Your brand design – from the imagery on the logo, to your slogan, and even the colours you choose to incorporate – is a reflection of you and the values of your company. The values of your business, whatever they may be, need to be properly shared with your audience — why?

The values reflect the core of your business and any ambiguity here will only cause confusion. Your brand strategy and brand design go hand-in-hand with your company values. This means that you need to make sure that your values are showcased with a clarity that does not cause any doubts in the mind of your audience. 

Your business values define you

Now, business values can be almost anything that your business holds dear to its heart. Do you place emphasis on creativity? Do you try to incorporate transparency into your business? Do you consider your business as a catalyst for change?

Whatever your values may be, they need to be reflected in your brand strategy and brand design. As stated previously, ambiguity here can cause confusion in other areas of your business as well. Additionally, the message you send out in your marketing advances should be in accordance with your business values. Consumers are pretty smart in this day and age, and they can often sense confusion in your brand earlier than you.

Testing your values

It’s a good idea to test out whether your brand strategy reflects your company values as well. The following are a few simple steps that you can apply to do so:

• Pick a value — This can be any value that you strongly adhere to. For this example, we’ll pick quality in service as a value that you hold close to your heart.
• How do you embody it? — Look for examples of how you manifest quality in your services, from an outsider’s perspective. Is this quality reflected in your brand design, your product or your customer support services?
• How do you apply it? — If you’re applying quality in services, how and where is it being applied? Is it only applicable to consumers? Do you try to give quality to your employees?

By focusing on this area, you can see if your company values are being applied only to your brand strategy and brand design, or if they apply to your company from head to toe. Hint, it’s this latter one that’s important.

Drawing inspiration from others

It can be hard to learn how to reflect your company’s values in your brand design and brand strategy. Luckily, you can improve your options by studying different companies, or even your competitors. Looking at other business’s journeys in the marketplace will give you a roadmap that you can apply.

However, be careful not to start adhering to everything that that business is doing. Drawing inspiration is always good, but it is better to think outside of the box and make it your own too. Plagiarism is an unhealthy quality that can cripple your brand strategy from the start. Instead, you should put your own spin on it. Speak to a professional who can help you uncover your own values and set you on the right path for success.

Just be you

Remember that your company’s values are your own. How you reflect them in your brand strategy and brand design also needs to be done in an original manner that is uniquely yours. Where possible, seek advice from those who understand the process.