Introduction

With a strong idea of the direction and scope of my project, I now need to create a brand that tells of the values of the project. While this is not a commercial project in the fact that the main aim is not to maximise profit, a well-designed brand will support the user experience and visual appeal of my project.

Having completed a 12-week module on branding last year, I am confident I can design a suitable brand for my project. I want to focus on the aspects of the brand that I need for this project. These are:

• Brand Values
• Brand Name
• Logomark/Wordmark
• Colour Palette
• Typography
• Tone of voice
• Imagery/iconography style

Some of these aspects I already have a strong idea of, while others will require me to think deeper, do some additional research and find inspiration.

Brand Values

As I discovered last year to create a brand, you first need to develop the brand’s values as every other aspect of the brand is informed by its values. These values will make it much easier for me to decide on aspects of my brand such as the name, the logo and even the tone of voice. As such an important part of my brand, I want to take a look at some advice for creating brand values and looking to other brands in the same sphere as my brand for inspiration.

I started by looking at guides explaining what brand values are and how to develop them. I used these guides:

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/brand-values/ (Last Accessed 05/03/24)

https://www.canny-creative.com/establishing-brand-values-give-foundation-growth/ (Last Accessed 05/03/24)

Both of these guides gave clear explanations of why a brand needs values and what they offer the brand. They also go into great detail on what your brand values need to be and how to go about defining them. They were both really useful reads and I feel I am now ready to look at some real brand values for inspiration.

I started by following the link in the above guide and looking at the values of Sprout Social. https://seeds.sproutsocial.com/brand/values/ (Last Accessed 05/03/24)

While a brand that operates in a very different area from where my brand aims to work, there are still certain values of Sprout Social that would also be true of my brand.