Passion led you to practice.
Now you want to realize vision.
Building notoriety requires a compelling brand strategy and approach to the marketplace. VB STRAT works with design professionals to inventively synthesize personal truths with organizational strengths and development trends to create compelling narrative and client strategies. Together, we realize vision. Together, we realize ambition.
I am not an original thinker.
I synthesize. — David Bowie
Portrait
Who are you now?
An intimate knowing of a firm is essential. We begin here with many sessions articulating past, present, and future aspirations, paying specific care to personal convictions and approach to practice. These narratives are then superimposed over external considerations (geography, policies, development trends, and competitors) to create a studio portrait.
Voice
Don’t play what’s there; play what isn’t there. — Miles Davis
Voicing identity, conveying both expertise and ethos, is a formidable effort. It’s intensely personal and takes time to craft in a manner that feels both authentic and unapologetic. It requires reflection, revision, and practice. Voice is transformative. It wins commissions. It also frames the desired impact of one’s life work.
Connectivity
Building influence, laterally and vertically.
Designers must connect with clients from all walks of life: cultural influencers, government officials, businessmen and women, fellow designers, academics, developers, and artists. Don’t underestimate how decisions are made. Who is the confidante of a board member, a council person, a client?
Amplify
Get loud
Presenting point of view is necessary. Once voice has been favorably received externally, deploying specialty communications that pop, above traditional marketing collateral, goes far in advancing a brand’s aspirations. Voice can ‘mind the gap’ between portfolio and desire.
Culture
Nature or nurture? Both.
Culture, in all its facets, is a learned behavior. Be it leadership, communications, management, or design excellence, advancement of natural skill sets is critical. Emerging leaders must learn how to cultivate new roles and responsibilities to represent a firm better: proposal writing, interview prep, client relations, and narrative structure.