Imagine your five‑year‑old daughter running into your home office, clutching a sheet of construction paper. She’s drawn a rocket in marker‑box colors and signs her name with a huge, wobbly “P.” It’s crooked, the tail curls the wrong way, and the ink bleeds through. You tape it to the fridge anyway, because that single lopsided letter means something larger than technique: she wanted you to see her work.

That “P” stands for purpose. The rocket may catch the eye, but the purpose behind it grabs the heart. That’s what earns the prized fridge real estate long after the marker fades.

The Trouble with “Looking the Part”

Business culture trains us to look for pristine aesthetics. They want us to buy the rocket, and we want the flawless decks and showroom packaging. There’s nothing wrong with that, with beauty. Our brains are wired for it. However, beauty without belief is just sugar water. It’s a quick buzz, no nourishment.

Brand substance is the invisible tape that keeps the picture on the fridge even when the door slams. You don’t admire the tape, but you feel its work.

In practice, that substance shows up as the unglamorous choices: answering every support email, showing up early on Monday, smiling when it might feel difficult. People pick up on that integrity, even if they never read your brand guidelines. They appreciate the gestures that say “we care when no one is watching.”

That can’t be conveyed with just a logo or some typography.

Substance Feels Personal—Because It Is

Trying to define your purpose is how you start uncovering your brand’s real substance. That’s felt first in your gut, not drafted in a strategy meeting.

Human first: Ask, “What problem keeps me up at night, and what would it look like to fix even a piece of it?”

Business next: Translate that answer into a promise customers can actually experience.

Take Patagonia for example. They want to help the plant get rid of waste, so they take back their old jackets and aim to use only recycled or renewable materials by 2025. Shoppers aren’t just buying outerwear, but they’re signing on to a mission they can believe in.

Two Questions to Sit With Tonight

If my business vanished tomorrow, whose day would be harder? That’s your audience.

Besides money, what do we want more of in five years? That’s your vision.

Pin those answers where you tape the rocket drawing. They’ll remind you that the flashy parts of a brand (the fins and flames) matter only if the invisible tape—integrity and purpose—holds everything in place.

Bring It Home

Pretty is powerful. Substance is sustainable. Aim for both, but start with substance. Every splash of color and copy grows sharper when it carries the weight of why.

Need a sounding board or want to talk out your brand strategy? The couches at The Nexus are open, and the coffee’s on us. Join a coworking space and creative hub for business owners building things that matter.

Sometimes clarity strikes faster when spoken out loud.

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