Stand Out in the Crowd – What’s Your Brand?

By Sarah Robinson

As artists we often know exactly what we want!

We know the performances we want to give and where we want to share our work. We’ve put a lot of thought, time, and effort into creating music or dance that soars and shares our passion for our art.

BUT…. a huge stumbling block for artists is sharing our enthusiasm, dynamism, and completely unique qualities. It’s so difficult to CONVEY who we are as artists through writing, speaking, images, and video.

Sometimes, our fountain of creative ideas can become a jumbled mess to someone who is new to our work!

How do we make it clear what we have to offer?

Well, the secret is BRANDING, and if it’s done right, it can be your ticket to a whole new level in your career.

WHAT IS BRANDING?

Branding is creating a distinct identity.

That can include name, logo, visual design, mission, values, and tone.

You’ll often learn that branding needs to be consistent across all your work – photos, videos, social media, etc. but before we can create a brand and make it consistent in all our materials, we need to discover – what is my brand?

DISCOVERING MY BRAND

What is my brand as an artist or as an ensemble?

We need to dive into our identity and values before we create the visual look and tone of our brand.

If we ask the right questions, we can hone in on exactly who we are and what makes us unique. Then we can pick the brand materials that perfectly convey that identity.

QUESTIONS TO DISCOVER MY BRAND

Here are a set of questions you can use to clearly identify your unique identity and values.

In what ways am I NOT the typical artist? List all the things you are NOT that you typically find in other singers, dancers, or ensembles. In other words, what makes you different?

What’s my story? How did I become an artist? What were my unique moments of challenge and inspiration?

How do you want your audience to feel? What should they walk away with after spending time with your art?

FROM IDENTITY TO BRAND

Now that you’ve spent some time with the questions above, see if you can clearly identify what makes you different, what’s your story, and what you give to an audience.

Now bring these insights to these questions…

What three words describe your brand?

What colors fit your brand?

What is the tone of your brand? (ex. fun, irreverent, introspective, exploratory)

What image of you or your ensemble (either real or imagined) perfectly captures your brand?

ASSEMBLING YOUR BRAND KIT

Now that you have a clear idea of your brand as an artist or ensemble, now is the time to assemble your set of materials. These should include the following:

Biography
Logo (if you are an ensemble, troupe, or series but not always for solo artists)
Colors
Font
Primary Images (Schedule a photo shoot that can capture the images that perfectly fit your brand)

USING YOUR BRAND KIT

Now you can pull from your brand kit to create any kind of marketing materials that fit your brand and keep that brand consistent. Use these materials when you create a…