Branding + Brand Management

Shannon Sottile

Helping a financial advisor develop her own brand and gain clarity so that she can effectively market her business

The Brief:

Initially promoted under a community of financial advisors when she first left corporate to practice on her own, Shannon was in need of her own brand to help her become known. She also needed a website to attract her target audience and promote her niche in agribusiness.

Scope of work:

Discovery and strategy
Logo design
Marketing collateral
Messaging
Type and color
Website art direction
Brand management

The Master Logo

Shannon wanted to make sure the brand did not feel sterile and wanted to exude warmth, nature, a comfortable atmosphere, and her approachability. Creating a diamond shape to represent wealth and finances, the logo is reminiscent of the Olympic torch (with leaves representing growth), passing knowledge from one person to the next.

Defining the Brand

The visuals were not the only piece of the brand to include an organic feel. Incorporating nature imagery and natural terms with her brand, a simple and straightforward tagline was developed: Plan | Invest | Flourish

The messaging also defied the typical financial firm, consisting of a tone of voice that is friendly, down-to-earth and casual. There is no use of jargon, and industry terminology is broken down into digestible conversational style content.

Alternative Logo

An alternative version of the master logo is always recommended to allow for versatility.

The Colors

Earth tone colors were implemented to show Shannon’s organic approach to wealth planning as well as her knowledge in agribusiness.

Company Icons

Custom branded icons were created to represent different sservices on the website. Icons designed by Charlotte Levinson.

The Website

The development of the brand removed a huge weight off Shannon’s shoulders: the website. Prior to having a strategy or visuals in place, she was unsure where to begin in both copy and layout. Following the launch of the brand, we were able to tackle this challenge together.

Limited in the platforms she could use due to compliance regulations, we included customizations to a pre-made template to show Shannon’s personality and expertise as much as possible while expanding her reach into new markets.

The Launch Party

To generate buzz and celebrate the new brand, a lanch party was planned inviting existing clients and contacts. The party consisted of family-friendly activities, including hay rides, a bon fire with a s’mores bar, live music and more. We teamed up with local businesses to be a part of the event, from hiring a local caterer to beer tastings to using a local printer to print the invites and signage. Working with independent businesses and giving back to the community are two important aspects of Shannon’s brand, and we wanted to embody that in the launch.