BRAND & VERBAL IDENTITY

Project type: Verbal Identity Brand Book
Client: LA Phil
Role: Writer

The LA Phil were redefining their brand. They needed to create a high-level tool to outline the personality and voice of the brand and articulate how the organization shows up in the world as reflective of—and existing for—the communities of Los Angeles.
It needed to be top-level, concise and, and inspiring, and embody the LA Phil voice as it exists in the world and flexes according to context. I helped create a highly usable document that helps others articulate and communicate the inclusive vibrancy of the organization.

Project type: Verbal Identity Brand Book
Client: LA Phil
Role: Lead Copywriter

The LA Phil were redefining their brand. They needed to create a high-level tool to outline the personality and voice of the brand and articulate how the organization shows up in the world as reflective of—and existing for—the communities of Los Angeles.
It needed to be top-level, concise and, and inspiring, and embody the LA Phil voice as it exists in the world and flexes according to context. I helped create a highly usable document that helps others articulate and communicate the inclusive vibrancy of the organization.

The Need
The LA Phil needed a high-level overview of who they are as a brand—their mission, vision, values, personality, and positioning. This Brand Guide would help onboard new team members, partners, and collaborators to the LA Phil’s identity and provide a shared understanding of how the brand shows up in the world.
The organization had a draft of a visual brand guide from an external agency, but needed to develop and add in the verbal identity elements.
Audience: LA Phil staff, Board members, external partners, funders, collaborators.

The Solution
I crafted a document with these elements:

• Overview of the parent brand and sub-brands

• Outline of brand personality

• Creation of three brand ‘voice pillars’

• Voice and tone guidelines—including voice and tone for each sub-brand and venue

• Demonstrated ways to illustrate the venue's personality

• A spectrum of tone: How the formality level and emphasis on each voice pillar changes depending on channel

• How the brand voice ties in the organization’s mission, vision and values

• How the brand voice can increase access and inclusion whilst retaining its knowledgeable voice (Not talking down to our audiences, avoiding obscure references or jargon)

• Specifics on some areas i.e. LA Phil vs. Los Angeles Philharmonic and guidelines on when to use "LA Phil Presents.”

Via solo and collaborative processes with the LA Phil communications team, I delivered a verbal identity brand guide that expertly captured and articulated the client’s brand voice, providing a framework on which to build all verbal communications.

As a cultural orientation and a strategic foundation, the Guide inspires alignment and shared purpose across departments and partnerships.

Results
Feedback from Senior Communications Director was that the guide captured and articulated the LA Phil’s brands and personality "exceptionally well."
The guide has been approved at the senior leadership level and is awaiting executive sign-off and further implementation.

Project type: Brand Strategy Launch Deck (Internal)

Client: Bayer

I achieved all this through getting to know the business, subject matter and brand voice, and delivered the report to a thrilled client. I created the structure "what we did" what did etc to .... Feedback from Energy Charter stakeholders was that the report stood out for being highly readable, effective and precise. I was re-hired for subsequent reports in 2019, 2020, and 2021.