Why intuition is necessary for building a brand

During my brand discovery and strategy workshop, I developed a few questions to ask my branding clients - questions that will bring clarity and intention when building their brand. When we look at intuition through the lens of building a brand, it is about connection. Intuition is the innate ability that we have, as humans, to instantly understand or know something without rational thinking.

And this is how your brand will communicate most effectively.Now, this doesn’t mean you focus only on making brand decisions based on how something feels. In my work as an intuition coach and brand designer, I’ve found the best branding outcomes happen when both the strategic AND intuitive approaches are explored.

A brand that feels intuitive nurtures the human connection.

When it comes to branding, these intuitive, initial perceptions can influence whether your customer chooses your brand over another. Integrating intuition into your branding process and brand discovery is necessary for ensuring that the final result resonates with your customers on an emotional level. 

The intuitive approach to the branding process and discovery allows your customer to feel understood and connected to your brand message. It creates a relationship that is honest, empathetic and built on trust - between your customer and what your brand stands for.

Intuitive branding creates:

1. a cohesive first impression
2. an emotional or sensorial experience 

1 . Intuitive branding creates a cohesive first impression

Intuitive branding considers how the emotional energy of a brand comes across as a first impression. By making your messaging and all the visual elements that make up your brand intentional and simple to understand, you will create a strong first impression. In other words, your customer won’t have to jump through a series of cognitive hoops before “getting” what it is that you stand for.

“If your audience doesn’t understand your position instantly in that first communication, you’ve lost them.” 

~ Lee Hunt, brand strategist and thought-leader, in this interview with Billy Sobel

Consider these questions in your brand discovery to create a crystal clear first impression

1. What is the one thing that you want people to understand when they first see your brand in context?
2. What is the initial impression that people have about your brand at various touch-points?
3. And is this cohesive across the board? If not, how could you make it more cohesive and fluid?

2. Intuitive branding focuses on creating an emotional experience 

As humans, we are more likely to remember how an experience has affected us emotionally rather than the cognitive decisions and thoughts that came before it. Emotions have the ability to stay with us, long after the experience is over. For your customer, branding that has been intuitively conceptualised and designed has the ability to connect from an emotional place to be memorable and impactful.

Consider these questions in your brand discovery to create a stronger emotional experience

1. What emotions do your customers experience when they experience your brand offering, product or service?
2. How can you serve your customers in a way that helps them cultivate the feeling that they want to feel?
3. How can you create a stronger, memorable emotional experience for your customer?Intuitive branding doesn’t have to be complicated. The goal, at the end of it, is to get your customer to understand what your brand stands for and how it can resonate with them.

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Perhaps you’re a business owner who’s tired of not being able to figure out your brand’s story. If you’re looking to get more clarity for your brand, click here to book a free 45-minute consultation for branding and design. Let me help you become more intentional about your vision and brand.