Your brand as a visual metaphor

You have a heart of gold.

Hope is on the horizon.

Ah, metaphor. Not to be confused with semaphore (meaningful flag waving) or pinafore (the attire of a farmer’s wife in ye olden days), a metaphor is a thing that represents something else. A figure of speech, where you make a comparison between two objects of concepts that are different but have something in common.

Which is all well and good, but what’s that got to do with your brand?

Well, if you are shaping your brand story, a visual metaphor is a great place to start to help you get to the heart of what your brand is all about.

1.       Grab the obligatory Post-Its and Sharpies. This is going to get messy (and when I say messy, I mean lots of ideas).

2.       Do a quick creative warm up (such as thinking of 3 bonkers ways to improve an umbrella. Don’t skip this step, it’s important, I promise.

3.       Jot down on your Post-It’s the values, attitudes, personality traits, beliefs and unique elements of your brand. Note down words that sum up the experience of working with you.

4.       Pull out 3-5 Post-Its that really sum you up well.

5.       Pop each of these on a big piece of paper or bit of wall. Now let your brain really run free, making any and all associations with each word. So if you have ‘CREATIVE’, you might add words like: spark, lightbulb, flash, lightning, weather, umbrella, rain and so on.

6.       You now have a choice. If you want to use pens, go to step 7. If you want to use scissors, go to step 8.

7.       Next to each of your new words, doodle or draw something that represents it. Artistic merit optional, enthusiasm and confidence essential. Fill your sheet with drawings.

8.       Take each of your new words in turn and Google image search them. Pick an image that really sums up the word for you, print it out and stick it on your sheet. Fill your sheet with images.

9.       Go for a Custard Cream and a cuppa, or a Joy Break as we call it in the Allotment.

10.   Now review your drawings or images. Create a short list of those that be represent the essence of your brand. Now from your short list select the one image that is the (almost) perfect visual metaphor for your business.

You can then decide if you want your brand metaphor to become part of your visual branding, or simply a visual device that you use to remind yourself and your team of your brand ethos.

Words can be unwieldy critters and wrangling them into a really short brand proposition or strap line can feel impossible, Sometimes, using an image is simpler, as a single image can encapsulate a richer interpretation of meaning - or a thousand words, if the advertising exec Fred R. Barnard who coined the phrase ‘a picture if worth a thousand words’ is to be believed. I mean, he was in advertising, so he’s bound to be telling the truth, right?

You’ll find another useful tool in the Tool Rack to help you create your Brand Echo - the brand message that gets to the heart of what you do and the essence of your business, so that people can remember and repeat it long after they have heard or read it. Hop over to the Tool Shed and take a look.