We recently caught up with our friend and client Emma Watson, founder of Little Hotdog Watson who we first met back in 2016 when we created the brand identity. We asked her some questions around her learnings from starting the brand and the importance of accepting change in a constantly shifting digital landscape.

What do you think is the most important part of brand creation?

In my opinion, the most important part of brand creation is truly understanding your brand values. These really are the foundation for the brand and having these very clear in your mind helps to develop the brand more succinctly and instinctively. Being unclear on the values could mean creating something that looks great but that is totally at odds with what you really want.

What do you wish that you knew when you started the branding?

I wish I’d known when I was starting my branding journey how much it would continue to evolve as the business grew and that I shouldn’t be worried about losing or changing elements as this happened. Sometimes there is so much conversation around brand consistency that it feels like even a tweak shouldn’t happen but to grow evolution is necessary.

What do you think are the biggest challenges for brands today?

The biggest challenges facing brands today are standing out on social media. Social media has become the marketing tool of choice and that means considering how your brand looks small scale and across the media channels. I also think the bar has been raised with branding + customers are so much more savvy which has a huge impact on what is and isn’t well received.

Why do you think it’s important for a brand to flex across all media channels?

Flexing across all mediums is very important for a brand but this doesn’t mean you need to do everything straight away. Focus on where you will market and then build outwards. It’s important to understand how your brand translates from social media, to packaging to filling physical spaces. Never think small.

Finally, what do you think is important when you’re working with/selecting a branding agency?

In my opinion it’s really important when selecting a branding agency to understand who they are and their style/capabilites. Just like artists everyone will have a slightly different handwriting and looking at work they have done previously will be your first big clue. Then talk to the team…do they get you? Is there a natural rapport with regard to the language and examples you are talking about. If you think you’re describing Ferrari and they’re giving you Skoda examples you’re probably not aligned. Finally, be clear on who your brand is and want you what before looking for an agency. This doesn’t mean coming in and saying this is how I want my logo to look but more ‘this is who we are, sleek, modern, etc’ articulation and good conversation are vital.

To see a small part of our ongoing brand journey with Little Hotdog Watson head over to our case study here: worksbymero.com

For more information about Little Hotdog Watson you can visit: littlehotdogwatson.com / @littlehotdogwatson