brand handbook - resound · the feelings people get from the brand’s visual and verbal ......

BRAND HANDBOOK

The word “brand” comes from the word “bronze.” It has its origins in the marking of cattle or the etching of symbols on objects to easily and quickly identify to whom it belongs. The idea has evolved over time to mean more than merely your mark or your signature, but your entire uniqueness, your essence. Similar to how our behavior is directly affected by what we believe, a brand is a representation of who we really are. Sometimes the word “brand” makes us think of logos, corporate marketing campaigns, or a layer of cosmetics applied to something to make it more appealing than it really is. In reality, a brand is what is really there behind a company, person, or organization. When everything else is removed, a brand is what still remains. A strong understanding of its brand helps an organization align its interaction and communication with its community of clients and fans.

What is a brand?

This handbook is designed to provide a solid, well-documented foundation for the Stewardship brand. It is intended to help anyone who is responsible for and involved in crafting the overall experience at Stewardship with guidelines for doing so effectively. This handbook shouldn’t be seen as the ultimate authority on the brand, as the experience at Stewardship will evolve over time, but it is meant to reflect the brand as it exists today and in the near future.

Why do we need this book?

CONCEPTUALMetaphor Personality

VERBALIntroHonestyLaid BackSavvy

VISUALIntroLogoColors & Typography

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CONCEPTUAL Metaphor & Personality

Stewardship Brand Handbook 5

What is a Brand Metaphor?A metaphor helps everyone creating for the Stewardship brand imagine the feelings the brand should evoke in people. The feelings people get from the brand’s visual and verbal presentation should match up with the feelings we associate with the metaphor. Customers don’t generally see the brand metaphor, and you don’t need to tell them about it. It’s an idea to help guide what you do when you create visual or verbal content for your brand, but not the content itself.

BRAND METAPHOR

CONCEPTUAL VERBAL VISUAL


Stewardship is a small-town, Midwest farmer living in the big city.

THE STEWARDSHIP METAPHOR


The story of Stewardship can be characterized by an honest, hard-working farmer who was raised in a small town in the Midwest. He grew his business slow and steady, by loving and serving his customers and doing business with integrity and uncompromising ethics. His business has recently taken him to the big city of Chicago, and he is taking that solid small-town vibe with him to the city.

He isn’t really interested in making a name for himself, but he wants to serve and love his neighbors in this new big city environment. He sees Chicago as a mission field. In fact, he was an elder in his church back home, and always could have been a pastor, but he felt that the Lord was leading him to continue serving in his industry. It’s where he’s been placed. He knows that everything in his life that he owns isn’t really his, but has been given to him by the Lord to manage and cultivate. He carries this message with him as he interacts with people in the city, and he knows that he has a lot to offer Chicago. He hasn’t forgotten his roots, Chicago isn’t going to change him – he’s going to change Chicago.

This small-town farmer is clearly from the Midwest. He has a warmth and a lightheartedness that you find in blue-collar Illinois or Indiana, not a rough and tough southern blue-collar guy. He has a sense of humor, he’s laid back, and he rolls with the punches.

THE METAPHOR STORY


He actually has found that he appreciates and embraces the culture of Chicago. You can find him hanging out with his family on weekends at Wrigley Field or taking in the performing arts scene. He’s a fan of piano jazz and the theatre.

He is a family man that cares for people with a heart of a teacher. He coaches his kids’ baseball team.

He’s reached a level of maturity that makes him an effective shepherd of people. He’s patient, he’s a servant, and he has a poise and confidence to complement his humility.

INSPIRATIONUse these ideas and concepts as jumping-off points for creating for Stewardship:


Chicago

Midwest

Wrigley Field

Sears Tower

Theater

Jazz

Farming

Wheat

Great Lakes

Pizza

Shikaakwa (A Native American word for wild onion or wild garlic.)

Puritan

21st State

Stewardship Group’s brand metaphor is the “Midwestern Farmer in Chicago”. This gives a picture on which Stewardship is a company that is at the same time:

SavvyEven if you think you’re pretty smart, Stewardship can help you figure out what you couldn’t figure out on your own. You feel like it is professional, highly informed, knowledgeable, and able to offer the best advice. It knows its way around. (“as wise as a serpent”)

HonestIt is humble, selfless, generous, sincere, hard-working, and hides nothing from you. It is a trusted counselor and Shepherd, and cares enough to check up on you rather than waiting for you to come to it with a problem. It is committed to core ethical principles. (“as innocent as a dove”)

PERSONALITY TRAITS


Laid BackStewardship is personal and relational. It’s comfortable, not stressful, to talk to Stewardship about the kinds of financial matters that normally stress you out. You feel relaxed, down to earth, like you’re standing out on a big open farm field laughing at a good story. You feel like Stewardship is flexible around your needs and not going to try to fit you into a mold. (“as relaxed as a basset hound”)

Why this is Remarkable?This is a rare combination. Laid back people usually aren’t very savvy. Savvy people usually find ways to act dishonestly behind your back. And honest people are usually a bit uptight. If someone sees that Stewardship has all three qualities, they’ll be more likely to contact Stewardship and to tell other people they know.


VERBAL Communicating Honest, Savvy, and Laid Back


VERBAL STRATEGYWhy a Brand Verbal Strategy?The success of Stewardship’s business depends primarily on word-of-mouth and the development of loyalty and trust with its customers. A person who starts a relationship with Stewardship should feel like they’ve discovered something rare that they want to share with other people who they care about. A person approaching Stewardship for the first time should be struck by what they’ve found and moved to act. What makes Stewardship remarkable, and how is this best communicated verbally?


The best way to communicate the Stewardship personality traits of Savvy, Honest, and Laid Back is through showing them rather than explicitly telling people about them. Imagine if someone walked up to you and said:

“I’m really savvy about a lot of stuff and things like that.”

“You can trust me, I’m honest. I have your best interests in mind . . . really . . . “

“Good evening, sir. I consider myself a laid back individual.”

Obviously, no one in their right mind would believe you to be savvy, honest, or laid-back. What matters in communicating these traits is less what you say, and more how you say it. The biggest positive change in Stewardship’s writing (based on the website content) would be a move from telling us about these traits to showing us these traits by show it talks about other things.

VERBALLY COMMUNICATING THE STEWARDSHIP PERSONALITY


Ideally, Stewardship will sound mature and professional, and sincere and reputable, and personal and human. Right now the personal and the human and the sincere seem to be least well expressed: they’re talked about but not shown (these messages seem to be undermined by the way they are written).


COMMUNICATING HONESTYStewardship’s communications should give the reader a feeling of being dealt with honestly and straightforwardly without a hidden agenda. Stewardship provides honest advice, not salesmanship. Honesty is something that has to be shown, not “told” (anyone can tell you they are honest). Ways to show honesty in writing include: transparency, sincerity, objectivity, and relationality.

1. Transparency. Honest people are open people. Writing should feel candid, not like something is being held back or being manufactured. Including small details, even if they are completely trivial, can help reinforce a sense of transparency. You don’t want to air your dirty laundry in public, but you can take your shoes off even if your socks are a little sweaty. Insurance, mortgages, and finance are such serious contexts that simply having fun in your writing or using a bit of humor comes off as a sign of transparency.

2. Sincerity. Honest people don’t say things that they don’t mean. Avoid salesmanship in your writing – trying overtly to persuade people that you are the best, that they should call you, that you really do care about them. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying it to a close friend of yours who asked about your business – if it would hit them as unnatural or canned coming out of your mouth – then don’t write it about your business for other people to read.

3. Objectivity. Honest people aren’t self-interested, but instead are able to see things from an external point of view. Avoid false optimism; avoid playing to the fears of your audience.


Writing should be clear and straightforward – avoid an abundance of busyness (or cliché) phrases or flowery expressions when you can say something in a plain, simple way.

4. Relationality. Honest people are trusted by others in long-term relationships. Talk about those relationships you have with clients and why they are important to you (not why you are important to them). You can’t really take an interest in someone who is anonymous (your actual reader), but you can show how you would take an interest in them if you knew them by showing the interest you’ve taken in your existing clients. Anything that reinforces a sense of distance (putting them back in the role of evaluating you, and you in the role of trying to persuade them) will get in the way of this relationality.

5. Other suggestions. Written Content that directly addresses honesty might include something like (i) a short list of key ethical standards or principles that the company holds as cornerstones, (ii) an emphasis on Stewardship’s independence, (iii) telling part of the story of the company that explains why it can be trusted. Note: we implicitly trust people and faces more than organizations and logos. Explaining why the company can be trusted may require telling more of the story of the person behind it in a humble way (not: “here is why I am so honest”, but: “here is what I am motivated by and what I care about”).

KEY WORDS: Open. Genuine. Real.


COMMUNICATING LAID BACKStewardship’s written communications should sound relaxed and down to earth rather than stilted and formal. Even if you’ve put a lot planning into what you say, it shouldn’t sound planned – the time you spent shouldn’t show. While much of the content on Stewardship’s site communicates the right message on a literal level, it is worded in a way that almost seems overly planned, forced, or unnatural and so it undermines this message on a less conscious level. Here are some suggestions for sounding more laid back when you write:

1. Assume you already know your reader. After all, most of the people who read what you write are likely to be people who already have some connection either with you or someone else who knows you. When you put “YOU” in all caps or overemphasize it, you make your reader feel like you are talking to everybody and not to them personally. Instead of trying to write to the entire planet, write as if your audience is either someone who you’ve already talked to, or someone who you are about to talk to.

2. Humility. Laid back people aren’t full of themselves. They make other people the subjects of their sentences, not themselves. (Not: “We are committed to serving our clients”, but rather: “Our clients can trust our promise to serve them”). Humble people aren’t bossy. Don’t tell the reader what to do. Avoid using exclamation points in imperative sentences (“Do this!”) except when you really, really mean it. Exclamation points are fine when they are expressing a feeling (“With a captive insurance agency you are stuck!”), but not okay when they are issuing an order (“Call us right away!”).


3. Relaxed, Conversational Style. Avoid unnecessarily heavy-handed, formal language – words like “regardless”, “accordingly”, and so on. Contractions are acceptable – this isn’t 7th grade English class. Avoid phrases that are particular to the trade but won’t mean anything to those outside of it (unless you explain the phrase). Most of us don’t think of mortgages as “products”, even if they are. Nearly all of these formal terms can be rephrased more like they would be spoken in the middle of a real conversation. Also, it can be subtle, but if you can find an appropriate way to do it, put a bit of humor into your writing.

4. Humanity. Also, try to show the human side of the people who work at Stewardship. How can I feel comfortable emailing [email protected] with a question if I don’t have a clue who Brandon is? Who is Brandon? Who is Mike? Who is Grant? What roles do they have in the company? What is their background? Are they nice people? What sports teams do they like?

5. Short and sweet. Complex sentences and long paragraphs communicate seriousness, not laid-backness. If you can say something in two short sentences instead of one long sentence, or two short paragraphs instead of one long paragraph, then try it to see if it works. Not only will it make the text easier to read on an electronic medium (and easier to process for those with short attention spans) but it will put the reader at ease – you’re relaxed and direct, you aren’t trying to sneak something past them.

KEY WORDS: Stop on by. Hang out. Take your time.


EXAMPLES

Here are some examples from previous Stewardship messaging that illustrate suggested ways to improve along the honesty/laid-back dimension:

Current: “We make the process of securing a mortgage simple and straightforward by offering you the latest in financial tools that enable you to make sound financial choices.”

Better: “Securing a mortgage probably sounds intimidating and complicated. It doesn’t have to be. We’ll offer you our experience (we’ve done this before!) and can empower you with the latest in financial tools. We think you’ll find the process can be simple and straightforward.”

Current: “We are not salesmen nor do we create pressure situations. Choices are not made for you, and customers are not pushed into loans.”

Better: “We’re not salesmen. We don’t create situations where you feel pressured. We’re not going to make your choices for you. We will never push you into a loan.”

Current: “Stewardship Mortgage is committed to helping YOU find the right mortgage product for YOUR needs.“

Better: “You need the right mortgage for you. Our whole team is committed to helping you find it.”


Current: “We understand that every borrower is different, and we offer a variety of products to meet your individual requirements.”

Better: “The mortgage your neighbor needed may not be the same as the mortgage you need. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all product, we adjust and adapt so you can choose what’s best for you as an individual borrower.”

Current: “Regardless of your situation we will give an honest evaluation of where you are, converse about where you want to be, and form a game plan together to help you get there.

Better: “No matter what your situation is, we’ll give you an honest evaluation of where you’re at and talk through where you want to be. Then, we’ll form a game plan with you so you can get there.”

Current: “At Stewardship Mortgage our customers feel important, because they are!”

Better: “It is a huge privilege to have customers like ours!”


COMMUNICATING SAVVYStewardship’s existing written communications already sound competent and informed and lead readers to the thought: here is someone who knows what they are talking about. Most of the suggestions in this section are things that Stewardship is already doing well, and shouldn’t stop doing while trying to improve along the honesty/laid-back dimensions.

On the “savvy” dimension, Stewardship takes the role of a good teacher, someone able to explain difficult and intimidating subjects in a way that anybody can understand. Stewardship’s communications should give people the sense that there is more they need to understand than they could figure out on their own with a google search, but nothing so difficult to understand or overwhelming that they couldn’t figure it out with help. Without crossing the line into offering free advice, teaching and explaining new concepts to people establishes your knowledge, expertise, and trustworthiness.

1. Content: written content should remain highly informative and relevant to the type of customer (mortgages, financial planning, or insurance). However, respond not only to the questions that people commonly ask, but also to the questions that they ought to be asking or thinking about but don’t know they should. Don’t just react (like an F.A.Q.) but be proactive in guiding people through what they need to be thinking about.


2. Tone: When writing, write like a teacher who educates his audience patiently for their own sake, even if they don’t ultimately become clients. A good teacher doesn’t dumb things down, but also doesn’t assume his students already know certain references. A good teacher walks slowly and step-by-step through what they are trying to explain.

Previous phrases: “select a loan product”, “current financial picture”

Better: “decide which loan you want” / “where your finances are at right now”

3. Style: Explain technical terms or jargon to the beginner. Don’t overwhelm your reader with more information than they can handle, but “wow” them with your ability to explain a few things well. People want to know why these distinctions matter to them, not just what the distinctions are.

Current: “How is an index and margin used in an ARM?”

Better: “What is an ARM?” [explaining why someone should be sure they know what sort of interest rate they are getting themselves into]


4. When there is too much to explain in writing. Some topics may be too difficult to explain in a small space, involve too many alternative scenarios, or risk spilling over from “general explanation of how things work” into the category of “unbilled professional advice”. Avoid “cop-out” language when you run into these questions (i.e., “without knowing the particulars of your situation, it’s impossible to say”). That’s what politicians do. Instead, turn the difficult question to your advantage and say something to this effect: “Some of the factors to consider are X, Y, and Z. In particular, for some people Z may be right, but for others balancing X and Y is a higher priority. Getting your X’s right can be tricky and getting your Y’s wrong can put you at risk. We’d encourage you to give us a call if you are considering these issues.” That makes the reader feel like you know enough to advise them, and they really need to meet with you to get that advice.

Current: “There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of mortgage, and the best way to select a loan product is by talking to us.”

Better: “Fixed-rate loans provide some people with x, whereas adjustable-rate mortgages provide other people with y. If you’re looking for a mortgage, talk to us and we can help you consider all of the advantages and disadvantages of each.” [In other words, establish that you know advantages and disadvantages, but then establish that your reader can’t really make up his or her mind on limited information like this – they need to talk to you.]


5. Authority. In a casual, not heavy-handed way, reinforce your credentials and experience in subtle ways. Answer not only the question of why people need someone “independent”, but why Stewardship is the right independent third party to go to. What makes you an authority?

6. Realism. Explain how insurance companies really work, how banks that issue mortgages really work, and so on – including the parts most people aren’t aware of. You gain tremendous trust with potential clients when you sound like you know how these companies really operate (and you aren’t secretly in league with them to screw your customers over). Stewardship sounds like a realist, not an idealist, when talking about the options people have, and this is a positive.

KEY WORDS: Teacher. Explanation. Realist.


VISUAL Logo, Colors, and Typography


VISUAL GUIDELINESWhy Brand Visual Guidelines?Human beings are visual creatures. One of the first senses to act upon our emotions and thinking is that of sight. Often before we even read a single word or hear a phrase, we begin to build ideas about something based on what it looks like. And everything affects these perceptions: color, shape, texture, line.

Its critical that a brand have a plan to show it’s personality through visual elements. For Stewardship there are three core ways to express it’s personality: the logo, colors, and typography.


The central visual element of the Stewardship brand is it’s logo and should be carefully used in nearly all visual communications (in one form or another).

THE LOGO



The design choices made in the creation of the logo reflect the Stewardship brand metaphor and personality:

1. The core of the logo is the word “STEWARDSHIP”, set with the font Gotham Bold, in all-caps. The design for this font is inspired by theater signs found in Chicago. It expresses the savvy expertise and straight-forward honesty of the brand.

2. The surrounding visual elements in the logo evoke not only the shape of an “S” but also the rows and furrows found on Midwestern farms. These express the brand value of helping others grow their lives financially.

3. The colors represent the three core areas of expertise of Stewardship: Mortgages, Insurances, and Financial Planning. The colors themselves are inspired by images of the downtown buildings of Chicago and the nearby teal-colored Chicago river, all in the middle of a bright, sunny summer day. These express Stewardship’s laid-back approachability and trustworthiness.

At times the primary logo may not be best suited to the situation at hand, such as media that is 2-color only or on dark backgrounds. As well, sometimes only one “arm” of the Stewardship brand (like Mortgage or Insurance) is communicating. Thus a series of alternate-use logos have been developed for flexibility in the many media Stewardship will use.

ALTERNATE COLOR VERSIONS

2-color Version:

Individual Services:

On a dark background:



A series of “S” icons have been developed to supplement the primary logo. These can be used when there is not enough room or the size of the primary logo would be too small to be legible. This series also includes versions for each “arm” of Stewardship—mortgage, insurance, and financial planning.

“S” ICONS

A set of complementary colors provide a means for Stewardship to visually display its personality. By using a set of standardized colors, consistency is kept across all media, both in print and online.

These colors represent a wide spectrum of Stewardship’s personality: Honesty, Savviness, and a Laid Back attitude.

COLORS

Primary Colors:

Secondary Colors:

Pantone 2955C 100C, 55M, 10Y, 48K

2R, 44G, 81B HEX 022C51

Pantone 3155C 100C, 8M, 26Y, 38K

29R, 115G, 115B HEX 1D7373

Pantone 299C 86C, 8M, 0Y, 0K

78R, 152G, 198B HEX 4E98C6

Pantone 349C 94C, 11M, 84Y, 43K

58R, 94G, 56B HEX 3A5E38

15% Black 0C, 0M, 0Y, 15K

217R, 217G, 217B HEX D9D9D9

Pantone 1817C 23C, 84M, 54Y, 68K

109R, 47G, 33B HEX 6D2F21

Pantone 131C 3C, 36M, 100Y, 6K

212R, 148G, 67 HEX 3A5E38

Blue Teal Light Blue Green

Grey Brown Orange



As most communication is primarily in the form of written words, establishing a set of fonts—and the way they are to be treated—is of great importance for a brand’s visual identity. The fonts chosen for Stewardship communicate it’s personality traits: Savvy, Hones, and Laid Back. A system of color treatments and sizes can provide clarity to the written words and context for the reader.

TYPOGRAPHY

THIS IS A HEADLINE, SET IN OPEN SANS BOLD, 24PTA SUB-HEADLINE OR CALL-OUT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS, SET IN OPEN SANS LIGHT, STEWARDSHIP BLUE OR 90% BLACK , 18PTMain content should be set in Open Sans Light, 90% black (and in this case, 13pt size). Words can certainly be emphasized by adding a bold or italic treatment, but rarely both. Phrases may also be underlined for emphasis though not individual words. Underlining words while also italicizing and bolding others can cause too great a degree of emphasis and in turn causing confusion for the reader. As well, underling words online can cause confusion as to what is truly a hyperlink and what is merely underlined for emphasis. Keep underlining in digital contexts to a minimum to minimize confusion.

This brand handbook was produced by:

resoundcreative.com

www.stewardaz.com

brand handbook - resound · the feelings people get from the brand’s visual and verbal ......

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