How to Own Your Conviction Through Your Brand
When I started my business in 1996, my reason for doing so was to be a stay-at-home mom to the child(ren) I hoped to one day have. I felt strongly about this and fortunately, so did my spouse.
I held a deep conviction that this was the right thing for me (read more about my career path here) and was willing to quit my position as an art director at a happening downtown design firm to follow through on it.
Amazingly, this year marks Design Powers’ 25th year in business. I never dreamed that I’d still be working out of my home office although my business has changed quite a bit since then.
I used to take almost any graphic design job that came my way but I’ve become more discerning about the work we do and the kind of work we want to do.
Emily and I talk about the state of the world A LOT – how we, as a society have lost trust in our institutions, government, each other. Being located less than 5 miles from the White House plays a part too… certainly watching the events of January 6th exemplified the fragility of our democracy and distrust in our systems.
While this erosion sometimes feels irreversible, ironically Design Powers is working more with small business clients whose brand is all about conviction: the desire to build a business of a deeper and more valuable social connection by setting an agenda, taking a stand, raising awareness and engendering trust.
You may not ‘be’ your business, but your business is ‘you’
Being a brand of conviction deals with designing business strategies around issues and causes, rather than just a marketable product or service.
So, what exactly is a brand of conviction then? Why does building your brand with conviction matter?
A brand of conviction can be understood through the motivations that help comprise a brand or business: The DNA of the brand and its origins.
Brands of conviction focus on big picture view—how personally held values, beliefs, ideas, and services ultimately manifest themselves into your brand or business.
Ask any entrepreneur, “how did your business or brand come to be?” and guaranteed it’s because they care about or believe in something. Small business owners have a strong conviction. Their principles are inextricably linked to their brand.
Explicitly making that determination is arbitrary and subjective, specifically because we all have different value systems.
However, being B-Corp certified is a good arbiter in determining if a business is actually contributing to the collective human good.
Being a certified B-Corp business means that you:
Are striving to be the change you’re seeking in the world
Believe that business should be conducted as if people and places matter
Aspire to do no harm and benefit all through your business aspirations
Act with understanding and integrity
Meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose
The Behemoth Brand in the Room
Amazon could be seen as a brand that once possessed conviction as the start-up book store from a home garage, but seemingly lost its way due to wider growth invariably bringing about more complicated business decisions and working conditions. Admittedly, Jeff Bezos always did aspire to be "an everything store."
Take the alleged gripes about Amazon’s working conditions for example. If it were established as empirically true that there was no fully-fledged focus on improving employees’ working conditions, that would be a prime example of a brand lacking conviction because it fails to strive for certified B-Corp business ideals.
“A good deal of economic challenges in business and branding are unavoidable, but being a real brand of conviction means never losing sight of what prompted you to begin your business in the first place. ”
For instance, Starbucks’ mission statement reads: “to inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time.” Are they actually fulfilling that mission?
Patagonia can be seen as an honest brand of conviction. Their core values express what their passionate about and how they behave in a socially responsible way:
Build the best product possible
Cause no unnecessary harm
Use business to protect nature and the environment
To not be bound by convention
Patagonia uses the mantra of being in business “to save our planet”. Their brand is molded by a mission where the values, beliefs, and ideas align, in ways where being charitable is at the forefront of their mission, with WornWear™ clothes and constantly looking to give back to the environment.
Dr. Bronner’s is another business that has honed in on the collective human good. Their six principles include:
Working hard & growing
Doing right by customers
Treat employees like family
Be fair to suppliers
Treat the earth like home
Funding and fighting for what’s right
Another of Dr. Bronner’s missions is that “we can only truly prosper if we contribute to the prosperity of all.” Their company focuses on using business as a force for good:
Expanding public awareness of environmental and social issues
Make products and source ingredients that are USDA certified organic, when possible
Promote equitable compensation: paying executives no more than five times the total compensation to fully-vested, lowest-paid employees
Growth and pursuit of public benefit, advanced by environmental and social activism
While the alleged poor working conditions for employees at Amazon may contest being a brand of conviction, Amazon possesses a semblance of conviction through its emphasis on being “earth’s most customer-centric company.”
As arguably the most effective customer-centric company in the U.S., their commitment to excellence has distinguished them as the brand in the 21st century. The pandemic exacerbated that dominance as well.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it
The economy is generally dominated by brands of conviction that sell. Brands with conviction attract customers. Why? Because people want to believe in things and in brands that embody what they enjoy and love.
People feel excited and connected when there is a synchronization between the brand you’re marketing, why you’re marketing it, how you’re marketing it, and the overarching purpose of the brand.
Amazon can be seen as a brand of conviction solely through its excellence; they’re trustworthy, dependable, and the customer knows that their expectations will be met because of the brand’s relentless commitment. (Bezos originally wanted to name Amazon "Relentless" and if you visit relentless.com, it forwards to Amazon).
But when we speak about being a true brand of conviction it goes much further than just a dollar sign and dependability. It should tend to a social or environmental cause that means a lot to you, the business owner.
Standing for the Environment and Equity
L’s brand conviction is bold and innovative.
The fashion industry is it is the second-largest polluter in the world, just after the oil industry.
A new client, L Olivier Hawley, is a fashion designer who is actively combatting fast fashion by launching their own clothing line called “Made4BadKidz”. It’s their answer to the clothing industry today which is plagued by the pursuit of the lowest production costs, overly globalized and moves onto the next fashion trend quickly without regard to waste.
L’s conviction is about fighting our throwaway culture by remaking and reenergizing fashion with donated clothing. They’re young, super talented and irreverent. You can check out L’s site at made4badkidz.
Harper & Gray is building a brand of conviction rooted in equitability and inclusivity.
We’re also working with Ginnette Harvey of Harper & Gray Talent Recruitment who focuses on hiring professional women and minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
As a career recruiter, Ginnette identified a pain point and has made it her mission to build an inclusive and equitable brand in the recruitment industry. Her desire to rectify a systemic industry issue like this one is what building a brand of conviction is all about.
We’re very excited to launch their brands of conviction and of course, showcase the websites we’re building that communicate their ideas. Through working with them and a couple of other similarly positioned clients we realize how important brand conviction is to us.
Meaningful brand actions
Big brands with conviction put their money where their mouth is, especially in this past year during the Covid-19 crisis.
Brands that take action to support their opinions, even when it’s unpopular, are creating change where they can by offering financial relief, fundraising for causes they care about, providing essential services and items, educating, inspiring, and amplifying community voices.
Small businesses can also make big impacts on a smaller scale with positive brand actions. While smaller companies might not have the money, they do have time and expertise.
Modeling 2020 Turkey Trot race shirt. Design Powers has created graphics for the ATT since 2014.
We support our local community every year by doing pro-bono work for the Arlington VA Turkey Trot, an annual fundraising race that helps Arlington County residents in need by donating the proceeds to 5-6 non-profits in Arlington.
Another longtime client is Educational Theatre Company, which increases access to and participation in high-quality theatre programs for children and adults. This past year was especially tough for them and we donated our services to make sure they could get the message out about their upcoming classes clearly and professionally.
We are actively seeking and working with more black-owned businesses, and continue to make meaningful differences where we can.
Our brand conviction
Design Powers seeks to work with service-based professionals and small businesses who want to build a brand espousing your purpose and deeply-rooted passions through effective design, content and marketing.
Need help conveying your own brand of conviction? Do you have a website that’s not communicating your message effectively, and you’d like to actualize your vision in a greater capacity?
If you’re in the process of pivoting your business and want to make a bigger impact, please contact us so that we can help you build a meaningful brand of conviction that matters.
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