I founded The Humanista Co. out of a desire to build brands that connect on a human level. Because I know from my own long and winding road that the best way to connect with your audience is not through fancy photos, web design, or trendy buzz words. That's just surface-level.

It actually goes much deeper than that. What I have discovered is that the most lasting way to connect to your audience is through shared values.

This is where The Humanista signature brand framework really comes in handy— creating a human connection with your audience. Because when people connect, they start to care. And it all starts with understanding your shared values.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU STAND FOR, AND WHY IT MATTERS, THE WORLD CAN’T HELP BUT TAKE NOTICE.

So, let's dive into how to first identify your brand's values so you know what you stand for.

What are "brand values" in the first place?

Your values represent who you are, what’s important to you, and what you're most drawn to in the world.

A brand is the visual and emotional experience created by interacting with its values.

Values are the most important aspect behind developing your brand foundation. THESE are at the heart of your brand because they act as the building blocks that create the visual and emotional experience when people interact with your brand.

3 Steps to Identify Your Brand Values

STEP 1: HIGHLIGHT THE TOP 10 VALUES THAT YOU RESONATE WITH THE MOST.

While you may think many values on the list are important to you, only choose the ones that you ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT live without. Think of them as your non-negotiables in life.

STEP 2: FROM THIS LIST, CATEGORIZE VALUES THAT ARE SIMILAR AND TRY TO IDENTIFY THE OVERARCHING VALUE. YOU CAN CROSS OUT THE ONES THAT FALL UNDER THE MAIN VALUE.

For example, I chose freedom, adventure, and exploration. But then I realized that when I have freedom, I also gain a natural sense of adventure and exploration. But I cannot experience adventure or exploration if I do not have freedom first. Those are two values that STEM from freedom itself. That means that freedom is the value that LEADS to the other values of adventure and exploration.

STEP 3: FROM THIS LIST, NARROW IT DOWN TO THE TOP 5 VALUES THAT ARE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS BEHIND WHAT YOUR BRAND REPRESENTS.

And there you have it- you have successfully identified your brand's top 5 values. If you're wondering what to do with this information, I recommend READING THIS POST about creating a brand theme to inspire your visuals and messaging. That way, you can really dive into creating your dream brand!