#349 - Between Trends and Timelessness: The Antara Approach to Building Strong Brands from the Outside In

Isabel Mendez is the founder and design director at Antara Studio, an award-winning full-service design partner for purpose-driven brands. With a focus on brand, content, and design, Isabel and her team help companies create cohesive and emotionally resonant identities across all touchpoints.In this episode of DTC POD, Blaine and Isabel discuss:The three necessary phases for creating a brand identityWhat makes a good brand story and how brands can effectively communicate itHow brands can adapt to trends while remaining true to who they areInteract with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. DTC Brand Design Trends2. Stages of Brand Identity Building3. Characteristics of a Good Brand Story4. Consistency in Branding5. Branding as a Holistic ProcessTimestamps00:00 Starting the design studio Antara03:39 From freelancing to building a team05:10 The basics of building a great brand07:45 Branding as graphic communication10:21 Owning assets vs having a brand12:26 Phases of brand identity construction16:21 What makes a good brand story21:09 Brand case study: Star Fades International25:15 Establishing a design story for brands26:55 Brand application and consistency29:48 Design trends and timelessness33:33 What’s next for AntaraShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  Isabel Mendez - Founder and Design Director of Antara StudioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic