I obsess over branding. I obsess over the logo, the colors used, and the fonts I choose. As a designer that cares about good looking brands, I really care about a brand that I'm building and have full control over. No client here. I'm the client and the designer. But, then a great conversation woke me up.

Over a nice cup of coffee with a good friend we chatted about branding, product marketing, and product positioning. Yes, how something looks is important but ultimately it's how well the design of the website and supporting marketing elements communicate the problem you're trying to solve.

I jokingly said that I changed the tagline of the app I'm building so many times. He said, but at the end of the day that tagline won't help build your brand. A clever tagline has a better chance for impact after years of use and 1000s of customers. Not for the first 100 people that check out something called Hike.

Then, I received an email from TinySeed talking about branding becoming more important in crowded spaces.

Branding isn’t about your company’s logos and colors. Instead, it’s about what people say about your company when you’re not around. Your brand’s impact is felt through your customer experience, the content you publish across platforms, how you engage your audience, and how you use internal marketing to engage your employees.

I couldn't agree more. Branding is more than a logo. Your brand voice matters. That's what I'm now focused on designing for Hike.