Guest Post by Dolapo Falana, Founder of DearTechBro
Please introduce yourself:
My name is Dolapo Falana. I wear many hats, and I don’t like boxing myself into a particular career, I’m a creative, and that means I’m versatile by default.
For this piece, I’m wearing three of those hats: software programmer, graphic designer, and brand logo designer.
I’ve been in the creative and tech space for about 6–7 years. I’ve worked on projects that range from coding user-friendly applications to designing brand identities for startups and personal brands. So you’d think I had “branding” figured out, right?
Well… not quite. At least not in the beginning.
What did you think branding was originally?
Let me be honest:
I had originally thought branding was just about visual aesthetics— the clean logos, matching fonts, and a beautiful Instagram feed. If it looked fine, it was branded. Simple.
To me, branding was a checklist:
Logo? ✅
Cool color palette? ✅
Canva templates? ✅
Catchy fonts? ✅
A nice “About” section with a few generic lines? ✅
And, yes! You’re branded.
As a graphic designer, I took pride in creating these visually appealing designs. I believed that if the design was picturesque, the branding was complete. After all, people judge with their eyes, nau?
I remember telling someone once,
“Your brand just needs to look good. That’s what attracts people.”
And, truly that was what I believed.
The truth is, I was only scratching the surface.
What was your turning point?
I’ll never forget that particular project.
I was brought in as a brand logo designer. You know, just to “do my thing,” or that was what I thought.
But instead of the usual, “Make visually appealing,” or “Just freestyle something,” the client sent me a full brand guide.
I was surprised.
It wasn’t just a mood board or a vague idea.
It was a comprehensive document that broke down the brand from the inside out. They had:
Defined their voice and tone
Mapped out their core message
Identified their ideal audience (down to age, pain points, and habits)
Listed their core values, vision, and mission
The wrote out their storytelling approach, content pillars, and even their brand vocabulary
It blew my mind.
I remember reading it and pausing to say to myself:
Wait… is this what branding really is?
They weren’t just designing a logo, they were building a whole identity.
A logo that could live and breathe across all platforms. A logo that made their audience feel something.
That was the day I realized that branding is not just about making things look good, it’s about making things mean something.
How did that shift change everything?
From that point on, I began approaching design differently.
I was no longer just focused on making logos that looked beautiful or handsome. 😂
Now, I wanted to understand these:
Who are you trying to speak to?
How do you want people to feel when they encounter your brand?
What do you want them to say about you when you’re not in the room?
What are your values? What’s your tone, are you playful, bold, calm, classy or premium?
What’s your backstory? What journey are you inviting people into?
I began to realize that a logo, no matter how beautiful, is just the face of something much deeper. Without the internal work, which are: clarity, voice, values, messaging, it’s just decoration.
The real power of branding lies in perception. And perception is built through consistency, connection, and storytelling.
The Identity Behind the Logo
Now, every time I design a logo or consult on a brand, I start with the foundation.
I ask the hard questions, even if the client is only asking for a design. Because I’ve seen what happens when you skip the brand work, you end up with something that looks good but says nothing.
Today, when I think of branding, I see it as a full-body experience:
It’s how your customers feel when they see your content.
It’s that vibe they get when they interact with your team.
It’s the story they associate with your name.
It’s the consistency across every touchpoint, from your tone on Twitter to your order confirmation email.
A brand is not a logo.
A brand is not your color palette.
A brand is not just your website.
A brand is a reputation. It’s an identity. It’s a living story.
In conclusion, So yes, I still create logos, but now, I understand their place in the bigger picture.
They’re no longer just visuals to me. They’re the final puzzle piece. They are the face of the story.
That moment changed the way I saw design. It made me respect branding as a full discipline.
Branding is one that involves psychology, storytelling, strategy, emotion, and yes, a bit of flair.
And that, for me, was the day I realized, branding is more than just a logo. It’s everything.
