The HJC Brand Essence

Brand (n): a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization
– Marty Neumeier, “The Brand Gap”

How do you feel about my brand before reading this blog post? 👀

Let’s zoom out for a second – Marty Neumeier defines a “brand” perfectly: it’s the way your audience feels about your business. We talk often about what someone sees when they see your brand visuals, what someone hears in your messaging, or what they understand about your product or service, but beneath all of that, it’s the underlying feeling your audience has (that they might not even realize they have) when they encounter one of your touch points.

Let me show you what I mean. My “brand essence” words are below – these are what I hope for my audience (you guys!) to feel about my brand BEFORE ever reading this post.

Genuine

Every word I say (and write) truly comes from the heart. My email mini essay series called “Diaries of a Creative” is a great example of this type of content beyond social media! (Sign up for those emails on my website!)

Ease

I believe that less is truly more, and that simplicity will always win. That overflows into my personal philosophy around life, business, and design: “Let it be easy.”

Welcoming

I used to be the kid in high school who made friends with all the new kids – I couldn’t bear the thought of someone feeling left out! I hope this feeling is apparent in my brand’s presence.

Empathetic

I’ve been where a lot of my clients currently are (especially my 1:1 Mentorship clients!) and even if I can’t relate on personal experience, truly listening and being empathetic towards my clients’ challenges is important to me.

Outgoing

I think this one speaks for itself! I can be a goofball sometimes 🤪

Curious

Curiosity lies at the heart of everything I do. I never want to stop saying “I wonder what would happen if I tried…”