there is a level of abstraction when it comes to interpreting what a brand is. understanding this abstraction unlocks untapped potential in building your brand. the abstraction is a paradox.

i do not know how to articulate it yet — this is me trying.

in my experience, i have learned how people understand what brands or branding is. both have their own distinct meanings but they are being understood as one and the same.

people see branding as the bells and whistles; fancy graphics, brilliant ads, well written copy. some commission branding work to agencies for the sake of having a brand. for the sake of standing out. for the sake of, well formality. “new business, we need a logo”. and this is how i understood it when i was starting out.

i will follow suit and use both terms interchangeably. the focus of this writing is not on semantics. it is on unpacking the level(s) of abstraction.

branding requires deeply thinking about what it is you want to do, and finding ways in which what you have found can be enacted. branding requires one to find the ease that comes with finding and being one’s true self.

branding is the act of becoming your authentic self so much so that you find yourself too busy living out your values to even look to at the bells and whistles that come with fancy graphics and copy.

branding is not something you maintain or uphold, it is something that you live out daily.

how?

well, you have to (re)discover yourself.

of course you want a sustainable brand. of course you want to make the world a better place. of course you want to be more or authentic. but not with some lofty ideals and blanket statements. use real descriptors. make it unique. why do you want to do what you want to do? what is that thing that ticks you? what is your hell? describe it in as much detail as possible. don’t look outside for answers. look within. what do you want to do in this world?

forget about customer profiles. describe yourself the Charles Dickens way.

forget value propositions. describe the problems you face every single day. long commute hours? write it down. nothing to do in your boring town/neighborhood? write it down. write about the most annoying part of your day/week/month. whatever you write, describe it. and do it the Charles Dickens way.

forget marketing strategies. describe what the world should know. what is it that you want to see in the world? describe exactly what you want to see in this world. and why.

forget focus groups. describe solutions to your problems. and create the solutions. product has shortcomings? work with people. the same kind of people who started with themselves.

i’m trying to show you a way to build something authentic. something that is you. it is more than a brand. it is more than some reputation.

branding disappears into who you are as you find more and more of yourself. branding becomes enacting different states of being. of who you are. and that’s when you win.

when you build a team. when you gather people who are like you but specialize in a different set of skills. you want to transfer being yourself to them. you want them to know. you want them to enact being yourself the way you would. and hopefully, you inspire them to find and be themselves.

and this is where you need to transfer knowledge. time to put all of your expressed states of being on paper. time to structure them. time to transfer them.

this is branding. transferring your vision of the world, to the world. until then, let the brand disappear.