Founders

Oftentimes, I see founders caught in the trap of looking at a competitor or company that they think has terrific visual design, and they say, “I need that.” So they go and try to find the best design agency out there, or the one the flashy company that just raised $100m used and get on a waiting list and pay $80k-$100k for a full 3 months long brand design work endeavor. Then they relaunch their brand and expect the world to shake and literally nothing happens. Time and money down the drain. But most importantly time and energy.

Oftentimes, I see founders caught in the trap of looking at a competitor or company that they think has terrific visual design, and they say, “I need that.” So they go and try to find the best design agency out there, or the one the flashy company that just raised $100m used and get on a waiting list and pay $80k-$100k for a full 3 months long brand design work endeavor. Then they relaunch their brand and expect the world to shake and literally nothing happens. Time and money down the drain. But most importantly time and energy.

https://jared.xyz/early-stage-brand-design

@usv | jared.xyz | formerly founder of groupme and fundera 

"I need that" well captured. Brand  is important in the early stages but it's the rarely the factor that moves the needle early in. 

Coopting users in helping build your brand is often dismissed. One of the things I suggest to clients (who have a captive user  base or can afford a test audience) is to do a/b testing to see what resonates well holistically aligns with all stakeholders. There's more of a chance that you have found brand ambassadors in your test audience