A common misconception I hear is that a Brand Strategist is the same as a Graphic Designer. As a Brand Strategist, I’m here to tell you that’s completely untrue! 

I'm going to help clarify and differentiate between what a Brand Strategist is and is not, what a Graphic Designer is, and what you’ll gain from working with a Brand Strategist that you wouldn’t get just working with a designer. 

Brand strategy and brand design are two completely different skill sets. While your Brand Strategist may know some things about graphic design and your Graphic Designer may know some things about brand strategy, it’s rare that someone can fully do both, and do them well.

What’s the Difference Between a Brand Strategist and a Graphic Designer?

While I, a Brand Strategist, have searched the globe for the best designers to work on my team; I’m not the designer, I’m the Brand Strategist. 

My background is in psychology, business development, communications, and coaching and my work with you is all about strategically building your business and brand to attract clients, fill your programs, and build your community!

If you want a logo, hire a graphic designer (but please, don’t make this the first thing you do).

But if you want a complete brand identity that strategically links you to the clients you want to attract through beautiful visuals, clear messaging and signature programs designed to position your business for premium pricing … then what you need is a Brand Strategist.

A smart, well-put together brand is so much more than a pretty design, and goes so much deeper than a logo – it needs to be backed by strategy. So often, I see fempreneurs make the mistake of thinking that a logo is the very first thing they need to have created in order to have a legitimate brand. But truly, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

A successful brand is one that has a solid foundation – one that has a story, and one that connects with its audience on a deeper subconscious, instinctive level. 

Why Should You Work With a Brand Strategist?

A Brand Strategist’s job is to help build the foundation of your brand, and tie that into all other facets that will be created. So often, entrepreneurs have countless amazing ideas about the brand they’re building. But, they also may have a hard time turning these ideas into actual design elements, copywriting, or brand positioning. The Brand Strategist’s job is essentially to help you portray the best, most authentic version of yourself through the brand you’re creating. 

First thing’s first, it’s important to nail down who you are, who you serve, and what you want to be known for. Your Brand Strategist will help you dial in your personality, point of view, mission, vision, brand values, position, your brand promise, brand voice, and the emotional impact you want to have on your ideal clients. 

Only after all of this has been completed, should you start to work on your brand's visual design.

Like I said before, I’m not a graphic designer. And if you aren’t either, then this is where I highly recommend bringing in a professional designer to create the visual aspects of your brand. Not only will hiring a professional designer ensure that your brand looks credible and professional, it’ll also save you countless hours of trying to create your assets on your own. 

Theoretically, if you have knowledge of both brand strategy and graphic design, you could try to create your own brand. However, in my years of experience, I’ve found that trying to create your own brand is a bit like trying to read the label on a bottle from inside the bottle. Unfortunately, we’re waaaayyy too close to ourselves, our own personality, our gifts, our strengths, and talents to take a step back and get an honest look at our own brand. 

One of the strengths that your Brand Strategist will bring to the table is being able to see you in a way that you don’t see yourself, and see you in a way that potential clients, or those first discovering your brand, may see you. They should be able to help you narrow down and clarify all the amazing ideas that you, as the entrepreneur and face of the brand, have. 

Another thing that Brand Strategists specialize in is taking your personality and who you are, and turning it into a beautiful, authentic personal brand. Think of it like a sculptor – chiseling away at all of the fluff that clouds our vision of our best selves. Yes, the end result was inside of you all along, but the Brand Strategist brings an outsider's perspective and knowledge of strategy to really help you fine-tune the details of your finished brand – visuals, messaging, and all! 

When you join the Impact Tribe, not only do you get access to my complete branding process and personal guidance in 2 live monthly calls, but you also have access to my design team to help you bring your brand to life!