Brand strategy and storytelling: what a cartoon character taught me
- Blanca Ruiz
- Apr 1, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
I have a double life...
In my more visible version, I'm a brand strategist and identity designer. I help founders and CEOs build brands that open doors in new markets.
But there's another version of me that most clients never see — and it's the one that makes me think differently than any other brand consultant you'll meet.
The character that changed everything and taught me brand strategy and story telling.
When I was younger, I created a cartoon character from scratch. I built the concept, the story, the visual world, the personality, the emotional tone. I designed every product, every licensing material, every touchpoint.
Then I took it to market.
That character ended up licensed by Mexico's largest telecom. It was shown at MIPCOM —the world's largest entertainment market in Cannes, where Disney, Dreamworks, and the biggest IP holders in the world come to do business. It was recognized at IDEATOON. It traveled across cultures and markets it was never originally designed for.
And the reason it worked wasn't talent. It wasn't luck.
It was because I had built a complete brand world, not just a character with a name and a logo, but an entire universe with a personality, a story, an emotional language, and a visual system that could translate across contexts. In few words, I used brand strategy and storytelling.
What this has to do with your brand
When I sit down with a client after a brand workshop, my brain doesn't go to "what should the logo look like."
It goes to: what world does this brand live in?
What is the personality?
What is the emotional tone?
What story does this brand tell before anyone reads a single word?
What does it feel like to encounter this brand for the first time?
That's the thinking that took a cartoon character from a sketch in my hometown to an international licensing deal.
And this is the same thinking I bring to every brand I build.
Most designers give you a logo and a color palette.
What I give you is a world.
A world your clients want to step into.
A world your team can build from.
A world that travels across markets, across cultures, across languages.
The lesson: Brand strategy and storytelling: the connection most people miss
The strongest brands are never just visual. They're experiential. They have a personality, a story, a point of view. When those elements are aligned, something shifts — the brand starts doing work you can't do with words alone.
That's what I learned building an IP from scratch. That's what I bring to your brand.
If you're building something that deserves a world — not just a logo — let's talk.
Contact me at www.brsbranding.com
Blanca Ruíz, Brand Alchemist.
I build brand worlds, strategy, story, and visual identity for companies stepping into new territory.
26 years at the intersection of brand strategy, business, and design.
Bilingual. US and Mexican markets.
Comments