The tagline at Design the Planet is DREAM. BRAND. EVOLVE. and no matter what your personal business model is, we have found these three words to be a mantra for branding success. Whether you are a business start-up or an established company, moving to the next level – and there is always a next level – can be challenging, but with a clear vision and the right strategy it can also be very rewarding. To put it another way – with a clear DREAM and the right BRAND, you can EVOLVE your bottom line.
DREAM. Dreaming is the ability to reach beyond your current situation and foresee the next steps to your future success. Whether it’s a rebrand, building a fresh new concept, or expanding your franchise from three locations to thirty, dreaming is the intuitive ability to see beyond what is and create the environment for what is to be.
BRAND. Branding is how you tell the world who you are, what you do, what you stand for, and how you do business. Your brand tells your story and says to the world, “This is me; this is who I am.” According to blogger Seth Godin, a successful brand is one that produces value by creating a “set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product over another.” Well said, Seth.
EVOLVE. Evolving is the end result that comes from the vision of DREAMING and the action of BRANDING. To evolve is to develop gradually from a simple to a more complex form of being. No matter what it is that you are “producing” for your brand market, to remain competitive and up-front in the consumer’s mind you should always be in a state of constant evolution.
So, whether you are a single entity working out of your home or a large company with thousands of employees; whether you have a single location or are a multi-location franchise; whether you’ve just opened your doors for business or you’ve been around for a hundred years – take a serious look at your brand. You may have a lot of recurring business, but how much new business is coming through your door? That may be the logo that you started your company with, but does it reflect your new growth and innovations. Your old website might be doing an okay job, but is it putting you in front of the right people and helping you to grow your business? Your franchise may be booming, but are all the locations in line with your brand culture? What is it you need to do to take your brand to the next level?
Look at where you are in the present – DREAM. Ask yourself what is the next step you need to take in your evolutionary process – BRAND. Position yourself for additional growth and success for your company – EVOLVE.
Below is the original Design the Planet logo developed in 1998 and the most recent one launched in 2013 for our 15th Anniversary.
If you want to see more of our evolutionary process:
