So we've been doing a lot of different storytelling while we've talked about different brands and what that really falls under the category of an online marketing is content marketing.

Storytelling is one of those things that it just brings things to life. If you wrap it up in a story, everything comes to life and it just feels a lot better.

What we're going to discuss is inspired by one of Heather's heroes in branding, Debbie Millman. This is her five waves of branding.

In the past episodes, we've talked a little bit about the silk road and some of the foundations of branding. But today, we have the opportunity to talk about social media and how social media has impacted brands.

Choose your colours.

Developing a colour palette will help your brand give a look and feel that is consistent. Colours say a lot about you! When we’re developing a colour pallete we will sometimes pull from a photo, or special objects - or when you’re just getting started, try picking up a book of paint palletes from hardware stores! 

Choose your fonts.

No more than three! More fonts do not make for better designs. When you’re just getting started, I recommend using two fonts max and learning to vary your designs with those two. When you are ready to explore - try a third!

Choose Your Imagery.

You can tell a lot of stories with one image! Original, branded photos are always the best option - but if you’re just getting started with your brand and need to find photos - we recommend choosing stock photos that tell a story and look like they belong together. Always make sure you have the right to use the images you select.

Can you imagine sitting on a dock with crates of goods coming in. Before the internet or modern marketing, how would you know which product you should purchase. 

The word “to brand” means to “sear in” or to burn into. Burning marks into the flesh of cattle is a practice that has been occurring for centuries. The marks show more than ownership - they’re a signal to feeding and breeding practices as well. 

When Heather explores her Métis roots, she is considering her ancestor Philip Turnor who came to Canada as a surveyor and ordered a high quality watch. He would be looking for a brand as a signal of quality and reliability. 

Think about what you want to burn into your prospects mind. What do you want to remind your clients of? What do you want them to remember? Are you achieving that?

We’ll discuss what Heather’s learned from one of her brand hero’s, Debbie Millman, about the Great Leap Forward and how when our brains changed we started to make marks to tell stories, show our connection to family groups and mark important landmarks. Cave paintings talk about social systems, hunting, and battle. This is around the same time people started to use makeup and flags to delineate who they are and who they belong to. It really became all about tying ourselves to a community with marks and colours. It served a function of keeping people safe, fed, and travelling efficiently. Before there were letters and words, there was early mark making. 

Fast forward to 1876 and Registered Trademarks were established in the United States to delineate which products were safe. Visual brands were registered to corporations and companies like Bass Ale started to use product placement in fine art!

The term branding comes from a root meaning to “seer in.” Explore with us in the next episode how this impacts the soul and purpose of your brand. Do you know what you’re trying to seer in?

We hear over and over again that a brand is not just your logo - and this season explains what that really means. We’ll explore historical context and discover how it brand building is a human process. We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time!

Your logo doesn’t dictate the moves you make in your business, your brand soul does. When we become branders, we become storytellers. It’s important to tell those stories because it helps customers know, like and trust us - which directly impacts sales!

Knowing the foundations and connecting with your brand purpose can help:

• re-energize you if you’ve been feeling stagnant in your business,
• stand out against your competition, and
• allow your clients to connect with you.

Let’s explore the origins of branding together!

This podcast is designed to spark ideas on how to launch, grow or scale your business.

We are your hosts, Heather Murphy, your intuitive brand designer, and Amin Ahmed your digital marketing strategist