Andy Olivier, editor
HOW TO BUILD A BRAND THAT ACTUALLY SELLS
June 4
The Aesthetic Trap
You’ve got the logo. The palette is perfect. The Instagram grid looks like a design lover’s dream. So why aren’t people buying? Here’s the hard truth: pretty doesn’t always sell, strategy does.
At Lenny Studios, we meet a lot of founders and creatives who invest in visuals but overlook the foundational work. The result? A brand that turns heads… but not into sales. If you want to build a brand that doesn’t just look good, but actually drives revenue, trust, and loyalty: read on.

In this guide, you’ll learn:
Step 1 - Start With Positioning
Before your designer even touches a sketchpad, you need to define one thing: who you are and why you matter.
This is called brand positioning - and it answers:
- What do you do?
- Who do you serve?
- Why should they choose you over others?
Positioning isn’t a tagline, it’s the foundation for everything else. Without it, you’ll create a visually nice brand that feels disconnected from your audience and market.
Pro tip: Try writing a one-liner: “We help [audience] solve [problem] by doing [unique value].”
If you can’t answer that in one sentence, your brand needs work, no matter how great it looks.
Step 2 - Strategy-Led Visuals
A strong brand identity does more than catch the eye - it communicates value instantly.
At Lenny Studios, we build brand visuals that do 3 things:
1. Reflect your personality
2. Attract your ideal audience
3. Align with your goals (conversion, recognition, trust)
This includes:
- Logo variations
- Typography and layout systems
- Color psychology
- Iconography and asset libraries
- Image direction and moodboarding
Design is not about trends. It’s about resonance. A visual identity should feel like your brand’s soul - not a Pinterest board.
Step 3 - Build for Experience, Not Just Exposure
Here’s what most people forget: your brand doesn’t live in one place. It shows up on your website, social, packaging, WhatsApp replies, reels, booking emails, even the tone in your IG captions.
We call this experience branding - and it’s what separates a forgettable brand from one that people love, recommend, and return to.
Ask yourself:
- Does your Instagram bio match the tone of your website?
- Do your pitch decks feel aligned with your packaging?
- Do your reels feel on-brand or generic?
Your audience should be able to recognize your brand across every touchpoint - even without seeing your logo.
Step 4 - Messaging That Moves People
A beautiful brand with poor messaging is like a luxury store with no one to greet you. People need direction. They need clarity. And most importantly - they need a reason to care.
Your brand’s tone of voice should:
- Speak your customer’s language (not industry jargon)
- Reflect your personality (funny, elegant, bold, cheeky - pick one!)
- Guide action (with powerful CTAs that aren’t pushy)
Some examples we use at Lenny Studios:
- “Design that works as hard as you do.”
- “Brands that convert, not just impress.”
- “Built to scale. Designed to stand out.”
Don’t just say what you do - show them why it matters.
Step 5 - Consistency Builds Trust
Ever bought from a brand you didn’t trust? Probably not.
Trust isn’t just about product quality - it’s about showing up consistently across every channel.
That means:
- Same tone across website, IG, email
- Cohesive visual style across all assets
- Regular content (not just during launch)
- Clean presentation across all platforms
If your audience feels confused, they’ll bounce. If they feel confident? They’ll convert.
Pro tip: Invest in a simple brand guidelines document to make consistency easy - especially as your team grows or you hire freelancers.
What Selling Brands Actually Do Differently
Here’s what we’ve observed after building dozens of brands across Bali, Dubai, and beyond:
They invest in strategy before design
They’re not afraid to be bold or different
Their messaging speaks like a real human, not a robot
They evolve - but don’t rebrand every 6 months
They treat their audience like a community, not just customers
Ready to build a brand with soul and strategy?
Let’s create something unforgettable.
Contact Lenny Studios