Episode 106: How to Brand Yourself

Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Dustin congratulates Tom on his official title as Uncle.
[2:00] Tom explains what becoming a brand means.
[3:00] Tom examines the Apple brand with the crew.
[4:00] Designers often fall short with their own brand.
[5:20] Tom describes the Honest Entrepreneur Brand.
[6:20] His brand doesn’t want to mislead anyone with business advice.
[7:00] Tom challenges the group to explain their own brands.
[8:00] Tom and Lisa explain the Retro Supply brand
[9:00] Retro Supply dishes out well-branded previews and presentations.
[10:00] Anything is easy after you’ve done it for a while.
[11:00] Dustin actually thought about changing the direction of Retro Supply.
[12:00] Ian shares what Retro Supply has meant to him.
[13:00] Niching down on a niche.
[14:00] Niching down with creating writing.
[15:00] Scott from Serkworks takes on the Mad Scientist persona in his show.
[16:20] The Mr. Rogers brand.
[17:00] Mr. Rogers loved what he was doing and believed in it.
[18:00] You have to love what you do.
[19:00] Loving your brand makes content, product and service creation easier.
[20:00] You can’t force a brand concept you don’t believe in.
[21:00] Many people feel very lost on their brand.
[22:00] The biggest brand mistake is not starting.
[23:00] Branding is like finding your style. It takes time.
[24:00] Strong brands and mini brands within a larger brand.
[25:30] Taking a brand you enjoy and imagining it elsewhere can open ideas.
[26:00] Weave the brand into everything you do.
[27:30] Using heuristic auditing to build a cohesive brand.
[28:00] Ditching default messages to prevent off brand experiences.
[29:00] Off brand experiences break the consumer’s illusion.
[30:00] Tom has been helping a listener with their brand messages.
[31:30] Dustin asks how one filters conflicting marketing advice?
[34:00] How to go ALL IN with your brand.
[35:00] Discover your purpose by listing your interests and talents.
[36:00] Finding your purple cow.
[37:00] Be remarkable.
[38:00] Interests change and so can your direction.
[39:00] The group discuss a hypothetical designer brand.
[41:00] Before becoming a letterer Ian felt he was very generic.
[42:00] Being different makes you memorable.
[43:20] Tom shares an example of being different and how it works.
[45:00] Dustin’s hat makes him stand out.
[46:00] Chris Do’s flack cap and Draplin’s cap and jacket help them stand out.
[47:40] Ian talks branding your YouTube videos with a standout constant.
[48:00] Becoming one of your props.
[50:30] Do what keeps you true to yourself.
[51:00] Avoid gimmicks.
[53:00] Use marketing strategies you’re comfortable will work.
[54:00] Ian shares a new work inquiry with vegetable lettering.
[55:00] If you can’t do better, go weirder.
[56:00] Ian Barnard: Professional Vegetable Calligrapher.
[57:00] The crew gets a chuckle over Ian’s veggie calligraphy.
[58:00] Dustin hopes Ian can help his kids eat their veggies.
[59:00] The gang plays with pseudonyms for Ian’s new venture.
[1:00:15] The James Lewis brand.
[1:01:00] Brand is consistency over time.
[1:03:00] Dina from Letter Shoppe is nailing it.
[1:04:00] Going against the grain builds traction.
[1:05:00] Being your quirky self builds your brand.
[1:06:00] Meld your passion with your design work.
[1:08:00] That’s a wrap!

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