I have a confession to make. My favourite guilty pleasure is a good reality TV binge, especially dating. Love Island, Love Is Blind, Perfect Match — I live for the drama. I noticed, though, that there’s a theme to most of them. Someone’s looks and actions don’t always line up.

Love Island’s “a hot new bombshell has entered the villa” line is often followed by an episode where the hot person has no substance and isn’t a good person. Love Is Blind tries to remove the physical aspect of everything, focusing on the values. Couples often find out that physical attraction is important — it’s just meaningless if there is no substance behind it. And, of course, there is the classic “he/she’s not here for the right reasons” on Perfect Match, implying that the contestant’s actions are fake and they don’t genuinely care about finding their ‘perfect match’. (Even though, let’s be real, none of these people end up staying together long after the season premiers anyway!)

The same is true for brands. When your business doesn’t have a strong brand identity, or your logo doesn’t reflect your values, your business gives off the same energy as these reality TV contestants. Maybe your brand is all looks and no substance, or perhaps you think looks don’t matter at all. However, just like everyone on reality TV, your brand is about building a relationship. And for relationships to last, both looks and values matter. Here’s how to build brands—and relationships—that endure, starting with your values.

The Substance Behind Your Brand

Your brand’s values are not just a guiding principle—they’re an ideal client magnet. Your audience perceives and interprets your brand’s values through its visual identity. If your audience can immediately understand what you stand for just by looking, you’ll weed out people you don’t want to work with and attract your ideal client. 

Your ideal clients will intuitively sense if your brand’s looks don’t align with its values. If openness is one of your values, having dark, moody colours and intricate typography would feel off. If being unconventional is one of your values, your brand shouldn’t be aiming to follow what’s ~on trend~ at any given moment. 

For example, brands like Apple have sleek and visionary designs, reflecting their value of innovation. Patagonia’s aesthetic tells you that it is an outdoorsy company. SKIMS has a down-to-earth luxury feel, making you feel like you can buy and maybe even look and feel like the celebrities behind it.

How A Brand Designer Finds Your Values

Your values are personal. When a client hires me for brand strategy, I review their questionnaire answers. What do you stand for? How do you describe it? What values resonate with you? You’ll see in my questionnaire that I have you pick multiple values—not to get too deep but to see what immediately sounds right to you. Then, I review your brand voice and messaging to see what value words you picked align best with your messaging and brand voice.

We want your audience to associate these values with your brand’s intentions, goals, and visions. Before finalizing your branding, I present the values to you. That way, you can see the strategy I’ve laid out and decide if it’s aligned.

An Example Of Brand Values

When I launched Hiraya Design, I thought about my values for almost as long as I thought about how I wanted my business to look. These principles help me create meaningful brands every day. 

• Intentionality: You don’t just get a beautiful brand when you work with me, you get a brand built on your stories, values, and what lights you up. It’s where strategy and aesthetics meet.

• Collaboration: You know your brand better than anyone. I’m here to bring your ideas to light, and we do that through calls, questionnaires, and light-bulb-moment Slack messages.

• Curiosity: I’m a lifelong learner here! Openness helps creativity flourish, and it helps me serve you intentionally. I’m always open to exploring new ideas and approaches.

• Meticulousness: Do well-organized Notion pages fill you with joy? Just me? I streamline my processes so you know exactly what to expect every step of the way (and everything that’s important to you is included!).

• Inclusivity: Diversity and creativity go hand-in-hand. Regardless of background, gender identity, ethnicity, or orientation, everyone is welcome here if they believe in striving for a more equitable world.

Your Brand Designer Understands This

Every branding service at Hiraya Design includes your values. Knowing what’s important to you tells me about you and your business and gives me an idea of how you want your brand to be perceived. 

Starting your brand with your values means that you’ll have fewer revisions. If you want to update your brand in the future, you won’t need to rebrand because every colour, message, and typography was picked for a reason beyond “it looks nice.”

Inquire here because looks might draw them in, but it’s the substance that makes them stay.