The Branding Blues — A Lesson from Pantone’s Color of the Year

Posted on by Waypoint Writing
Image credit: Forbes.com

As a company that recently rebranded, the process of branding feels fresh and familiar. Currently, some of our clients are also launching rebranded messaging and missions for 2020.

Although the results look straightforward and simple, the decisions required along the way can be overwhelming.  

One area of branding that our clients have struggled with is color. For that reason, we’re taking a look at the recent announcement regarding Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year to explore what it might offer your brand. 

Does Classic Blue capture the essence of your business? Does color really matter to your brand? 

Continue reading “The Branding Blues — A Lesson from Pantone’s Color of the Year” →

A Rebrand to Reroute My Business: Welcome to Waypoint Writing!

Posted on by Waypoint Writing
Cast Iron Content is now Waypoint Writing

Shakespeare famously wondered, “What’s in a name?” and suggested that a rose would smell just as fragrant if we called it a milkweed. Well, maybe. Of course, you don’t realize how much really is in a name until you feel disconnected from it and decide you need to rebrand. 

Cast Iron Content, as intended and at its best, represented iron-clad messaging, rock solid content, strong and clear communication on which to build your brand. At its less-than-best, it invited contact form inquiries like the following: “Yeah, I’m trying to find cast iron brake calipers for my Lincoln Town Car…” 

For a company built “to structure your story,” we realized we needed to strengthen our own. 

Continue reading “A Rebrand to Reroute My Business: Welcome to Waypoint Writing!” →

Top 3 Considerations Before a Brand Photography Session

Posted on by Waypoint Writing

In this latest installment of what I consider “Business Strategies I’m Learning on the Fly,” I focus on branding, specifically my upcoming brand photography session with Branding Photographer and PR Strategist Kristin Hardwick.

Here’s the plan: next Monday, Kristin will arrive at my home office and snap brand worthy photos, reflective and supportive of Waypoint Writing. To prepare for the session, Kristin and I briefly discussed what will no doubt become a much larger conversation about why branding photography is so important for a business.

As I get organized for the shoot, I am keeping three key considerations in mind. Dubbing them AAA, my primary concerns are attention, aesthetics, and ambition.

Continue reading “Top 3 Considerations Before a Brand Photography Session” →

Purple Reign – Why We Rebranded with a Royal Hue and Unexpectedly Ended Up Right

Posted on by Waypoint Writing1 Comment on Purple Reign – Why We Rebranded with a Royal Hue and Unexpectedly Ended Up Right

“Right,” that is if you ask Pantone. For those of you who have somehow avoided a screen for the past week, you likely missed the announcement, regarding color of the year for 2018. According to Pantone, “Inventive and imaginative, Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.” I’ll take it!

Granted, in the process of rebranding, did I identify Waypoint Writing’s new color as “Ultra Violet?” I did not. But then again, neither did The New York Times, in its prescient, “The Future is Purple.” As a company, it seems we can’t quite escape further exploration of this rebranding theme… but the question and points surrounding this topic are worthy of sustained reflection and hopefully prove helpful for businesses and individual ventures outside of our own.

For example, how did I – how does anyone – determine the best colors for his or her business? Admittedly, I’m no expert on the subject. I just happened to guess right, provided you ask the good people at Pantone. But really, it was nothing more than a guess, a conversation, and something I knew could be changed if necessary.

Without further delay, here is the Waypoint Writing color story – the only one I can honestly speak to…

Continue reading “Purple Reign – Why We Rebranded with a Royal Hue and Unexpectedly Ended Up Right” →

Rebranding Redux: 3 Reasons an Actor Decided to Rebrand Himself

Posted on by Waypoint Writing4 Comments on Rebranding Redux: 3 Reasons an Actor Decided to Rebrand Himself

Earlier this week on the Waypoint Writing blog, we talked about the prevalent research surrounding why companies and businesses decide to rebrand. Although the internet will return dozens upon dozens of lists and reasons to rebrand, I chose to focus on four in light of Waypoint Writing’s recent rebranding mission.

Coincidentally, while I was crafting that post, I was called upon by one of my colleagues, Victor Luce, a fellow actor friend, who had been considering changing up his look. His look most days is represented by a bald head, beard, fit physique, and a mural of more than 30 tattoos. Given his on-screen aesthetic, he has been featured in several movies and half a dozen major network TV shows, more often than not, as a criminal – either in action or behind bars.

No actor wants to be typecast and, in an effort to branch out to explore other roles he might fit, Victor decided to disguise his tattoos and redo his headshots.

Continue reading “Rebranding Redux: 3 Reasons an Actor Decided to Rebrand Himself” →