Mission, Vision, and Values for Brand Designers
In today's crowded marketplace, the brands you design for need something more substantial than beautiful visuals.
While a sleek logo and attractive color palette might catch attention, the purpose and direction of the brand truly allows it to connect with their audience.
This is where mission, vision, and values come into play.
Together, these three elements form the foundation that should guide all your design decisions, from visual identity to marketing messages to product development.
They shouldn't be treated as just fancy statements for a client's website. They are practical tools that you can use to shape how the brands you design for grow and communicate.
When mission, vision, and values are clearly defined, they create consistency and authenticity that resonates with both their internal teams and external audiences.
At Marlo Studios, we've learned through working with 100s of clients that defining these foundational elements is the critical first step in any effective branding process.
Before we even begin sketching logo concepts or selecting color palettes, we always establish the mission, vision, and values using our Brand Guidelines product.
This approach ensures that the visual identity we create truly reflects the heart of the brand we’re designing for.
What Is a Mission Statement?
A mission statement explains why a brand exists.
It should focus on the present and clearly clarify what a brand does, who it serves, and why it matters.
When helping clients craft a mission statement, encourage them to answer:
What is the fundamental purpose of the brand?
How does it bring joy to their customers' lives?
Our client MYMIKA, a sustainable fashion platform, empowers a mindful approach to fashion through a curated retail platform offering quality clothing.
Their mission is to redefine the shopping experience by encouraging customers to "buy well, not often." This solves the common dilemma of having a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear.
Helping your clients develop a clear mission statement ensures their brand stays focused on what truly matters—and gives you a strong foundation for your design work.
What Is a Vision Statement?
A vision statement defines what a company aspires to be.
It looks forward and provides inspiration for long-term decision making, showing where the brand wants to go.
When you guide clients to create a vision statement, ask them:
Where do they see the brand in 5–10 years?
What impact do they want their brand to have on the world?
MYMIKA has a vision of transforming the fashion industry in Taiwan through sustainable practices and changing how consumers think about clothing purchases.
They envision a future where mindful consumption becomes the norm and quality trumps quantity in fashion choices.
For you as a designer, a strong vision statement provides context to ensure the brand identity you create has room to grow and evolve with your client's aspirations.
What Are Brand Values?
Brand values define how a company operates.
They are guiding principles that reflect beliefs and culture both internally and externally. Values shape how employees work and how the brand interacts with clients and markets.
Brand values answer the question:
How do they want their brand to achieve their mission and vision?
How does their team want to show up every day?
Our client MYMIKA operates with four core values that shape their approach to luxury fashion.
They embrace authenticity by celebrating individual style. Through confidence, they guide customers toward purchases that align with personal values.
Their curiosity fuels continuous learning about sustainable practices, while mindfulness underpins their commitment to thoughtful consumption.
Together, these principles inform how they curate their pre-loved luxury platform.
When crafting visual elements for clients, strong brand values provide clear direction on the tone, style, and personality your designs should embody.
Role of Mission, Vision, Values in Design
Mission, vision, and values combine to create the North Star for designing a brand identity.
They serve as the foundation that guides all visual and verbal decisions throughout the design process.
When clearly defined, these elements influence every aspect of the brand. They inform the logo design, color palette selection, typography choices, imagery style, and voice.
This strategic foundation extends beyond visual elements to shape the entire customer experience. From website interactions to product packaging to social media content.
At Marlo Studios, we begin each project with a comprehensive Brand Questionnaire.
This process helps us understand the deeper purpose behind a brand before any visual work begins. We ask questions like:
What is your intention in starting your business?
Why are you passionate about this?
How do you want your brand to be perceived in the market?
As a designer, you'll encounter clients who make the mistake of creating generic or inconsistent MVV statements. Part of your value is helping them refine these crucial elements.
When a client’s mission, vision, and values truly reflect their brand purpose, the resulting design becomes both authentic and strategic.
This creates a brand identity that not only looks beautiful but also effectively communicates their core purpose.
Real Brand Inspiration—MYMIKA
Throughout this article, we have used MYMIKA as our primary example of mission, vision, and values in action.
Let us explore their story more deeply.
Debbie founded MYMIKA after making a bold career change from a secure corporate job in New York to start a sustainable fashion platform in Taiwan.
This personal journey reflects the courage often found behind meaningful brand stories.
Debbie identified a significant gap in the market that sparked the creation of MYMIKA. Despite growing environmental concerns about the fashion industry, Taiwan lacked accessible sustainable fashion platforms.
This need became the driving force behind her mission.
Even the name carries personal significance. "MYMIKA" is named after Debbie's beloved dog, Mika.
This personal connection adds authenticity to the brand and creates an emotional touchpoint that resonates with customers who value the human stories behind the businesses they support.
The combination of personal passion, market opportunity, and authentic storytelling makes MYMIKA a compelling example of how mission, vision, and values naturally inform brand development.
Their clear purpose gave our design team the direction needed to create everything from their visual identity to customer experience elements.
Conclusion
For designers, starting with mission, vision, and values creates stronger brand design. While logos and colors catch attention, it's the brand's purpose that builds lasting connections with their audience.
A clear mission explains why your client's brand exists, vision shows where they're heading, and values guide how they operate. Together, these elements ensure every design element you create authentically represents their brand while maintaining consistency across all touchpoints.
Want to apply these principles to your client projects?
Our Brand Guidelines 2.0 template gives you the tools to document your clients' mission, vision, values and translate them into cohesive visual guidelines they'll love.
