Our process. Part 3. Visual Exploration.

Before we jump into this next part, here is a quick recap on why we did all of this work to begin with, instead of going straight into designing your brand identity.

Laying a strategic foundation for your company, as we did over the last 5 weeks, is what allows you to create a brand that is authentically yours and will connect with your audience on an emotional level, rather than simply following a trend.
Brands are built around your purpose and the emotional appeal of a transformation your audience seeks to make. That means, your core messaging is meant to inspire - both your customers and your team. But remember, actions speak louder than words. Your core messaging means nothing unless it permeates every aspect of your brand experience and drives your actions as a company. 

In case you have missed any of them, you can catch up here:
Strategy - Brand Personality
Strategy - Brand Personas
Strategy - Brand Narrative
Strategy – Core Messaging
Discovery & Research
Our Process

This is actually the 80th edition of our studio notes, and I am thrilled that it lands on my favorite part of our regenerative branding process, the visual exploration. This is where we start imaging how the strategic foundational work translates into a visual world, the universe of your brand. This part feels the most sparkly to me, as you get to dream big and play with what could be. It implies a lot of visual research into a company’s category, competition, and the cultural moment in time, not to do what everyone else does, but to know and understand, and then create something new and uniquely authentic.

We usually present 3 different mood boards, showing slightly different iterations of what your brand’s soul would look like in visuals. It includes color schemes, photography, and illustration samples, as well as typography and logo, or packaging moods that emphasize different aspects of your brand strategy. Depending on the industry, the visual exploration can even cover the interior design of a physical location or the clothing employees wear.
Sometimes, people see these and immediately feel drawn to one of them very clearly. Other times it is more of a process to feel out how each element lands and why. In those cases, we iterate on the final mood board together, until every piece of it feels fully aligned and ready to be turned into a cohesive visual identity.

This is a “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment. This phase allows us to really feel into the possibilities – the highest expression of your brand, and dream together. 

Once we align on a final mood board, we move into the execution phase and start turning the dreams into reality, your very own, unique brand identity, that fully embodies your company’s soul.

Bringing it back to our rebranding process for Fernweh, please have a look at our own visual exploration below, and tell us what feels the most aligned in your opinion.
You might notice that the 3 directions play with the range from, closer to where we are currently, with a more poetic and elegant world, to more boldness and playfulness as we go.

Much love,
Lisa & Tim

We would love to connect. If you, or someone you know, are ready to build their brand in a more sustainable way or if you need some beautiful new photos or a brand video, please reach out.