. A morning love letter from me to you!

Want me to do your branding for you? Check out my offer, Brand Refresh! You’ll be sent off with a full branding profile by the end of it to use in all facets of your business so you look cohesive and authentic online and beyond!