Using Brand Strategy to Position Yourself as a Branding Expert

Something I see often is brand designers marketing themselves as just that - designers - when in reality the work they’re doing goes so much deeper than just creating design assets for their clients. They are digging into the WHY behind the design and implementing strategy into their branding that has a huge impact on their clients’ success and ROI.

This type of work falls under the umbrella of brand strategy, which is different from brand design.

If you currently offer brand design services and want to truly position yourself as a branding expert, it’s time to move into brand strategy (or start marketing yourself that way if you’re already doing the work!).

PS. If you’re just getting started as a graphic designer, I have a business plan outlined here that might be helpful!

Brand strategist vs. brand designer

A brand is more than a logo, it's how people feel about your business. It's your ideal client, core values and position in the market.

A brand strategist is someone who looks at all of these areas and develops an intentional plan for the client’s branding, which guides their design process.

A brand designer is someone who creates and delivers the design assets (logos, font pairings, color palettes, marketing collateral, etc.) based on the direction provided by the client.

Who needs brand strategy

Think of it this way - when working with a brand designer, the client assumes the role of “strategist”. They are the one providing the direction and communicating what they want their brand to convey.

The ideal clients for brand strategists are business owners who are ready to grow beyond the start-up phase and want more than just a logo. They want to hand off the role of “strategist” to an expert, who can then carry out their brand design as well!

Areas of strategy to focus on

If you’re interested in moving into brand strategy as a way to deepen the level of service you provide your clients, here are the areas to focus on:

Ideal Clients - Who is the target audience for your client? 

Brand Core Values - What are the values or qualities that are important to your client’s business?

Positioning Statement - What sets your client apart from their competition?

Competitor Profiles - Who are your clients competitors and how are they positioning themselves?

Brand Vibe - How does your client want their business to make people feel?

Getting solid answers in these areas will help direct your design process and add much more impact to your final designs.

Positioning yourself as an expert

By offering brand strategy you become more than a designer for hire and move into the creative expert role. When you're a creative expert, you solve the client's problem and are of more value to them.

As a brand strategist, you become someone that your clients can trust with professional design AND the intentionality and purpose behind it!

This sets you apart because your clients can trust that your designs are going to work for their business beyond pretty colors and a good-looking logo - it will connect with and attract their dream customers!