The Brand Print

Capturing your brand's unique identity.

Author

Jaime Solis
25 Apr

Welcome to Red Threads

For creators who lead.

Strategic insights at the intersection of music, podcasting, marketing, AI, and culture.

"Clarity is the elimination of the unnecessary so the necessary can speak."
— Hans Hofmann

It’s Friday and welcome to Red Threads! Today we’re talking about the Brand Print–what it is, why you need it, and how to build it.

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The Red Thread This Week

Brand Identity and Purpose

When I worked in agency strategy, we built a lot of things: campaigns, websites, pitch decks.

But the tool that made the biggest difference for our clients wasn’t glossy.
It wasn’t loud.

It was one page.

A Brand Print—a distilled fingerprint of who you are, what you stand for, and why it matters.

Not a tagline. Not a slogan.
A compass.

One page that forces hard clarity:
Who are we really?
What are we here to do?
Why should anyone care?

One of my favorite examples? The San Diego Zoo. They used their Brand Print as a guiding light for years, shaping everything from their messaging to their operational philosophy. It helped them evolve from “just a zoo” into a global movement for conservation and education.

That’s the power of focus.

And it’s not reserved for brands with million-dollar budgets.

It’s for anyone serious about building something that lasts:
Creators. Founders. Nonprofits. Artists. Builders.

So let’s break down why a Brand Print might be the most powerful page your business is missing—and how to create your own.

~ Jaime

🔑 The Unlock

Build Your Own Brand Print

Every Brand Print includes five simple, strategic components that exist as statements.

Here’s what they are–along with real world examples from the San Diego Zoo to help you shape your own:

1. Who We Are: The core of your identity in a few clear sentences.
📍 SD Zoo: A global leader in conservation, education, and wildlife care. A place where people connect emotionally with animals and nature.

2. What We’re Trying to Achieve: The change you’re here to make—not just your goals.
📍 SD Zoo: Inspire people to take action to protect wildlife. Lead conservation efforts that have a lasting global impact.

3. The Way We Do Things: Your methods, tone, and behaviors that set you apart.
📍 SD Zoo: Create immersive, engaging experiences that foster curiosity. Operate with the highest standards of animal care and welfare.

4. How We Represent Ourselves: Visual tone, brand voice, and experience design.
📍 SD Zoo: Our color palette is bright, vibrant, tropical, technicolor: green, blue, purple, pink, and crimson. Our icons are the ‘animal classics’. Guests form relationships and bond with with the Zoo stars and personalities. Messaging balances inspiration with education—less “look at this animal,” more “here’s how you can help protect them.”

5. Who We Attract: The people who share your values and benefit most from your work.
📍 SD Zoo: Multi-generational families and younger children. Mothers with kids in strollers, seniors, educators, and wildlife enthusiasts. People who care about conservation and want to make a difference.

📌 Take Action: Block 1 hour. Turn these statements into questions (Who are we? What are we trying to achieve? etc.) and do your best to answer them. Keep it short, specific, and honest.

A strong Brand Print, if truly embraced by a team with a commitment to the attributes, can serve as the backbone to an entire organization.

💡 Creative Edge

Why You Need a Brand Print—Even If You’re Solo

Most creators don’t have a messaging problem.
They have a clarity problem.

They pivot too often.
They write copy that sends mixed signals, and doesn’t land.
They struggle to explain what they do—or who they seek to serve.

A Brand Print fixes that. It helps you:

  • Filter what’s on-brand and what’s noise

  • Make faster decisions with less guesswork

  • Create marketing that actually feels like you

  • Align your products, partnerships, and content with your core

Because when your identity is sharp, everything else starts making more sense.

📡 Industry Pulse

  • Crumbl Sued by Warner Music Over TikTok Infringement
    The $2B cookie brand is under legal fire for using unlicensed music in viral posts. A reminder: brand-building on borrowed IP comes with risks.
    Read more ›

  • HYBE + Telemundo Launch Latin Music Competition
    K-pop giant HYBE is teaming with Telemundo to form a regional Mexican group via reality TV. Cross-market brand fusion in real time.
    Read more ›

  • Meta Launches “Edits,” a CapCut Rival for Creators
    Meta’s new editing tool offers royalty-free music and tighter platform integration—taking square aim at TikTok’s creator ecosystem.
    Read more ›

  • Tencent Music Rolls Out AI Music Generator for Streamers
    Musicians in China can now create AI tracks and send them straight to QQ Music. Frictionless creation meets platform-native distribution.
    Read more ›

  • Branded Content Rebounds as Top Revenue Source for Publishers
    New Digiday data shows a surge in branded content deals—especially for publishers who blend editorial voice with partner storytelling.
    Read more ›

📈 By The Numbers

Source: From Explosion to Evolution: The State of Video Podcasting by Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media

What it says: Podcast Platform comparison, 2024-2025

What it means: YouTube is the only platform to show significant growth - but that growth didn’t take away from the other platforms, either. Podcasting’s versatility continues to show that audio and video are complementary.

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

  • Shumer Prompt – A no-friction prompt-building assistant that helps you design better ChatGPT inputs with structure, clarity, and tone alignment.

  • ChatSlide – Upload a PDF or presentation and let AI summarize, translate, and generate slides instantly—perfect for creators and consultants working at speed.

  • Character.AI Avatar FX – Generate expressive talking avatars powered by AI; a lightweight entry point for branded character content.

  • Meta Edits – Meta’s new mobile editing app to rival CapCut, offering fast, music-integrated short-form video creation with cross-platform ease.

  • RoomBoost AI – Generate custom digital backgrounds and virtual rooms for video calls, webinars, and content production—with aesthetic and spatial control.

⚡ Final Note

Want more Red Threads in your life?

You can find daily blog posts here and connect on LinkedIn here.

You’ve got an idea. A message. A story worth telling. The only thing standing between you and your own podcast? Getting started.

That’s why I put together The 7-Day Podcast Challenge—a simple, step-by-step guide to getting your podcast live in a week. No fluff, no wasted motion. Just a clear path from idea to launch.

And thank you for spending time with Red Threads this week. I’m glad you’re here.

~ Jaime

P.S. Could you use some help with a project you’re working on? Let’s talk! 

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