Home Industry SUZY SAYS: YOU NEED A BRAND BIBLE

SUZY SAYS: YOU NEED A BRAND BIBLE

by Underlines

Underlines welcomes Suzy Haber Wakefield to the Underlines team. Suzy has her own consultancy specialising in design, development and sourcing of lingerie, swim and lounge apparel but she has had an exciting and varied career. We are delighted that she is lending her expertise in a regular advice column ‘Suzy Says’.Hello fellow fashion entrepreneurs, We took a break over show season to get inspiration virtually with all the seasonal brand shows from men to couture. Additionally, we were IRL visiting Salon. The great news is that you can stil see so much online of all this good inspiration.

Suzy xo

Speaking of inspo that we hope helps your brand journey read on:

Dear Suzy

I just started my brand and I keep hearing the term brand bible.  What does this really mean and how do I show it? Is it the same as a mood board??

Confused in Leicester

The terminology of fashion and all the acronyms (more on this later) is really head-bending to figure out. Better to always ask than to be confused so good on you to clarify. Moodboards and Brand guides are two different things, though they work in harmony ( we hope) to make the brand presentation and alignment sing.
Who Is She? As mentioned in the last post, this is a hugely important step prior to moving forward. 
A mood board(s) is comprised of visual images that represent the brand as well as the brand’s perspective on who their customer is, what they are interested in and how the brand intends to project its collections as well as the ideas that make them up. These boards can often begin to be made digitally. Then adding fabrics and colors which are best represented in a real-life form is super important.
Along with the above is usually  A brand bible outlines for the team all the visual elements of projection outside of the product including font selection (size, bold, italic, etc.,) and combinations.  key colors, where different ones are used, and the type of projection that will be in outward-facing materials. E.g. a brand might say that their photography is always in Black and White on the home page. This would also include what the brand mark is and how it is interpreted in the product, paper, mailing materials, etc. This will be a living breathing document that will evolve as the brand does. Especially in the beginning where for instance, you don’t know your tissue pattern for wrapping up the product until 6 months in. including illustration style…
All of these are also good ‘if I got hit by a bus’ safeguards so no one person holds the critical knowledge of how the brand looks and interacts within the world.

TIP OTW-Look at fonts, pairings, and symbols brands use for their visuals. And spend an hour sitting down and sketching out what yours could be, keeping in mind what your brand story is and what fits within that story.

And for even more advice to get you started on your exciting brand journey check out a link to our Brand Development Workbook

 

 

 

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Verified by MonsterInsights