Ecosystems & Positioning
An ecosystem is a community and its environment interacting together (scientific). They are complex, dynamic and easily thrown out of balance (The Rebooting 2023). As subject to both external and internal disturbances, they are always working to remain close to an equilibrium state. Most importantly, an ecosystem is usually anchored by a place.
The thing about an ecosystem is that it is not just any one thing.
The basics of brand identity (blog post) are as much as starting point as they are building blocks. Lay them out in front of you and turn them around in your hands. Following Wheeler’s method (book link), the next step is getting positioning strategy down to a singular essence.
The big idea: What does this company do best in the world? Why do fans choose them over the competition? What are some key phrases to summarize how the company wants to be perceived?
At this point I also starting thinking about brand archetypes. My rationale was the connection between lifestyle and market positioning. A lifestyle brand corners a facet of community. Thinking about what the brand means to the community through the reference of these archetypes (definition here).
To design a brand from scratch, get comfy with brainstorming. Whatever that even means. From there, spawns some “big idea” that situates a brand within its cultural domain, establishing some sphere of influence.
Leave room for growth from future developments.
The bigger picture imagines this work as a method of designing future culture (Dunn and Raby 2013).
