Are You a Known Brand in Your Market?

By Gail Doby, ASID

If you are like most designers, you have a passion for your work, and yet you don’t see your business or yourself as a “brand.”

It is actually a good idea to think of your design work and your business as a “brand.” Why? Because it is more comfortable to promote your brand, style and your aesthetic if you separate the emotions of what you do from the business of design.

Especially if you have a team, your business is more than just you. Your employees are an extension of your brand, so everything they do and say reflects on your business. Are your employees good brand stewards? The experience of your brand is more than a logo or our design style – it is how you and your team do everything.

If you don’t have employees, you still work with people that support your efforts like subcontractors and contractors. Each person that is part of your extended team is a reflection on your brand.

When your expertise and brand are well known in your area, and you’re getting media attention, then you may be ready for the next step – product design and licensing.