The Brand Pyramid - Part 6

Raw Story

For the past several weeks we’ve been talking about the brand pyramid, which is simply a way to organize the details and key identifiers of your brand. The six tiers of the pyramid are: logo, brand name, taglines, bio, values, and raw story. Knowing how to choose, create, write, design, and construct each of these things will give you a deep and thorough understanding of your brand: who you are, what you stand for, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. Today we’re going to look at the bottom tier of the pyramid, the raw story.

Your raw story should contain ALL the details of your brand. Unlike your bio, which is short, succinct, and polished, your raw story will be rough, rugged, and unfiltered. This is where you tell the complete story: why you decided to create a brand, why you chose this brand name and what it means to you, why you chose to start your brand at this particular time in your life, what factors influenced your decisions, how your initial vision has matured and evolved over time, what goals you have already achieved and what goals you are still working towards, and anything else you can think of that sheds light on your brand.

Writing out your raw story is an important part of developing your brand. This is an exercise for your brain - answering these questions will bring details to the front of your mind that you might have been overlooking. Thinking of these details, writing them down, and focusing on them can be a valuable source of inspiration. After completing your raw story, you could come away with an idea for a new design, a new tagline, or the inspiration to create a whole new collection. 

What will you do with this raw story? Maybe nothing. The raw story might never be seen by anyone but you. Or you might post it somewhere on your website or social media. Maybe you’ll have it printed and framed, and you’ll hang it on the wall in your first retail location. Whether you choose to share your raw story with the world or keep it to yourself, it’s still an important part of your brand’s identity. 

Knowing your brand’s raw story will inform your interactions with others, whether they are customers, investors, employees, or strangers on the street. Being able to effectively communicate each facet of your brand will go a long way towards guaranteeing your brand’s success.