CreativeLive: Building a Brand Book

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About once every two weeks or so, I check the calendar at CreativeLive to see what new classes will be presented live, what older classes will be re-aired for free, what classes are on sale, and if there are any relevant classes filming in San Francisco that need studio audience members. Of course, I'm also on their mailing list, so that alerts me to all of these things as well.

I've been working on branding for about a year, beginning with creating my logo and taking two classes about branding during the 2016 Craft and Hobby Association Mega Show. I still have a ton to learn, which is why I was excited to see a free replay of Josh Silverman's Building a Brand Book: When, Why and How on CreativeLive. 

I really enjoyed the class and took copious notes. Some things I jotted down include:

• Be able to articulate the decisions I've already made for my blog. The reasons behind each choice (color, fonts, style, etc) reflect my personal brand.
• A brand is a collective experience - everything, over time. It includes the story, logo, tagline, url, colors, and everything else. 
• Consistency is key to build a strong brand.
• Have a stance on controversial issues (like serial commas- I say YES!) and include them in the brand book. 
• Look to successful brands (Lego, Pepsi) about what makes them recognizable. How does my brand stand out? What makes it unique?

As is the case with many business classes I take, I came away with a huge list of to-do items to improve my blog and my brand. Some are easy to implement, but most are going to take some major work and are more long-term goals. 

I enjoyed Josh's teaching style and felt like he covered the 'When' and the 'Why' of building a brand book well. The 'How' was a bit lacking for me, but I've come away with plenty of ideas about how I will build my brand. I don't know that I will go through the exercise of creating a physical brand book since I am essentially a solopreneur without staff who need training about color usage, watermark placement, or the use of serial commas. But I might. It would be handy to have it all in one place and a fun exercise that will challenge me. If I do, I'll be modeling it after this one.

CreativeLive will be airing a new class on branding called "Branding Strategies to Grow Your Business" this Thursday. It's a free broadcast from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Pacific. I'm going to watch as much of it as I can. If you've never seen a CreativeLive class before, I'd recommend clicking the RSVP button (to receive the reminder emails when it goes live, plus any handouts the instructor has made) and popping over to look at it. 

If the topic of branding doesn't interest you, CreativeLive offers so many other classes for creatives. Their classes are grouped by Photo and Video, Art and Design, Music and Audio, Craft and Maker, and Money and Life. Within those broad categories, you'll find over 1500 classes. There's truly something for everyone who considers themselves creative or wants to be more creative. Go check it out, then tell me what classes interest you!