Often times organizations and business are advised to “find their voice” and “set the right tone” for their brand. This idea of corporate message “fine tuning” is constantly discussed and dissected in meetings, strategy sessions, and MBA classrooms.  Despite my desire to tuck it under the rug and chalk it up to industry jargon I recognize it really is overlooked and under-explored when applied to creating brands for small business.

In contemplating the topic I often think about my own experience as a child–dreaming of being a singer/songwriter, belting out beautiful songs to star struck audiences who perhaps were moved to tears by my depth and range. Well if anyone has heard me sing along with the radio they would know that this would have been a long shot by far… I am completely tone deaf and I can’t carry a tune to save my life. So my aspirations of “finding my voice” in that way where very short lived. Thankfully my parents, siblings, teachers, and friends were not going to let me live in that dream world and taught me that I had other talents and other ways to express myself that still could perhaps one day produce something that evokes emotion. Because in the end it was the result that was important, not the means of achieving that result. This is something to remember when designing a businesses’ brand identity. Just like each individual, each business has it’s strengths and weaknesses, and a sustainable brand is built on these natural strengths.

I often like to think that I am not designing a brand but more often discovering or uncovering it.