Turns out, I may not know as much about branding as I thought. ⚽
Okay, here’s the deal—I’m the first to admit that football doesn’t exactly light a fire in me. Shocking, right? An Englishman who isn’t all about The Beautiful Game. 🤷♂️ It is what it is, and honestly, the reasons for this could probably fill another post. But this weekend, Hyperfocus got an invitation to visit BVB’s stadium in Dortmund to watch a game and to meet their marketing team, and let me tell you—they the team was pumped! And I was definitely in for a road trip.
Before we head into this adventure, let me set the stage for this post. … Building brands is a wild ride—it’s exhilarating, but it can also be frustrating and also full of many other emotions in between. As brand designers, we pour our hearts into bringing these brands to life, showcasing them in all their glory. And if we’re lucky? Maybe that brand gets noticed. Maybe it gets picked up by The Brand Identity, showcased on Visuelle, or gets a shout-out from Bounty Hunters.
Sure, that’s a nice payoff. But let’s be real for a second. The true measure of success for a brand is whether its audience connects with it—whether they feel it, own it, fall in love with it, not just how many likes or shares it gets, I was about to get a first hand life lesson on what this really means.
Okay, back to our road trip… As we entered Dortmund, we were immediately engulfed in black and yellow. It was hard not to feel the intensity of it all—the city practically bled BVB. Graffiti, posters, fan art, merchandise, signage—it was everywhere.
Our first stop? BVB’s head office. And I’ll be honest, there was a moment that gave me chills when we heard the club’s story and history. From there, we were gifted black and yellow scarves (officially part of the family now) and made our way toward the stadium. What followed was nothing short of overwhelming (in the most amazing way). We were surrounded by nothing but love and passion. On that short walk, we met some of the most inspiring people, heard some of the most incredible stories, and were welcomed into an atmosphere that felt like home—a sense of community I’ve never experienced before, it was truly life changing!
We, as designers, talk about our hopes and dreams for the projects we work on. Yes, we love what we do, and we’ve got strategic plans on how we hope our audience will engage. But let me tell you, a brand is nothing without its people. The love, camaraderie, and energy I felt at BVB? It was unreal. This is the true power of a brand—the passion, the hope, the ambition, the drive, and the sense of belonging. The brands we help shape are, at their core, shaped by the people who connect with them and make them their own. If you ever have the chance to stand face to face with a true fan, you will understand how deep it runs.
This weekend was living proof of that.
