Minimum Viable Identity

Branding for the Brands That Don’t Exist Yet

YOU’VE GOT THE IDEA. YOU KNOW THE MARKET. MAYBE IT’S A NEW CPG CONCEPT, MAYBE IT’S A TECH PRODUCT, MAYBE IT’S SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T QUITE FIT INTO A CLEAN CATEGORY—BUT IT’S REAL TO YOU.

You know it’ll work. You just need time, resources, traction. The instinct is to build. Pour everything into the product. Perfect it. Get it shelf-ready or dev-ready or investor-ready—then start thinking about branding.

But that’s backwards.

Brand identity isn’t the polish you add at the end. It’s the strategic tool you use to unlock the next stage. It’s how you get feedback before you waste time building the wrong thing. It’s how you look real before you are real. It’s how you tell the story in a way that makes other people care enough to buy in—whether that’s customers, investors, retailers, or potential collaborators.

This is the core idea behind what we call Minimum Viable Identity—a lean, intentional brand presence that captures the future state of your business in a way that moves the needle now.

Branding at this stage is about visibility and legitimacy. It’s not decoration. It’s not fluff. It’s a way to translate what lives in your head into something the outside world can understand and respond to. Think about it: how are you going to get meaningful feedback, funding, or attention if the only thing you have is a pitch deck or a half-finished prototype? You need something tangible. Something people can look at, point to, and say, “I get it. I see the vision.”

And that doesn’t mean lying or overhyping. This isn’t about faking it. It’s about expressing the concept clearly and confidently—showing the trajectory of where your product is going, not just where it is now. You’re not tricking people. You’re showing them what you see.

Let’s say you’re launching a new energy drink. You’ve nailed the positioning, the ingredients, the unique angle. But you’re still working out the formulation. You’re trying to raise funds. You want to test your idea in the real world. This is the perfect moment to build the brand—before there’s even a product to ship. We craft the brand identity: name, logo, color system, tone of voice, packaging mockups, landing page, basic social content. Suddenly you have a presence. You’re collecting email leads. You’re sending samples to potential partners. You’re in real conversations with real retailers. And most importantly, you’re getting real feedback that helps shape the product long before it’s locked.

You’ve gone from idea to something that looks—and feels—like it’s already on shelf.

Here’s what most founders miss: a strong brand identity isn’t just a means of communication. It’s a tool for validation. It gives people something to react to. You’ll make smarter product decisions, clearer messaging choices, and sharper strategic moves because the identity gives shape to what was previously just a concept. You’re no longer selling an idea—you’re telling a story. And stories stick.

Big brands have known this forever. They don’t wait for the product to be finished before they start selling it. They pitch buyers with renderings and moodboards. They float product concepts with mock packaging and deck slides. They get a yes from a retailer, then go into production. It’s a test-and-learn model built into their process. Startups should be doing the same thing.

So what does Minimum Viable Identity actually include? It’s not one-size-fits-all, but the core ingredients are usually the same: a clear and compelling brand story, a visual identity system that feels sharp and intentional, early packaging mockups or digital product renders, and a digital presence that acts as a gathering point—something like a basic landing page or a curated social feed. It’s not about overbuilding. It’s about building just enough to get people to take you seriously.

This identity becomes the foundation for everything else. It feeds into your investor deck. It informs your messaging. It tells potential collaborators what kind of company you are—and where you’re headed. It also gives you control over how your concept enters the world. Instead of whispering about it in closed-door conversations, you’re making a public statement: this is who we are, and here’s where we’re going.

We see this moment all the time—founders hesitating to go live, waiting for things to be “ready.” But readiness is a myth. It’s a moving target. What you need is a vessel to carry your concept into the world. And that’s what brand identity is. Not just a logo or a vibe—but a tool for shaping perception, building belief, and accelerating the process of making your idea real.

The best part? It’s still flexible. You’ll evolve. You’ll refine the product. You’ll change your mind about certain features or benefits. But because you built the brand identity early, you’ve already done the work of distilling your vision. You’ve already gathered reactions. You’re not guessing anymore.

So if you’re in that messy in-between space—if you’ve got the spark but not the buildout, the idea but not the infrastructure—this is your move. Don’t wait until you’ve burned through your budget or launched something half-baked.

Build the brand now. Show the world something concrete.

And then go make it real.