Brand Creativity

Hello, my name is Chris Lee. In the Wood is a one-man company I run from a once neglected and now loved piece of woodland in Pembrokeshire. With over twenty years experience and quite a few award-winning projects under my belt the time had come to return to a simple company structure. Me. The focus of my work is branding, everything from strategy and conceptual development through to design, advertising and communication. I am (part) strategist, designer, copywriter, artworker and project manager. Helping to reposition and revitalise existing brands and create new ones from scratch. I am passionate about making ideas happen and bringing them to life from a studio in the wood.

Be Different

A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. That's what it comes down to when customers make a choice: Does your brand speak to them and the ‘thing’ that you do delight them? 

In a world of extreme clutter you need to stand out from the competition. You need to succeed by being ‘really’ different. The first step in building a brand is to dig deep inside a company and see where the raw energy comes from. A brand needs to stand for something, have a heart and tell a story. It needs to be grounded by beliefs and values that feel real, and those values need to be felt and experienced at every point where people interact with the brand. You can build a brand architecture and craft the visual language that becomes an identity but it all begins with an idea, and you respond to that idea, using your knowledge to present it in the most seductive, engaging manner possible.

“It’s about the restlessness to find a new idea. A fresh approach. A better way.”

Services

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Brand Audit


“It’s not what you say it is – it’s what they say it is.”

A brand audit process delivers an accurate, objective look at your brand and people’s current perceptions - a crucial step in developing a plan for moving forward. You can understand a lot about a business by asking a few questions:

  • What are you currently saying about your brand? How do you communicate your messages and what defines you in the marketplace?
  • What do customers say about your brand? Research can uncover their true feelings, perceptions and experiences with the brand.
  • What are your competitors doing right and what is best practice? Seek out opportunities to differentiate your brand within the marketplace.

To build a new brand strategy you first have to understand how people see you now.

 

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Positioning & Strategy


How do you shape your vision?

It must get people wanting to belong and capture the spirit of the effort. It needs to bind the aspirations of your audiences and communicate the vision simply and emotionally. Trying to work out exactly what people want through data gathering and market segmentation just adds up to more analysis, not better understanding. What will make a difference is spirit and inspiration, it can move people and make them want to belong. We not only live in a world of faster, we live in a world of extreme clutter. Passion, spirit, and creativity will make a difference - and a radical plan Stan. The plan lays the foundation and lays out how the brand is built and serves as the brief for the brand identity.

 

 

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Copywriting

Mind your
language

The way you talk to people is crucial. You want to get closer to people by being informal, friendly and direct. Don’t tell people what you think they want to hear. Tell them what they need to know. Everyone needs to know that there is a path forward and that it will benefit them. The tone of voice of your messages can move people to be more involved with you. They should be authentic, talk to people as if they are family, friends, or a colleague as you do over a coffee. Be free-thinking - proud to say it and do it your way, always focusing on the things that make you different. If you cut out the jargon, speak plain English and get to the point quickly with engaging, suprising facts then your messages are brought to life.

 

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Brand Identity


Authenticity is the key: no additives

Brand Identities are meant to last. They are not buffeted by products and messages that may change with the times, the underlying Brand Identity needs to be stable, to ensure coherence and be future proof. A logo is an important mark and is at the heart of the brand. A strong brand identity with a consistently communicated set of brand values has worth and creates worth. The core of any new brand needs to do four things.

  • It needs to win over both hearts and minds, working on an emotional as well as a rational level.
  • It must be relevant to all stakeholders.
  • There must be something about the brand that sets it apart from the competition.
  • It must avoid clichés, and speak to audiences in an honest and inspirational way.

Understanding brand strategy, positioning, and business goals is crucial in order to create an identity that has a heart, tells a story and moves people.