building-a-brandStarting your own brand as a jewellery maker is an exciting time – finally, your chance has come to show the world your artwork and establish yourself in the industry. But first, it is important to know how to build a jewellery brand, and how to develop brand identity. There are a variety of different attributes to consider when deciding how to build your business brand, which is why The Bench is here to help guide you through the process,  and make your jewellery stand out from the crowd.

Starting Your Own Brand: Know Your Industry

For a jewellery maker starting up their own business, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the industry. This is crucial to getting any business off the ground, and you may want to consider education in the art of jewellery making if you are a new starter. A degree in jewellery design would benefit any future business, resulting in investors taking you more seriously. Central St Martins, the university of the arts, London, is renowned for its high achievers in art and jewellery design.

If you are already at a level of experience suitable for starting a jewellery business, familiarise yourself with all aspects of jewellery making – from production and sales, to creation and business. A deep level of knowledge about your industry is the best starting point for getting your business off the ground.

As well as identifying your industry, to truly imitate, and compete with, large successful jewellery brands, it’s important to identify your goals. Your business vision needs to be clear and driven – you should know who your target market is as well as how much you can realistically produce and sell.

How To Create Brand Identity: Brand Name

Establishing your brand identity is key to a successful business. Designing your brand identity can be a complex process, but one that will give you a clear path for your business. Decide how far you want the business to grow, whether it is merely a hobby or you’re looking to build a jewellery brand empire. This will ultimately indicate the amount of work required, and, inevitably, what sort of name your brand will have. If you establish yourself and develop your signature style early on, your business will stand more of a chance of taking off.

Many successful jewellery artists claim that making an artistic statement is a great way of creating a brand identity. This serves as a base for your jewellery brand, telling your customers who you are and why you chose jewellery designing. See this statement as a manifesto – it can include personal beliefs about design process and crafting, feelings and inspirations, and life interests which intersect with jewellery art.

Arguably most important; choosing a brand name for your business. Who are you? What do you want your jewellery to represent? You are the main reason people will buy your work in the handmade marketplace. Choosing a name for jewellery brands should be something you believe will match your business when you evolve and grow. For a starting point of how to create a brand name for your business, write down the qualities that illustrate your work, and continue to note down as many words you can think of. Your jewellery brand name will come from this free association.

Creating A Brand Identity: Brand Story

With a name and an artistic statement, it is now important to know how to develop brand identity – this will come through your brand story. It will be the reason customers choose you over the rest, so make sure it’s detailed. When you find inspirations for your designs, let your customers know that is how they have been sourced – jewellery with a story is a great seller. Let everybody know what inspires you – take photos, write down moments, anything you can look back on with fondness and be inspired. Communicating your brand story is important to who you are as a designer and will inform how you develop your design and brand values.

Social media is the best way to communicate your message and get your business off the ground. Write about your inspirations, your intentions of how it should be worn, and get friends and family to share. Using social media to sell your jewellery is one of the fastest ways of reaching out to potential customers, developing your brand and making it known to your target audience.

Brand Identity Design: Visual Identity in Collections and Work

When starting your own brand, getting across your visual identity is equally as important as getting across your brand story. You need customers to be able to see you in the jewellery they are buying – make sure the pricing model not only incorporates cost of materials and labour, but also demonstrates the type of materials used; the artistic talent and originality it takes to make every piece of jewellery you are selling. Ensure your jewellery photography really captures your colours, materials and design processes. This will persuade people to buy your work.

Developing a brand won’t happen overnight. Be resilient, and let that show in your work. Time and dedication to designing brand identity will pay off eventually, but for now, be patient and encourage growth via word-of-mouth as well as on social channels.

Developing A Brand: What Sets You Apart From Competitors

The best way to develop a unique brand identity is to create a selling point that really sets you apart from the rest – you want people to look at your jewellery and know that it is made by you. For example, world-renowned jewellery from Dior has been known to occasionally incorporate the letter D, or even the whole word into some of their pieces. Explore different ways of incorporating yourself into your pieces to make your jewellery stand out.

Set yourself apart from the crowd – look for truly unique sources of design inspiration and, in turn, that will create truly unique jewellery. Lastly, marketing your brand is the best way of getting the word around. Set up events to showcase your products, for example, art and wine nights. And don’t forget to use social media too.

Don’t forget to stock up on essential jewellery tools and supplies before working on your latest collection. You can purchase all your jewellery making materials you need for your business from Cooksongold.

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Author: Cooksongold
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