Building a Brand

Building your own brand, it’s easy… right?

So why do it?

The LittleBigCreations brand.

For me, it was a way to showcase my creativity, skillset, and to build a company up from the ground to own.

Working in a creative industry, it is essential to have avenues to showcase your imagination to prospective clients, agencies, and even your network.

You want to stand out not just with your showreel but also how you communicate your work and skillset to a wider audience. The one thing I didn't want to do was call myself 'TJ Grainger Creative,' - which I think would have done the exact opposite of what I set out to accomplish.

Building a brand and identity has given me something to build and nurture. Everything I do is influenced by LittleBigCreations, from my work in terms of building a visual style and identity to communication on socials, all linked back to the wider story of the brand.

Why is this important?

As a creative, I believe it is important to showcase your creativity in different ways. Yes, of course, your work is used for this, but when thinking of roles that encompass slightly more responsibility than just video creation, you need to start thinking about what the client/agency is looking for.

For example, if you are applying to produce a video for a large enterprise with a big following and a long history, do you think a client/agency would feel more comfortable handing responsibility to someone who has their own visual identity and curates it themselves, as opposed to someone who doesn't?

By showing prospective clients that you know how to look after and use a visual identity to connect with audiences, you are (hopefully) setting yourself up for more leads and eventual work.

In addition to the professional/business side of the concept, there is also the personal connection it can have.

How do we showcase it?

Usually, in our professional lives it’s rare that we get full creative control on projects, working inside of brand guidelines or specific briefs. But by building something yourself you can tell your own story and express yourself through the content you make.

The scene for my website trailer.

I recently did this with my website trailer. The goal was to create a short animation to promote my website being finally online. The way I went about this was by drawing inspiration from my childhood. I started by noting down all the objects that I associated the most with my early creativity—LEGO pieces, games, and films. This then transformed into recreating my childhood computer desk and having small Easter eggs dotted around the scene.

I desired to convey more than one message with the video. Obviously, the primary function was to direct people towards the website, but the others were to tell a story of my creative journey. By showing toys, inspirations, and influences from my childhood, I hoped to illustrate where the Little + Big idea comes from in my brand.

My LEGO Star Wars poster, I still have the poster till this day. Although not as in as good condition.

Every idea starts small, but it's our dreams that make them big and turn them into reality.

I hope my ramblings made sense. I'm not an expert, and I'll probably make some 'Branding 101' mistakes. However, this is why I'm building a brand and company—to tell my story, even if it's a small one... so far.

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”