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THINK
DESIGN
Another powerful tool by AtticSalt.co
www.brandseasoning.com
2 Thinkbook

WELCOME TO YOUR
THINKBOOK
This brand audit is designed to help us understand your current brand and
the context surrounding it. This process may reveal a strong and vibrant
brand – or it may illuminate missing areas and lack of focus. If the latter is
the case, it opens the door for discussion on these points and will help you
gain a razor sharp vision of what your brand represents.

What is a brand? What makes a brand great?

A brand is not simply the logo, nor the visual identity. A brand is not the
product, the slogan or the advertising campaign. A brand is not even
controlled by the company behind it. Rather a brand is a collection of
perceptions that reside in the mind of the customer.
While you may not have direct control over your brand, you most
certainly are its steward. Every interaction the customer has with
your brand influences their perceptions.
The product experience, customer service, slogans, ads, and
even product manuals all contribute to the customer perception
of your company or product. Your job is to cultivate, guard, and
maintain a strong brand – the rewards of which are consistently
loyal customers and a continual increase in customer preference.
Great brands communicate a clear message about what it stands for
and how it differs from competitors. It stems from brand positioning
and customers understand and internalize the brand through its
consistent use. Each touch point within a brands’ experience should
seek to reinforce this same message.
With a well crafted strategy, a good brand begins to look more
like a belief system than anything else. It takes on a vibrant life of
its own, and customers will stand behind the brand, adopting its
claims and evangelizing it to others.
brandseasoning.com 3

A great brand is C3:

Clear, Concise, Conherent. LET’S GET IT STARTED
01
Phase 01 Discovery & Strategy
If you stand for nothing then you will fall for anything. Together we’ll dig deep into the soul
of your brand to identify it’s core values, strengths, and uniqueness to set it apart from the
competition.

02
Phase 02 Ideation
Our brand architects are hard at work using all of the content we’ve revealed in discovery
to put together a mood board and craft up to three identity concepts for your brand. These
concepts are presented in black and white to prevent any preconceived biases to color.

Phase 03 Design

03 We’ve chosen a winning direction and now it’s time to take it to a whole new level. Color
applications, type treatment, and content are applied to tell the complete story about your
brand. We then execute that story across all platforms and touch points that your audience
comes in contact with.

04
Phase 04 Activation
Congratulations! Your brand is armed with a powerful new identity.
Now we’ll help you leverage it to attract and engage with the people who matter most at every
single brand touch point.
4 Thinkbook

FROM THE BEGINNING.

How did the company start?
Understanding how a brand started can
be an important aspect to its story.
Where did it come from? Who was
behind it?

Has it evolved?
Since inception, has your business grown
or changed?

What does it do?

What type of product or service does
your company have to offer?

Help: Fill the fields in color.

brandseasoning.com 5

WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Mission Statement
In 1-2 sentences write your purpose.
Think of what compels you and your
team everyday. Your mission is what gets
you out of bed in the morning.

Vision Statement
If you could wave a magic wand and
create the perfect outcome for the future
of your company, what would that look
like?

Note: Avoid general statements such

as the ‘global leader’, instead define
specifics ways in which it will lead and
how.

Brand Values
What are some values that guide
your company and that you refuse to
compromise on, no matter what?

List in bullet points or keywords

6 Thinkbook

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST FANS?

What is the demographic of your
target consumer?

Example: age, sex, education level,

income level, marital status, location,
occupation, etc.

Why should they care about

you?

How do your products impact them or

their business?

Example: A BMW offers customers a

feeling of driving a high performance
machine.

What other brands do they

consume?

Think about other brands your audience

already uses. The list can range from
restaurants they dine at, stores they shop
at, products or memberships/clubs they
belong to.

Help: Fill the fields in color.

brandseasoning.com 7

COZY UP TO THE COMPETITION.

Who are your competitors?
Make a list of competitors that are in
your industry who offer similar services.

How do they differ?

How do your competitors differentiate
from your business?

What are they not doing, that

you are?
What sets you apart from all of the rest?
What gaps in the industry are you filling?
8 Thinkbook

WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?

Does your product or service
currently exist?
If yes, what makes you different from
rest? If no, why does it not exist?

What makes you one of a kind? Examples. Cirque du soleil

How does your brand differ from
your competitors? Given your both selling
a similar product, what makes yours
worth the customers money
and not theirs?
Cirque du Soleil is the only circus
Prius with Broadway sophistication.
Prius is the only hybrid car that
symbolizes dedication to the Target
environment. Target is the only store that sells
designer products at big–box prices.

is the only that .

your brand category benefit

Help: Fill the fields in color.

brandseasoning.com 9

BRANDS HAVE PERSONALITY.

What is the personality of the % %
brand you want to create?
Think about the idea emotions and
personality that you want your identity
Light Dark
to evoke.

What does it look like, feel like,

Serious Carefree
sound like?

Traditional Progressive

Emotive Utilitarian

Masculine Feminine

Symbolic Literal

Sophisticated Simple

If my brand were a... Car Celebrity

What would it be and why?

This a fun exercise that takes you

outside of the box and gets you
thinking creatively about your brand.
Drink Animal

Dessert Piece of Furniture

10 Thinkbook

SWOT
Identify your brand´s strengths,
weakness, opportunities and threats
Strengths Where do you excel?
(SWOT) in the matrix below.
S/W should be internal factors, while
O/T are considered external.

Weaknesses What advantages do competitors have over you?

Opportunities Trends or movements that you can use to your advantage.

Threats Detrimental economic, environmental or other factors that can

negatively impact or destroy your business.

Help: Fill the fields in color.