Should We Be Bringing Politics Into Our Brands?
An Almost-Client Story
In the early days of my design business I acted like a lot of young professionals do - I said yes to every opportunity because money pays bills and I was earning week-to-week. Who was I to turn down someone in need of design services?
I stacked my calendar so tight that I was SOL anytime I ended up sick or a project went too long. That’s what being fresh and new (and ignorant lol) is all about — making mistakes and learning from them. Learning how to respect myself, care for myself, and set boundaries in my brand and business was a huge obstacle for me.
One day another opportunity came along. A potential client was interested in hiring me to design a website for his daughter’s school. Sounded innocent enough (a bit boring even).. we started digging into details over email. It took a while to uncover the full scope of the project — I was being asked to design a website protesting an elementary school’s policy allowing trans kids to use the restroom of their gender.
I am a strong ally of the LGTBQIA+ community. I just love love, baby! I love when someone is confident enough to stand in their truth and be proud of who they are. & this request drew a line in the sand on where my brand, my business, found balance between money and values. This request taught me the importance in just saying, “No.”. I believe at the time it went more like, “I’m sorry, but I’m not the right designer for this project”.
On that day, brand and politics merged. The most successful brands are authentic and value-driven. I’m not saying that all successful brands align themselves politically, but today values seem to be politically charged and under attack. Values like diversity, equity, and inclusivity come to mind…
So where is the line between branding and politics? Is staying neutral the safest move? Does your brand need to take a stand? Is your brand’s silence saying more than you think?
The line between money and values, growth and mission, stakeholders and investors can be delicate. It is up to the builders of the brand to decide where and when to draw a line. So moving forward, it is something to keep in mind - do politics hold a space in your brand?
Where do you draw the line? Pop me a reply if you want to chat about your thoughts or experiences with this. I’m genuinely curious.
Have a good day, friend!
- Katie Mont
