The Power of Brand — Why I launched Good Will Studios
I’ve always been a visual person, I used to be called ‘artsy’ in school, and I’ve always loved creating things. Naturally this fascination with the visual led me down a certain type of educational path; from my work experience job as a sign-maker, to exploring multimedia and film production in college, and enrolling onto a design degree at university. I’ve always enjoyed the process of seeing things come to life in front of me; either on the printed page, animated on screen, or interacting with it in a web browser.
Learning my craft, losing my way.
After over 10 years in the creative industry, first as a full-time graphic designer and later, running my own small agency and going freelance, I found myself a little lost. I had learnt so much about the industry, refined my craft, and loaded up with plenty of valuable skills… but I didn’t seem to have a purpose for it all. What exactly was I creating, and more importantly, why?
I’ve always had a kind of polite rebelliousness, and even though my life journey and the path I’ve taken is hardly trailblazing, I’ve often felt like I was going against the grain of society…
I never really bought into the consumerist lifestyle, or saw the value in status symbols and materialism. I never truly fell victim to the rat race, no had my creative skills exploited for ill-gotten gains, or found myself involved anything that could be described as wholly unethical — in fact I always seemed to gravitate towards decent employers and worked with people of a similar mindset. However, I had long felt that creativity and design, particularly branding and visual identity design, should be used for so much more than simply helping big businesses sell more products, consume ever more resource, and fill our houses with stuff that we don’t need.
The power of branding.
The real power of branding lies in a deep and subtle place within us, we are all aware that corporations don’t have our best interests at heart (or that of the planet), yet we still buy into their marketing and an emotional connection is made with us whether we like it or not. It’s powerful, it’s moving, and it can be used for so much more.
Last year, I went through an intensive period of personal development and coaching (thanks Matt Essam), and this helped me to finally articulate my personal values, to understand what I’m really all about, and to try and align my professional actions with these newly-articulated personal values. The concept of Ikigai; finding ones purpose, helped me arrive at my destination. But I realise I still have a long way to go in not only refining my purpose, but also being more effective in living my values every day.
A new start.
So, as a result of this personal development, and (at times painful) soul searching, I have rebranded my creative business — Good Will Studios, the ethical design agency.
Not only does this align well with my values, there is a real need and yearning for more ethically sourced and designed products, services, and movements in the world right now. Almost half the UK workforce (42%) now want to work for an organisation that has a positive impact on the world, according to research carried out by consultancy Global Tolerance, and 88% of consumers what brands to help them make a difference and become more sustainable.
I believe that business and enterprise should be a force for social good in the world, and I’m going to do everything I can to tip the balance and give impact-focussed organisations that cutting edge to help them succeed. And that includes unlocking the awesome power of brand, visual identity, and helping them to find their own brand voice — so that they can stand out, succeed, and make a positive difference in the world.
This article was originally posted on www.goodwillstudios.com. If you’re on a mission to make a positive change, and need a creative partner who cares about your cause, get in touch with me today.
