March 2014

Mar 24 2014

Speak as your brand not your business

You might feel like this is an odd statement to make, but there is in fact some logic behind it…

If you think of a business, for example, an interior design business, you are simply seeing it as a company that offers interior designers to the public to assist in decor around your home. Now, let’s consider what their brand might tell you…

Their brand represents and reveals a lot more than the business itself does – their brand could be associated with decor, architecture, luxury, furniture, art, accessories, beauty, creativity, innovation – it could be family orientated, trendy, hipster, classic, fun, professional, quirky, earthy…we could go on and on…

Now, think about how you could describe this business coming from the point of view of the business…

And, now think about how you could describe this business coming from the point of view of the brand…

Which one has more to say about more subjects? In the blog title, when we say, “speak”, we are referring to any time you need to use your business’s/brand’s voice to convey a message, interact with others, and promote yourself. Let’s take a simple promotional text and compare the two voices:

“Let us help you decorate your home”.

OR

“Let us create a space that captures who you are by adding decorative elements that reflect and support the feeling you wish to create in your home”. OR, even more simply, “Let us bring your home to life!”

Which text captures your attention the most?

Speaking as your brand adds colour to your marketing – imagine that your business is the body and the brand is the personality – at the end of the day we are attracted to the personality of a person – sure, the body might be the initial interest, but what keeps us interested in the long run?

Social media platforms, your website, events and adverts should all reflect your brand, which in return drives attention to your business – one cannot exist without the other, and to realise this relationship will result in the longevity of your business and your success.

Photography that inspires life…

Last night we attended the Adventures in a Feminine Dream World Exhibition at I Love My Laundry – the photographers involved were Claire Gunn Photography, Natascha van Niekerk Photography, Margherita Introna Photography, and MS Photography – we have been following Claire Gunn’s work on Facebook for a while and have been captivated by her magical creations.

Photography is now so much more than what’s been captured by the camera – besides the obvious photography talent that these women possess, their ability to convey magic, passion, life and pure beauty is inspiring to say the least. Claire Gunn describes this type of photography as Conceptual Portraiture – “Photography that communicates an idea that any viewer can identify with or relate to without knowing the person in the image.”

What attracts us to this type of photography is the sense of wonder and magic that it creates – it is surreal, dreamy and fantastical, and highlights, to be honest, how life should be – it should be magical and memorable – it is an adventure that you only get to experience once.

Art, design, photography, poems, novels, all of these works are aimed to inspire (some more than others) and when something inspires you (as much as these photographs inspired us) something shifts in you and you are reminded once again of how fantastic(al) life really is.

Here’s a selection of our favourite photographs by Claire Gunn:

Here a few photos we took of the evening:

For more photos of the Adventures in a Feminine Dream World Exhibition, click here.

“The emotion that we all experience at some stage in our lives is represented in the artist’s own experience and that is translated into the image.” – Claire Gunn

Our visit to the Design Indaba 2014

On Sunday, we ventured out to the Cape Town International Convention Centre not knowing what to expect (except to be inspired and to be surrounded by creativity) and what we found was overwhelming to say the least.

Designers, jewelers, fashionistas, decor experts, arty crafty people, a buzzing atmosphere, boogie-while-you-walk music, beautiful ceramics, innovative furniture and lighting, incredible lazer-cutting, enthusiastic (and slightly exhausted) sellers, and awe-inspiring installations – we left with a bucket load of envy, inspiration and pride (and some clothes and lazer-cut pretties).

An event like the Design Indaba shows the world, and shows each of us, what can be achieved when you listen to that little voice inside you that says, “You should do that, look how much you enjoy it!” or “People would buy that, you’re really talented” – you should explore that creative space inside your mind (we believe everyone has one) and see what comes of it.

The Design Indaba not only supports and encourages creativity, but it encourages dreams. It encourages you to listen to your passion and let go of your fears. It is so much more than a “design event” it is an event that inspires something that the whole world should do more of, and that is listening to what they were born to do – listening to your true self and pursuing what makes you happy.

Here are a few photos we took on the day and you can view more on our Facebook page…

Africa Is Now – African design at its best!