Revisiting Your Brand

I’ve been fortunate to mentor University of Iowa senior graphic design student Storm Shearer this semester as part of the Tippie Founders Club. Storm’s aim is to build her own company and brand. In guiding her through this process and sharing my own experiences (both successful and not so successful), I recognized how much my brand has evolved over the years.

I began with the idea of being a design firm that offered a wide range of services with half a dozen employees or more, but then I realized what I really wanted was to provide quality over quantity. By staying small and targeted, we are able to focus on client education and collaboration while providing five things we’re really good at: building brands, identity, web, print, and packaging design.

If your business is just starting out or if it’s been awhile since you launched, there are a few questions to ask yourself about your brand:

1. What do you hope to accomplish?
   Does you current brand not match who you really are today? Do you want to be more visible and gain more customers? Do you want to improve your SEO and bottom line?
2. How do you want to be perceived?
   Is your message clear and in a voice that will be meaningful to your audience? Do you have an identity that quickly conveys your purpose? Or has it or your services changed over time?
3. Are you committed to bringing your brand to life?
   Have you set aside a budget to develop a better online presence and more cohesive look? Are you willing to embrace change that builds a better result?

As Storm moves on as a participant in the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center’s Student Accelerator program this summer, we will continue to work together on her brand. We would enjoy the opportunity to work with you on yours as well. Let us know if we can help.