10 Considerations for Building a Community-Driven Brand

This may be a hot take, but the success of your brand design is only as good as the community you build with it. 

We can talk about colors and fonts until we’re blue in the face, but all of it means nothing if you aren’t building a strong, supported community with your brand.

First, let's talk about a business versus a brand.

A business is what you do and how you do it. These things are (usually) within your control.

A brand is the embodiment of your business. It is a narrative constructed by you and everyone and everything your business comes into contact with. 

Now, when we talk about "brands," we often reduce it to a logo, some fonts, and a color palette. This is brand design. It is a piece of your brand, but it's not the whole thing.

A brand is a living organism that includes but is not limited to: design, narrative, verbal and nonverbal language, customer service, values, principles, and community.

So, while you can build and influence your brand, there is a much larger facet that is built by your community. And, your brand's community is built on how you serve, advocate for, include, and otherwise impact the people within it.

I’ll give you an example: We all know Amazon’s logo - the arrow underneath suggests it offers “everything from A to Z.” Clever, sure. But how do you see the brand now after knowing how they treat their employees, affect small businesses, and the environment (aka their community) while still bringing in record profits year after year?

This is my favorite part of the branding process—exploring what makes your corner of your community special, discovering what “language” you both speak, and how you can use that language to connect and engage around your shared values, beliefs, and what your brand specifically offers.

✷ Who is in your community? What are they like? What are their values?

✷ How do you advocate  for you and your community’s shared values?

✷ Are you serving your community at a variety of access points to meet different people’s abilities, capacities, and comfort zones?

✷ Not every brand is meant for everyone. Were those not participating excluded by their own choice, or were they restricted or denied access? For what reason?

✷ How does your brand nurture community expansion?

✷ Are you including your community’s wants and needs when making decisions?

✷ Do you see community feedback as criticism or an opportunity for reflection, growth, or accountability?

✷ Does your brand make your community feel empowered?

✷ How do you speak to your community? How do you speak about them? How do they speak about you?

✷ What impact do you want to leave on your community? What impact are you actually leaving?

So… what kind of community do you want to build?