My first few years I was in business, I thought of myself strictly as a graphic designer, and I would always introduce myself at networking events that way. However, when I would try to give prospects more context to the way I developed solutions and the value I provided for my clients, “graphic designer” did not seem to fit anymore. I began seeking ways to add more value and depth to my job description.

It was on this journey that I discovered brand strategy. A major influence for me were books (“The Strategic Designer” by David Holston and “Creative Strategy and the Business of Design“ by Douglas Davis, to name two), coaches and personal and professional development in the form of courses, videos and workshops. Through these resources, I armed myself with strategic tools and thinking to add to my design training and expertise. In doing so, I found a way to add the desired substance and value to what I offered clients in my brand-building process. 

Strategic consulting services afforded a little more prestige and a higher price tag as well, which also never hurts.  Most importantly, this simply seemed like a better, more thoughtful way to work, which would only help me help my clients. A strategic-focused approach allowed me to think in a way that worked really well with how I thought and approached projects anyway.

It’s true that today, very few prospective clients ask for brand strategy services by name. That is not unexpected. Whether they do or not, they all want a few common things. There are problems or challenges or needs within businesses that being positioned solely as a designer did not put me forward with the opportunity to address.

So, what does a brand strategist do?

Brand strategists research, create, and communicate the plan for how a brand is developed, delivered, and deployed. They must understand the client- the business and its product or service, and the customer really well. A brand strategist may or may not be a designer, though anecdotally, most brand strategists I know and network with have some type of design training or professional background. 

A brand strategist is more of a maker of meaning than a maker of things. They may help conceive and construct the foundations upon which brand artifacts and designs are created. This person balances creative, analytical, and strategic thinking in the delivery of their services. A strategist may be part of an in-house brand or creative team, or they may be someone who is brought in to consult with a leadership team or augment an existing creative team. Whether the brand is being conceived for the first time or revamped or refreshed, a brand strategist is a vital person to spearhead and spur on the process. Brand strategists may work on a brand at its inception or continue through the life and maturity of the brand. They may also work on a brand for a specific period of time to achieve specific goals.

Brand strategists are all very different, though they do similar work, and there are almost as many different frameworks and strategies for doing the work as there are strategists themselves. Brand strategists, generally speaking, must be organized, principled, naturally inquisitive and intuitive.  

So, we’ve established that brand strategists may or may not be brand designers, and their work certainly complements the work that designers do, but what is it exactly that brand strategists do? There are many things I could say, but for ease, let’s keep it at 3. This role often consists of: 

1. Discover and define your brand’s internal and external substance. 
2. Ensuring consistent and effective brand messaging and presentation across all channels.
3. Developing a brand strategy plan for growth or helping to launch the brand.

A brand strategist seeks to answer questions about why the brand exists, who it exists for, and what it means. If the heart of branding is “why?”, the heart of brand strategy is “why you?” Brand strategy helps give meaning to the brand and identifies and articulates why a customer should engage with the brand. This means identifying unique value in a business and figuring out how to convey that through the myriad brand communications tools and platforms available to us today. 

Brand strategists are at their essence, problem solvers. In our next blog post, we’ll look at some of the most important tools that brand strategists use to both approach brand challenges and develop their solutions.