What Drives Your Company?
How to identify your mission, vision, and values
When it comes to figuring out a brand identity, brands, like people, need to have a mission, vision, and values. It’s easier said than done to decide what your guiding principles and practices will be when you’re shaping a company.
First, let’s talk about purpose. Purpose is a broader definition of the total of your mission, vision, and values. The purpose your company serves will be your guiding light to keep you going when things get tough and to keep your centered when you’re facing decisions regarding branding, product, hiring, etc.
Developing your mission and vision
Before we jump into how to create your brands mission and vision statements, let us first address what the difference is.
A mission statement is focused on the present tense. It’s a punchy, condensed version of what your company is focused on in the short term and what your company does.
A vision statement is used on the future tense, what your company hopes to accomplish and become in the future.
When you’re looking to create a mission statement you want to ask yourself questions like:
What do we do?
Who do we serve?
How do we serve them?
When you’re creating a vision statement you should reflect on questions like this:
What kind of change do we want to make in the world?
What problems are we solving for future generations?
How are we inspiring change in the world every single day?
Once you have your mission and vision statements, you can begin thinking about the values your brand with embody and practice.
Defining your values
Values are the guiding principles that work to unite your team towards their common goals, your mission and vision. When it comes to picking values for your organization, some companies pick 3-5 and others pick more! A good rule of thumb is between 3-10, but it’s up to you and what is important to your company.
Your values can go by many names, values, culture commandments, culture norms, leadership principles, things you know to be true, etc. As you’re creating a company and thinking about the culture you want to build, your values will help you create that space.
Therefore, when you’re ready to define your values, we recommend reviewing a values sheet (easily found on google) and picking 15-20 of your favorites. From there, think about which ones may be similar, or what each word stands for. Remove your duplicates, define why they are important and rank them.
If you could only pick 7 what would they be?
As you trim your list, step away and review it a day later. Does it still resonate? Is it still impactful? Continue tweaking until you find a list you’re proud of and fulfilled with!
It’s important to note that your values, mission, and vision can evolve and change as your company does. These are set in stone, but they are guiding principles and they will be used as your light-posts for the time being. So while they are living, breathing statements, they should still be created with intention and thought.
Ask: “Where does your mission, vision, and values intercept with design?”
Once you have the outline of a brand, how do you partner with a designer to create something to evoke emotions, captivate audiences, and transform the world around you?
Great question! When it comes to combining the words and visual elements of your brand, you can partner with an expert in a few ways.
Starting together from square 1:
If you’re looking to create a new brand or to completely rebrand, you can work with a designer to identify and create (in collaboration) your mission, vision, and values. This is a great option if you’re unsure on what you’re aiming for, or if you feel like you struggle to find the right words.
Having a sounding board is an easy way to get a complete and impactful end product without putting all the stress, decisions, and creation on you.
Partnering to get it over the finish line:
If you have a clear vision of the written pieces of your brand or your rebrand and you need a designer to bring your brand to life, you can partner with someone to bring your non-tangible pieces of the brand to life in a new and powerful way.
When you work with a designer in this aspect, they are going to use your written words to create a visual identity unique to your brand and your mission. They will narrow in on the emotions you’re aiming for and develop visual components to accelerate the impact of your words.
How branding impacts your company’s footprint
In today’s digital age, we’re all big on aesthetics and visual cues. Strong branding allows your audience to be captivated without words. You can catch their attention when they aren’t focused, and you can convey emotions, develop a connection, and feel personally attached to your brand before they ever read a word.
Design is a language without borders. It’s the only form of communication humans universally speak and understand.
Beyond the way design bridges the gap between cultures and languages, design has the power to unify your team, audience, and brand on a common goal. If you’re excited about creating change and transforming the world around you, investing in design can empower your team to word with intention and create meaningful pieces of your end goal.
Ready to explore working with a designer to transform your company?
We specialize in creating transformative brands to help you cultivate change right where you are. Interested in learning more about how we do that? Let’s chat.