Building a Brand Center: Lessons Learned from Slack
👋 Hello there! Are you looking to build a brand center for your company? Look no further than Slack. In this article, we'll share our journey of building Slack's brand center, the home of our brand guidelines. We'll cover the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and the strategies we used to overcome them. By the end of this article, you'll have a better understanding of what it takes to build a successful brand center and how to navigate the process with ease.
Table of Contents
- The Limits of Imitation
- The One-Stop Hub
- The Perfect Process
- Responsibility and Autonomy
- The Rhythm of Progress
- Phase 1.5-ish
- Celebrating Progress
- FAQ
The Limits of Imitation
When we first started building Slack's brand center, our brand guidelines existed in a 50-page PDF that was limiting in its depth of information. While it worked great as a fast overview of our brand, it fell short when someone truly needed to understand how to use our brand system. We had many additional resources to support it, but they lived in different places, were created in different formats, and were owned by different people. This created an access problem, and the process became tedious and unsustainable.
The One-Stop Hub
Our team had a new goal: to leave the 50-page PDF behind, as well as all its unlimited supporting documents, and create a one-stop hub. A place where anyone could get a way better understanding of our brand, and the people that needed a little extra, the resources that they needed to get their job done, all in one place, and in a format that invited you to come back.
The Perfect Process
We started by looking at other brands' documentation sites and compiling research. However, we weren't finding what we were looking for. We wanted it to be updatable by other people on our team, not just the PDF owner at the time. We also wanted to bring everything together, all in one place, including our resources. We wanted most of our brand guidelines to be public, so it would be just as easy to access them as our PDF. We wanted this site to feel like us, like Slack, as our brand guidelines. This was going to be one of the best expressions of our brand.
Responsibility and Autonomy
Responsibility and autonomy can be both empowering and intimidating all at the same time. We had a lot of experience leading other work, but nothing quite at this scale. Naturally, we learned a lot. We realized perhaps a bit too late that we could have been asking our team and ourselves questions to help them be successful. Questions like what is their working style, how do they communicate progress, what support do they need to be successful, and what are their personal goals for the project. These answers can help you get to know your team in the context of a specific project, and it's important that you know these answers because even if you think you know your team, these answers can change depending on the type of project.
The Rhythm of Progress
After a lot of trial and error, we established a rhythm so we could start finalizing our pages and getting them developed so we could actually eventually launch our site. We improved our communication by encouraging feedback on the process. We encouraged designers and copywriters to come together instead of saying, "Hey, just go make a page." We celebrated the wins, big and small, recognizing accomplishment can help us find purpose and focus.
Phase 1.5-ish
We entered a phase 1.5-ish, and we're in this middle in-between ground of phases. This is our chance to fix what isn't working and ideally build a stronger foundation so that when we do go through that door.
Celebrating Progress
We launched, and we did it despite our best efforts to set it up for success. We had a full communications plan, a Slack help channel, and a list of answers to frequently asked questions that people hadn't even asked yet. As is the central theme of this talk, things started to unravel a little bit. Those resources that we set up to be so accessible, some of them were locked because they had to be, and people started requesting them, and not just requesting them because they needed them, a lot of people who did not need them seem to really want them.
FAQ
Q: What is a brand center?
A: A brand center is a centralized hub for all of a company's brand guidelines and resources.
Q: Why is a brand center important?
A: A brand center is important because it ensures consistency in a company's branding and messaging across all channels and touchpoints.
Q: What are some key features of a successful brand center?
A: A successful brand center should be updatable, accessible, and easy to use. It should also reflect the company's brand and be tailored to the needs of its users.
Q: How can I build a successful brand center?
A: To build a successful brand center, you should start by researching other brand centers and compiling a wish list of features. You should also involve your team in the process and ask them what they need to be successful. Finally, you should be prepared to iterate and make adjustments as needed.
In conclusion, building a brand center is a challenging but rewarding process. By following the lessons we learned at Slack, you can create a successful brand center that reflects your company's brand and meets the needs of its users. Remember to be flexible, communicate effectively, and celebrate your progress along the way. Good luck!
