HOME SCHOOL

Prévia do material em texto

Words and illustrations by JAC&
Build brand smarts.
Home School exists to help people 
build brand smarts. From business 
owners and those curious about 
starting one through to students, 
creative professionals and the 
people who work alongside them.
Written and published 
by the team at JAC&
jac-and.co
First published in 2019
Design and content by JAC&
Print by Bambra Press
Paper by Spicers
Typography by Displaay 
+ Pangram Pangram
© JAC& 2019
We’d love to be a part of your Home 
School journey. Please share your 
adventures with us:
Tag @homeschoolsmarts 
on Instagram or use 
#homeschoolsmarts
http://jac-and.co
This book belongs to
Contents
12. Intro 
15. What to expect 
17. What you’ll need 
18. Essay: What is a brand? 
21. Exercise 1: Visible/Invisible
27. Exercise 2: Purpose
33. Exercise 3: Brand story
43. Exercise 4: Brand character 
49. Exercise 5: Audience 
61. Exercise 6: Position 
67. Exercise 7: Separating your taste
73. Exercise 8: Creative clarity
79. Exercise 9: Sad/Happy
87. Exercise 10: Taking it to market 
96. Resources 
98. Thanks
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Home School. Build brand smarts.
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Home School. Build brand smarts.
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Brands are living things. They 
need regular care and attention. 
Home School is for people who 
want to better their branding 
knowledge. Online, you will find 
exercises, materials and insights 
from us (JAC&) and some very 
clever contributors. In real life, 
we host talks and workshops 
to bring together a supportive 
likeminded community.
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What to expect
Thanks for joining us. We’re so glad 
you’ve chosen to build your brand 
smarts with us! Throughout this 
workbook, we’re going to:
1. Demystify branding and 
help you think strategically 
about it.
2. Guide you through how 
to craft a compelling 
brand story.
3. Give you a fun way to 
clarify character and 
tone of voice.
4. Provide techniques to 
define target market 
and brand position.
5. Help you create and 
collaborate with clarity.
6. Get a bit philosophical 
and then a lot practical.
At the end of the workbook, if 
you still feel like learning (great!) 
we have compiled some extra 
resources for you. 
If you STILL want to learn more, 
we have a growing library of 
brand related books available 
at home-school.me
https://home-school.me/
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If you have an idea or brand you’re 
working with, we recommend using 
it to build your responses. If you 
don’t, it’s completely fine to make 
one up or use an existing brand. 
If you’re choosing an existing brand, 
be sure to pick one that you’re 
familiar with.
Should you need a little guidance, 
or get stuck at any point, reach 
out to us at hi@home-school.me.
Happy smarts building!
What you’ll need
To complete this workbook, you 
don’t need much. The workbook 
in your hands and maybe a pen, 
highlighter and notepad. 
Time-wise, it’s up to you how 
in-depth you go. You could binge 
and finish it in one day, or tackle an 
exercise a week (or month). Either 
approach is great, do whatever 
feels right for you. 
We recommend revisiting exercises 
periodically, as a structured way to 
reflect, review and refine.
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What is a brand?
This is a question with a lot of 
answers. A quick search online 
will spit out plenty of opinions, 
strategies and approaches. We’re 
not claiming to have the ‘right’ 
strategy or all the answers. What 
we are trying to do is help you 
think strategically and develop 
skills that will lead to your own 
opinions and approach.
The one thing we are certain of, 
is that there is a lot to a brand. 
A lot more than the visible parts 
(like a logo, type or colour). 
Though these might be fun to 
create, and are very important for 
first impressions, the unsung hero 
of a brand is the bit you can’t see.
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Most people interact with the 
‘invisible’ parts of a brand on a 
daily basis without even knowing 
it. They’re the things we tell other 
people when recommending 
somewhere to eat or something 
to buy. They help us make choices 
about what brands we trust and 
gift our loyalty to.
Throughout this workbook, we’re 
going to help you get to know brand 
intangibles and communicate with 
confidence and clarity. Because 
brand smarts is business smarts.
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Exercise 1
Visible/Invisible
Instructions
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So, we know that a brand is more than logo. There are the 
bits you can see, and the all important bits you can’t. To get 
us in the right mindset, let’s separate them. Go ahead and 
create 2 lists on the following page.
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Brand visuals
i.e. a logo or colour
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Tip – Think beyond the brand itself and contemplate 
how people interact with it. For example, how does 
the phone get answered? Is there a scent connected 
to the experience? What role does clothing play?
Invisible parts
i.e. words, feelings or approach
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Exercise 2
Purpose
Instructions
29
Understanding (even just contemplating) your ‘why’ is valuable. 
Apart from getting you out of bed in the morning, sharing brand 
purpose is powerful. It elevates the conversation and helps to 
build a genuine relationship with your audience. Let’s try and 
write a purpose statement together.
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Brainstorming space
Brainstorm your why, think about:
1. The big picture!
2. The problem you’re trying to solve.
3. Where you want to lead people.
4. What things look like if you succeed.
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Tip – Don’t oversell. This isn’t the place to sell users 
on what you’re doing. It’s where you sell them on why 
you’re doing it. Be human. Write as you would speak to 
a friend, no jargon allowed.
Your statement
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Exercise 3
Brand story
Instructions
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A succinct and unique brand story helps to build trust and is 
a powerful indirect marketing tool. The following exercise is 
designed to help you think about your story in a structured way.
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Start with this (seemingly) simple 
question. What industry are you in?
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Then, let’s write a service list. 
What do you offer?
Like any good book, your brand story has chapters. Over the 
next few pages we’re going to explore the beginning, middle 
and end of your unique tale. Feel free to start with whatever’s 
easiest for you.
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Beginning
Go back to the start. When and why did the business begin? 
Brainstorm above, exploring from a variety of angles:
1. Personal reasons and background.
2. Any issues or problems that needed a new approach.
3. What was happening in the world at the time.
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Middle
Where is the business at right now? 
Explore the following questions:
1. What are some notable details of the business? 
i.e. does it support people through employment?
2. What industry or community is it involved in?
3. Is the business responding to an issue or problem?
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What does the future look like?
1. What is the end goal?
2. Will an issue or problem continue to be addressed? 
3. What does it look like if the business succeeds?
End
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Step by step
Tip – If you’re not a confident writer, it’s a good idea 
to get professional assistance. The work you’ve done 
here will be a very useful tool to help you create a brief 
for a copywriter or editor.
Simply considering your brand story will help with day-to-day 
decisions and communication, but let’s go a step further and 
bring it all together. Review your brainstorming so far and 
highlight the most important or interesting points. Bring them 
together in chronological order below.
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Exercise 4
Brand character
Instructions
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This task is designed to help you define character, bringing 
clarity and consistency to tone-of-voice and communications.
Think of your brand as a person. How would you describe 
their personality? Begin to cross out traits that don’t feel right 
for your brand. The aim is to leave only 5 traits that represent 
your brand’s character.
There are 3 blank squares you can write on if you feel there 
is somethingimportant missing that you’d like to include.
Once you’ve defined your brand character, it’s important to stay 
consistent. Whenever you speak as your brand, refer back to 
your selected words and ask yourself if you’re being authentic 
to your brand character.
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Open minded
Wise
Generous
Commanding
Familiar
Enthusiastic
Indulgent
Adventurous
Confident
Conservative
Reliable
Assured
Calm
Disciplined
Intelligent
Ordered
Choose 5! 
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Energetic
Grounded
Driven
Considered
Stable
Responsible
Respectful
Decisive
Humble
Diverse
Resourceful
Fun-loving
Curious
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Exercise 5
Audience
Instructions
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Knowing your audience and understanding their wants and 
needs makes it easier to tailor your offering, message and 
marketing. The following task is designed to help you define 
your target market and consider how to connect with them.
Brainstorm answers to the following questions. Try to write 
down as much information as possible, this will help paint 
a better picture of who you’re going to target.
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What are the audience 
demographics? 
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What do they do with 
their leisure time?
Tip – Although in life it’s not great to stereotype, in this 
exercise generalising is a positive. Try to avoid being 
for ‘everyone’, we can’t be everything at once.
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What other brands are 
they loyal to?
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Further instructions
Once you’ve explored thoroughly, try to write one or two 
paragraphs that sum up your audience concisely. Sometimes 
it’s also helpful to think of a person you know or a celebrity 
that fits into you ideal target market.
By understanding your target market and their interests, you 
can focus on relevant marketing applications and learn from 
other brands they already frequent.
Take you audience definition and ask yourself:
1. Is your current tone of voice and messaging relevant 
to your newly defined audience?
2. Are you marketing in the right places to achieve 
maximum reach?
Hey, you’re halfway!
Take this opportunity to have 
a break. It’s important to 
pause and reflect.
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Exercise 6
Position
Instructions
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Observing industry landscape allows you to identify a unique 
space for your brand to own. The following task is designed 
to help you explore your peers’ strengths and weaknesses, 
so you can better understand your own. Write a list of peers 
and competitors and then start plotting their market position 
on the diagram.
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Once you’ve plotted your peers, 
plot your brand’s position in the 
market. Ideally you are looking 
for a space that isn’t occupied 
by a competitor, this will ensure 
that you are consciously setting 
yourself apart. 
Take note of the competitors 
closest to your brand’s position, as 
they will be trying to reach a similar 
audience. It’s important to look 
at these competitors, assess their 
strengths and weaknesses and then 
clearly define your brand’s point 
of difference within the market.
Consider how your competitors are 
perceived by the public. Observe 
the tone of their branding, the type 
of work they do and who they do 
it for. Use their overall perception 
within the market to roughly plot 
their positions.
1. Value translates as 
affordable or approachable.
2. Premium signifies a sense 
of luxury or refinement.
3. Traditional talks to being 
reliable or timeless.
4. Innovation communicates 
cutting edge thinking or 
processes.
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Value
Premium
Traditional Innovation
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Exercise 7
Separating your taste 
from the brands
Instructions
69
We all have personal taste and styles we naturally gravitate 
towards, however it’s important to put them aside when 
building your own brand visuals. To help clear this up, let’s 
write a list below of things you like in one column and things 
your audience likes in the next. Think about brand visuals, 
but don’t forget the invisible parts!
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i.e. minimal, clean type
Your taste
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Tip – To better understand audience taste, consider 
the strengths and weaknesses of the other brands 
they gravitate towards. 
i.e. bold colours and patterns
Audience taste
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Exercise 8
Creative clarity
Instructions
75
Clarity when collaborating is crucial. To help you communicate 
well, we’re going to take you through brief development. 
Whether you’re working with a creative, or are one yourself, 
learning how to build a thorough brief is a valuable trick to have 
up your sleeve. It will save time and make sure everyone is on 
the same page and working towards the same goal.
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This template can be used for 
gathering the basics of a brief. 
However, you’ve already done the 
bulk of the work! The exercises 
you’ve completed will help you 
create or collaborate with clarity.
A successful project is built on trust 
and communication. Remember to 
be open with your purpose, story 
and intentions.
Tip – Ask questions. We all have a unique understanding of 
language. What one person thinks is sophisticated, can mean 
a completely different thing to someone else. Get to the core.
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Creative brief
Project name:
Project lead:
Key dates or deadlines:
What is the project goal/intention?
Project overview:
Who are the audience?
Additional notes and/or examples:
What’s needed to complete this? i.e. logo files, photography
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Exercise 9
Sad/Happy
Instructions
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This task is simple but effective. The intention is to take a step 
back and consider what’s making you ‘sad’ and what would 
make you ‘happy’. Approaching these questions in a structured 
way can point out obvious areas for improvement.
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Sad
Write down everything you can think of that isn’t working in 
your business. These can be general concerns, something that’s 
causing stress or a specific issue you’ve dealt with recently.
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Happy
Write down some ideals. What would things look like if 
everything was running perfectly? Everyone has different 
goals and motivations, some people are after financial 
security where others might prefer freedom of time.
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Spend some time brainstorming 
what part your brand can play 
in improving things. 
Perhaps there are processes 
you can refine or a better way to 
communicate with your audience. 
Write down any and all ideas that 
pop into your mind. 
Step away for a while and then 
come back to review your ideas. 
Pick the best few and get to work.
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 Sad Happy
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Exercise 10
Taking it to market
Instructions
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All of this self reflection is fantastic, but what’s even better is 
doing something with it. Being strategic here is particularly 
helpful. First, let’s think about goals.
1. What do the next 6-12 months look like?
2. What do the next 12-24 months look like?
3. What is the end goal?
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Let’s think about how you’ll communicate with your audience. 
Explore some marketing ideas in and around the pie-chart below, 
thinking about your goals and Sad-Happy brainstorming as you do.
Approach
Attracting new
Raising profile
Looking after existing
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Now let’s write a to-do list. It’s not possible to do everything 
at once, we’re not robots and things take time. Think about 
your goals and marketing approach, then what needs to 
happen to achieve both. 
Schedule
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Month 4
Month 5
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Guess what?
You’re done!
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Want to keep learning?
We’ve curated some resources 
for you on the following page.
If you’d like to explore things in 
more depth, we offer one-on-one 
tutoring and also host community 
events and workshops.
Learn more at home-school.me
 
We’re here to help if you just need 
some advice or feedback too. Feel 
free to reach out with your thoughts, 
questions or comments:
Email: hi@home-school.me 
Instagram: @homeschoolsmarts 
Resources
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Read
Home School Library 
home-school.me
Frank Chimero 
frankchimero.com/blog
Google Design 
design.google
Lecture in Progress 
lectureinprogress.com
Listen
Search for thesewherever 
you find your podcasts: 
Aus Design Radio
Havard Business Review
StartUp School (Seth Godin)
Creative Mornings
It’s Nice That
Look
Brand New 
underconsideration.com/brandnew
Visual Journal 
visualjournal.it
BP&O 
bpando.org
https://home-school.me/
https://frankchimero.com/blog/
https://design.google/
http://lectureinprogress.com/
Thanks
Home School is an ambitious 
side project by JAC&; a brand 
development and design studio 
for small business. 
We couldn’t have made this 
happen without the help of 
some really wonderful people. 
In addition to some very patient 
friends, family and peers, our 
heartfelt thanks go out to:
Spicers, the best in the paper biz.
Bambra, for all your printing needs.
And most importantly, thanks 
to you! We really appreciate you 
buying this workbook and hope 
you got value out of it.
You can learn more about 
us at jac-and.co
home-school.mehome-school.me