Creative Momentum #05
Free yourself from the web of assumptions
I hope all is well with you. What with Halloween on the horizon, we’ve gone for a spooky theme this time. 🎃
This issue, we’re asking whether our assumptions about what customers want are correct. This was sparked by a question that came up during my recent branding talk. Full story below… 👀
I’ve also included a quick exercise to get you thinking about the assumptions you might be making about what your audience wants, followed by a bit of spooky brand inspiration for you.
I hope it sparks a few ideas! 💡 Enjoy!
What's caught our attention...
How easy it can be for our assumptions to cast a spell on us 🪄
What are you second guessing about your customers?
Earlier this month, I gave a branding talk to a group of business owners. I went for a Halloween theme there too!
One business owner shared something during the discussion that got us all thinking about how much of ourselves we let people see.
My talk started by exploring what we think a brand actually is, before introducing our five brand foundations. Each foundation came with a terrifying warning 👻. You can see them in the image below.
We then went on to explore these spooky warnings in a bit more detail. We looked at best and worst practice examples before moving in to questions at the end.
These questions ended up becoming a pretty meaty discussion about how authentically we should show up as businesses, and what came up is what caught my attention. It made me realise that we’re all making assumptions, all the time. And it’s all too easy to treat them as fact.
Would you trust a bigger business more?
One business owner shared that she doesn’t show her face on her website or social media. She hasn’t put her founder story on her About page. She’d been making the assumption that people would trust the business more if it looked like a bigger operation.
I can completely understand how she’d reached that conclusion…absolutely no judgement here!
However, the feedback from the room was that, if she let people see more of herself, there’d be no stopping her. They wanted to know her story. They wanted to see her face.
It made me wonder how many of us are making decisions about our businesses based on assumptions we’ve never even questioned. I know…terrifying, right? 😱
Building a brand is about creating a connection between your business and the people you want to reach.
When people understand who you are, what you care about and why you do what you do, you give them reasons to choose you beyond price. You’re building familiarity and trust, often long before they’re ready to buy.
And in uncertain times, that human connection feels especially valuable.
I’ve put together a quick exercise below to help you spot the assumptions you might be making about your own business.👇
A quick exercise
Challenge your assumptions
Ask yourself:
1) What are you assuming about what
your ideal client wants to see?
Here are some examples:
- “We need to look bigger to be taken seriously.”
- “They want to see something polished and corporate.”
- “They’re only interested in our services and prices.”
2) What could you do to challenge these assumptions?
For example:
- Send a short questionnaire to past or current clients.
- Gather a small group of people who
fit your ideal audience and ask what matters to them. - Ask a recent client why they chose you.
What inspired us
Toilet rolls with a spooky personality 👻
Here’s what inspired us this month. We have found this great (and seasonally relevant!) example of a brand packing personality into how it looks.
Who Gives A Crap’s spooky edition toilet rolls reinforce the brand’s fun, cheeky sense of humour and bring a little Halloween joy to an everyday product.
The Spooky Edition – Who gives a crap toilet rolls.
This product is a lovely reminder to look for the little opportunities to let your brand’s personality shine through.
What we've been up to...
In and out of the studio
Ongoing brand and website work, with a continued focus on clarity, structure and ease of use.
EASL website goes live
We’re celebrating the launch of the EASL website, designed by us in collaboration with the lovely Soto.
A little birthday magic ⚡
A trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour to celebrate our son’s birthday. So much creativity and detail to take in!
A new logo for Newmanry Labs
One of our cybersecurity clients recently changed their name, so we designed a new logo to suit.
Slow and steady at the allotment
I took on an allotment this summer.
No idea what I’m doing, but I’m learning as I go. 😂
A final thought...
Give people something human to connect with, starting with you.
AI is changing how we work. But whatever the future looks like, I believe businesses will always need heart and soul to thrive, and that starts with you.
Your ideas, your experience, your judgement and the way you care for your customers. There’s no one else who brings those things together quite like you.
So keep questioning those assumptions about what people want to see. Your story, your personality and the care you put into your work could be exactly what helps them connect with you.
Hope you enjoyed the read and see you next time!
Clair x
Creative Director, Haycraft Creative
clair@haycraftcreative.co.uk
Could a fresh perspective help you?
Wondering how your business comes across, what your customers value or how to show more of your personality?
Ideas Hour is 60 minutes of creative thinking focused on one communication challenge.
Bring me your questions and we’ll explore them together, challenge assumptions and identify practical ideas to take forward.
60 minutes · £100 + VAT
Got something in mind? Let’s have a chat and see how an Ideas Hour could help you.
Leave a Reply