Branding my couples to foster authenticity

I have worked in wedding stationery since 2011, but I’ve worked in marketing since I wrote my dad’s plumbing company’s commercial jingle circa 2005. I remember being irritated that he called me his marketing team when I was adamant about being a designer and that the two departments were separate. Marketing was statistics (ew) and advertising was design (yay!).

I was wrong. They totally overlap.

I’ve worked in a marketing department since 2013. I have worked in an agency and two state universities. I’ve held design roles in all three places, but being part of the marketing team has shown me there is more to marketing than math and focus groups.

One of the greatest lessons I learned from my work in marketing was branding. As a designer, I play a big role in branding, but have also learned that great design is the endgame of a good brand. The key to branding is not a great logo, but understanding and communicating entire persona of you or your company.

[bctt tweet=”The key to branding is not a great logo, but the understanding and communicating the entire persona of you or your company. ” username=”omgahitskasey”]

Recently a favorite small business of mine rebranded. They’re a photography studio known to high-end clientele for their vintage, stylized photography style, particularly for engagements and weddings. Previously, their logo included a font that was strong and noticeable, but retained an antique feel that hinted to a prospective client the mood and tone of their studio. The new branding, however, included a logo with a thin, curly, whimsical font, that speaks more to the current trends in weddings rather than their signature, stately style.

The new brand cheapens their work and strips them of what makes them different from other wedding photographers. It feels too much like they changed their brand to fit-in rather than stand out.

Here are examples of how a brand mood can be translated in design:

See how many different feels these give you? They are more than just pretty design. They speak to their brand.

But a strong brand transcends a logo. It dictates your colors, your imagery, and your voice. Branding is how you come to understand what a person or company embodies and get the overall feeling of knowing who they are and why they love their craft.

In my own branding, I strive to communicate the values of authenticity, remarkability and emotion. I write the way that I speak, because I want you to know who I am and not a persona I’ve adapted. I’ll curse and I’ll use italics to show emotion, because that’s part of me. My images always revolve around love. I style my invitations with hints of celebration (champagne corks) and heart (wedding rings), in hopes that it communicates to you these values that I’ve built revelry + heart on.

In the discovery process with my couples, I ask questions that dig into your wedding brand beyond a “theme.” Questions like “Do you have any phrases, quotes, love letter excerpts or Bible verses that are important to your relationship?” and “If you had to describe your wedding as a person, what characteristics would they have?” give me a deeper and more intimate understanding of who my couples are and how to embody that into your custom invitations.

Through this process, I create a style that is authentic to who you are. This means your invitations will always be unique, and genuinely represent you. By branding your wedding, you give your guests insight into who you are together, and what you’re about. Branding also provides a guiding light for the rest of decisions for your event, helping you more easily identify what works for you from centerpieces and tablescapes to ceremony readings and officiants.

So, hi, I’m Kasey. I’m a marketer AND a designer. I’m a wedding brander. I know the importance of communicating WHO you are for your wedding invitations and day-of decor and I’d love to tell your story.

xo,

Kasey

#followingheartsnottrends