As I made my way down the journey of having our first child, my husband and I spent hours and hours discussing (debating, arguing…) over what to name the new little boy that was about to enter our world.

“too stuffy”

“too kiddy”

“too dated”

“too trendy”

the debate went on and on…

When we finally agreed on Jack – it put a smile on our faces. We knew it was going to be the right handle to take our munchkin from newborn cuteness to rockin’ old man that I’m sure he’ll be!

Back at the studio, we also have the opportunity to assist many entrepreneurs craft the perfect name and breathe life into their new business or venture.

And, just like naming our children, we take this task as no small undertaking! After all, your brand name is often the first interaction that your business has with your audience. It must peak interest, stick with them and reaffirm your brand promise (for starters)…all within a name!

Often times we have clients come to us and announce, “I haven’t done anything but, I have a name!”.

Eeek! How can you have a name without having determined your brand character, objective and promise?!? How is this random name going to be the brand spokesperson out there in the market, working hard to gain you recognition in the marketplace? (Can we say ‘square peg in a round hole?!’)

Don’t dismiss the power of a brand name too quickly before reading the following example:

On my travels, I’ve come across a business named “Almost Perfect Frozen Food”. Really? Almost perfect? Is that what you want me to feel as I drive by contemplating whether or not I should stop in? No thanks, I think I’ll pass!

And, as quickly as the car passes by, I’ve made a judgement on the brand! To be fair, I want to assume that they *must* have intended to communicate ‘as close to home cooking without cooking’. (My mind went to the food that you pop in the freezer with the hopes that you caught in before spoiling…the last ditch effort of extending its life just a wee bit longer…)

So, the big lesson here…please, don’t go about naming your business with a willy-nilly, gut feeling. Not because ‘it sounds nice’, or ‘its named after my pet’.

Do yourself a favour – be strategic and craft it to reflect the brand you want to present into the marketplace, one that will speak to your audience, stand the test of time and, leave them with an instant positive impression!

Almost perfect frozen lasagna, anyone!?

kitestring recently had the pleasure of facilitating some of Toronto’s brightest minds in a workshop  with the team at the Toronto 2015 Pan/ Parapan American Games.

We were inspired by the intense creative energy that came together to explore innovative branded possibilities for how the Games will be experienced by those who will attend the events.

Let me share a little story with you. It’s called ‘When Chris met Jenn’.

You see, Chris and I weren’t always the yin and yang that we are now. In fact, the first time I ever met Chris, we were in a very different scenario…

Enter: Chris & Jenn

Chris was the lead designer at the agency presenting a campaign concept being developed for the company I was working for.

That’s right, I was the ‘client’!

I remember the concept being great – well thought out, met the objective and was beautifully designed. However, instead of this compliment being the first thing out of my mouth, I opted for “Hmmm, you can’t use our logo there. Haven’t you read the brand guidelines”. Chris put a twisted smile on his face , nodded and marked it as a revision to be completed. This is a day that he will never let me live down.

Fast forward 6 years and here we are, steering the ship of our own agency.

At kitestring, we have the opportunity to develop some amazing brands for our clients. We also have the honour of working with some very well established brands each and every day.

In both cases, we understand and value the power that a properly developed and executed brand can play in the success of a business.

Enter: Brand Guidelines.

There’s no doubt that Brand Guidelines are an integral piece of the brand – they help in ensuring that the carefully crafted brand is used properly and consistently when put to the test of ‘the real world’.  It provides both internal stakeholders with an understanding of the brand as well as a tool to effectively communicate with designers, writers, photographers, etc., etc., etc.

The question I’ve been left to ponder for the last few weeks is – how much is ‘too much’ when it comes to brand guidelines? Can there be too much? Can there be too little?

Enter: Reality.

Unfortunately, sometimes reality doesn’t live nice and neatly within a beautifully bound brand book. It’s important to remember that your brand guidelines are just that – guidelines. They’re job is to provide guidance to the creative team and ensure consistency in brand application at all times.

Guidelines should provide enough information and structure to adequately support the brand without enforcing so many rules that it chokes the creative potential.

Remember, your brand is an organic, evolving creature that must fit into an ever changing horizon of advertising and marketing outlets. Take care in ensuring that your brand guidelines are flexible enough to allow you to adapt to this morphing landscape without losing the core essence of the brand.

No doubt, It’s a tricky balance to strike…and so to close… “Jenn’s Guidelines Regarding Guidelines”:

If your brand fits nice and neatly on the back of a cocktail napkin you most likely aren’t providing the structure and support it requires to be used consistently. On the other hand, if your guidelines carry the weight and rigidity of an anvil, chances are there’s too many restraints placed on the brand to grow with your business over time.

Develop and utilize brand guidelines that provide the foundation, are realistic and are flexible enough as not to stifle your brand from reaching its full potential.

- jenn

Chris and I had the pleasure of meeting with a potential client this morning. During our conversation, the idea of ‘building your business success on your own terms’ came up. I actually jotted this line into my notebook as it really stuck with me – what an important concept!

Often new entrepreneurs are faced with the necessity of taking on any work that comes their way in order to build the business – it may be outside of your area of specialty  and it may be for clients that frankly, aren’t fitting into the landscape of what you envisioned. You can’t turn it down, right? YOU NEED THE BUSINESS!

It’s easy to understand this logic and quite honestly, it is most likely necessary. It provides you with work, a track-record and most importantly, capital to keep building your dream. The important thing to remember as you’ smile and service’ your way through these projects is that all of these ‘experiences’ help you define and build your business – and your brand.

Continue to build a strong brand that clearly articulates what your business is and the experience that you promise to your clients. Most importantly, infuse all of this into the marketplace! Ensure that your unique brand is being consistently used in all of your marketing materials (both in print and online) as well as your social networking efforts, face-to-face interactions, your physical environment, the style in which you answer the phone, your business card…I could go on and on.

By doing this, you’ll have your first filter in qualifying clients. The right clients will be naturally attracted to you. Your cultures will align, the work will excite you and TA-DA – you’ll start to build ‘success on your own terms’.

It’s a lovely place to be – you should try it!

- jenn

At kitestring, we often blog about how important building a strong brand is. And, if you’ve been reading our blog posts throughout the year, you also know that a strong brand is not just about the logo or name. Rather, its about the promise and experiences that provide to your customers.

Last week, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I heard a radio commercial promoting ‘TD Holiday Comfort Zone’. It’s a special area that they’ve created in the Upper Canada Mall for any and all TD Canada Trust Card Members. They describe this special ‘zone’ as a place to unwind after the long shopping hours – enjoy free coat check, complimentary hot chocolate, lounge seating (I bet it’s those big comfy green leather chairs…) and even complimentary gift wrapping.

This is my dream! Spending hours in the crazy mall is one of the most stressful elements of the holidays for me. The idea of having a sanctuary in the middle of craziness makes the whole experience feel a little less daunting. Unfortunately, I don’t live very close to Upper Canada Mall but, if I did, I would be there -checkin’ my coat and sipping on hot chocolate!

As I said before, building a brand is all about the experience and feelings you leave your customers with. Kudos to TD Canada Trust for thinking outside of the bankers box and offering their clients a wonderful service and experience this holiday season.

With Bjork and too Much Denim.

What are you going as for Halloween?

We are! Meg and Chris from kitestring will be at Supercrawl this Friday. We will be handing out big prizes. BIG prizes. Make sure you spot us in the crowd. We will be wearing our underpants so it won’t be that hard !

Check it out!

See you there!

kitestring is celebrating its second successful year of business in Hamilton. Thinking back to how much love went into our brand to launch it as the business we know today, we wanted to give something similar to small business entrepreneurs getting started around us.

Maybe you know someone who should enter. Like a new entrepreneur that doesn’t like to give out their business card because they were designed in some unlucky parent’s basement by a guy who swears by youtube tutorials. Or a new business owner who has gone though the branding, print or web design process and came out the other end with nothing but some dumb t-shirt or a really ugly tri-fold brochure. That is who should enter this contest. Maybe that business is yours.

Chris and Dan having fun with paper and scissors…

Chris Farias – kitestring creative marketing + design
www.kitestring.ca