Crafting a brand, the artisan way.
Artisan. The word conjures up images of flour-dusted surfaces and the smell of freshly baked bread. It's wood shavings tumbling onto a studio floor, a paintbrush posed over a hand-thrown pot ready to add decoration.
It's a word that has an air of calmness to it. Utter the syllables, and you're already thinking of the attention to detail in that piece, together with the sheer amount of time and love put into it by the craftsperson.
In essence, the word "artisan" is a love letter to the object. It means that that thing has had time devoted to it. It's been lovingly handcrafted, making it bespoke and totally and utterly unique. You can see, feel, and know the time, hours, and level of dedication put into it.
But what about intangible objects that you can't hold and touch? Artisan is not a word you readily associate with brands or things you can't buy at a farmer's market or from a boutique shop.
Can a brand ever be artisan? There are "artisan brands", such as brands that sell artisan goods, but what about a brand crafted "the artisan way" by a brand artisan?
This is what today's blog post explores. I'm here to prompt that question and invite you to consider it from a different point of view. In simple terms, to pose the question, why not?
The Artisan Way
The definition of an Artisan is twofold, with the first being "a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand," and the second being "made in a traditional or non-mechanised way using high-quality ingredients."
To me, this is the only way to build a brand crammed full of passion, purpose, thought, community, positivity, quality, experience, and love. It makes a brand wholesome. It becomes more than a thing built to carry out transactions—and ultimately sell things—but an entity that cares.
A brand brainstormed and built "the artisan way" has all the hallmarks of being crafted by hand through minor details and thoughtful touches. Things like:
infusing your copy with stories and relatable content, making your audience feel seen and heard
creating a marketing strategy that brings your customers on your journey, involving them in the brand rather than keeping them at a distance.
making your brand feel human, like it's run by people and not A.I. We've all received those cold emails where you know they're a copy-and-paste job, with the content crafted by ChatGPT.
showcasing your brand's purpose (what you're doing and where you're going) clearly and simply, attracting loyal fans, followers and advocates cheering you on.
being fearless to be authentic, to stand up and out, rather than fit in. You advocate and champion what you care about and collaborate with others rather than compete. You create a community and network of cheerleaders.
making your customers feel valued and part of your brand. Think personalised messages, handwritten notes, and both physical and digital gifts. Those little touches elevate every moment.
All these touchpoints stem from branding. Branding is the seed from which they sprout.
Artisan over Artificial
So, the question remains: why does it matter? Why is it important to have a brand crafted the artisan way?
Time and time again, I see brands created without heart. These brands have everything people think branding is- a logo, a selection of standard website pages, and some social media channels (with out-of-date content #justsaying)- but there is a sense of emptiness behind this often shiny facial. There's a void. In the space where there should be something to relate and connect to, a pitch-black abyss sits like the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Brands created without heart are cold. They have no soul. It's like they've been produced in a large-scale factory, had a logo stamped onto it, and then sent out into the big wide world to fend for themselves without any support or backup.
Building a brand the artisan way removes the "cookie-cutter" approach to branding that is peddled and used by many (only because no one has stopped to think about whether this is the right way for their brand). Branding must be bespoke rather than off the shelf, personal rather than generic, to combat this problem, especially given that no two brands can ever be the same.
So, reader, instead, I invite you to consider creating a brand with time, passion and heart. One that's been lovingly handcrafted, making it bespoke and totally unique. One where you can see, feel, and appreciate the time, hours, and level of dedication put into it.
You can feel that love in every touchpoint and interaction.
Now, that’s a brand. 🥰
