Brand Revealer #04: "It is much deeper and needs to be constantly evaluated as a living breathing story" with Chelsea Alexander
New Q&A with a creative entrepreneur and artist, Chelsea Alexander + thoughts on branding & AI
👋 Hello brand enthusiast, how are you doing today?
Let’s discover our new Brand Revealer of the month. I also share insights on branding and AI + inspiration from bright brands I discovered.
💡Every month we have a guest for our short and sweet Q&A. Longer interviews will stay on the blog.
My goal is to demystify the word Branding so that anyone can understand its paradoxes and implement their version of Branding. By collecting an eclectic panel of definitions and visions of what Branding is and implies. Showcasing those who do, use, and expand Branding: Brand revealers.
Short Q&A - Brand Revealer #04
I asked a few questions to Chelsea Alexander, a fellow creative I discovered through the WATBD community. She is such a bright spirit, mindful and creative and she learns French!
Who are you?
Salut! My name is Chelsea Alexander, I like to consider myself a creative designer and artist.
Your agency/studio
Where are you located?
🇺🇸 I am located in New York at the moment.
What is your definition of Branding?
I think branding is not as straightforward as people think. It's about telling a visual story for others. It's about helping someone or something define themselves visually in the world. Sometimes, its not in a conventional way of "logo and brand identity", but it can also be achieved through illustrations or film. I love expanding the idea of branding.
Chelsea
Branding is made of trial and error. The positioning takes effort, time and dedication. How can entrepreneurs recover from a branding that doesn't resonate yet with their audience?
I think that its all about the story. If a brand's message isn't resonating with its audience, it's likely because the brand is not expanding on their story and connecting with others in unique way. It is a constant back and forth with the client and their base... it is not as simple as creating a logo and letting them go on their merry way. It is much deeper and needs to be constantly evaluated as a living breathing story.
Chelsea
What are the repeated words you hear about your Brand and Branding from your audience, teams, and people who discover you? (3 to 5 keywords)
Unique • Colorful • Intriguing
Chelsea
What is your best branding story from clients, yourself or an iconic brand you look up to?
I think the most successful project that I actually loved was the one I did for my own small business, Sqwigl (pronounced 'sq-wiggle'). It was a super fun and colorful, and I wanted the brand to feel approachable yet very sophisticated. The story behind the work was to create a brand that felt like a friendly neighborhood... and the products that I designed for my brand express many things from pattern design to poster design and more. All of the branding had to encompass this energy.
Chelsea
What is the main difference in the approach to branding in Switzerland vs. the United States?
I actually think that Switzerland has a completely different approach to design that is slower, more intentional, and even more complex than in the States. I think it has a lot to do with the culture and way of life.
During my time studying there for a while, I notived many students never worried about the outcome of their branding projects or their work. It was meant to be a lengthy and complex process to figure out what it will become. I think here in the States (more specifically New York, where I've been living and working for 5 years now), clients are very much involved in the work and the timing is always too short and not considerate of mistakes or failures.
Chelsea
Why did you choose to emphasize humbleness in design (cf your website)?
I think it’s important to distinguish for myself what kind of person I am. I am a person of faith, failures (so many), and very humble beginnings which I think is a big part of my personality. So I have always made that an important thing to say on my website or any platform I'm on.
Chelsea
You can discover her work and mindset @Chelsea Alexander
🧚♂️ Branding and AI: dosage, my friends.
We are entering a new era of prompting, productivity boosters and blurred lines. I am sure as a result of these shifts, the art of branding will transform as well.
I have been using ChatGPT for a few weeks now, and I'm impressed by its responsiveness and adaptability. I always keep in mind that he has access to all human endeavours (until 2021 for now). The body of ideas we have all contributed in pouring into it, both good and bad - including language, visual aesthetics, ethos, principles, and more.
ChatGPT already has a growing branding of its own, which we can witness by observing its way of responding and ''guiding'' us. It uses formulations, wording and suggestions in a particular way. Notice his repeated choice of words, tone and politeness. It has a sense of direction even in the role of only suggesting.
I believe acceptance of the progress is undeniable, yet dosage is key:
Always keep ownership of your final choice of using all his work. It may render a complete overview of a subject or theme but look into it again and check if it aligns with your voice. As a brand, it is even more pivotal as an exercise. We cannot lose sight of the common language it embodies.
The use of AI lies in how we ask questions, especially in relation to branding. The inside culture of a brand also influences how it prompts AI tools. For example, I am a caring person. I know it is an articial intelligence still, I like to say ''Hello'' and ''Thanks'' for the answers it provides.
However, It is easy to lose sight of some ethical apects, particularly since the status of AI is not yet formalized. As brands adopt AI tools that perform more complex tasks than humans can, this raises the question of how we should treat them. Should we have a process for communicating with them in a way that aligns with how we interact with human colleagues or collaborators?
I see prompting lists appear everyday. As each brand has it's specific branding book or brand guideline, curated prompts could embody the voice and character of each brand.Let’s talk about Midjourney. I read a few comments celebrating the death of graphic designers and illustrators. While it is true that tools like Midjourney can generate impressive aesthetics that are based on the power of prompts, I believe that as a brand revealer, maker, and builder, your future designs will need to adapt to your ability to create prompts that generate unique traction. Your prompts and their uniqueness could become a brand voice, but not the brand itself. AI cannot create branding but can only express it.
We’ll see how it evolves and adapt as we have always done.
🤩 Bright, they are!
Sell from love (Next read on the ‘‘love circle”: love your offer, love your clients)
🇫🇷 Organic beauty ecosystem (Brilliant idea for brands in the beauty industry)
🇫🇷 La Caserne (The largest accelerator for sustainable change in the fashion and luxury industry)
A small studio (I quote them: a glass door to creativity. Epic!)
🎈 Fun brand(ING) prompt / 008
Have you ever noticed how some brands or fields have similar language?
Even though each one uses similar words in their own way, the overall message ends up feeling quite similar. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, we never create the wheel, we expand the wheel. The key message is always the same, yet we have to embody* it differently to reach ‘‘that person’’ who needs to hear it in that way.
🔭 *when using AI tools always keep that in mind and be cautious of how your unique voice may be absorbed.
Video, words, illustration, animation… you choose. Short and sweet.
The thruth about Branding is that you have to craft your own formula.
I hope you enjoyed the read of the week. Feel free to share it with peers, friends and family. Sharing is loving.
Yours creatively,
Keva