Starting a handmade business is a sizable investment, and I’m grateful to have the skills to create the brand strategy and implement it myself!
Setting the foundation
I started the branding process by solidifying the Oxford Dogma purpose, values, and style keywords.
Purpose
For all pets to feel loved
Values
- balance
- conscientiousness
- dependability
- details
- sincerity
- knowledge
Style keywords
- subtle
- authentic
- timeless
In addition, I chose a few words that represent how I want my customers to feel when they buy and use my products:
- smart
- purposeful
- confident
Throughout the course of running my business, there are lots of occasions where I need to come up with a design for some kind of marketing collateral. One example I’m particularly happy with is the Summer/Fall 2016 Lookbook I created to help give people a sense of the full collection of my products.
This piece resulted in my single largest retail sale, making it a project well worth my time.
Oxford Dogma lookbook cover design
You can view the catalog in your browser or download it here
Another project that allows me to blend my love for pets with my design experience is the Custom Pet Portraits. I created a postcard to hand out at local market events and insert into packaging to help give people a sense of what they can get with this item.
Creating the branding and designs for my own product has been such an eye-opening experience. I highly recommend designers experiment with having their own product of some sort because it gives you a lot of insight into what it’s like to be the client, and helps you empathize with their goals.
