Brand book
The Artisan Quarter is more than a collection of streets and businesses. It is a community of independent businesses, makers, creators and people who each bring their own character to this part of Whitby. This Brand Book gives us a shared identity and a way to tell that story together, while celebrating the individuality that makes the Quarter what it is.
As Zoe from Little Birdy Brand explains, the Brand Book is designed to “inform decisions, generate ideas and provide a shared identity that we can all get behind.” It brings together what we stand for, who we are for and what makes the Artisan Quarter different, giving us a shared visual and verbal identity that can help more people discover our streets and businesses.
Inside you’ll find the ideas, language and visual identity that bring the Artisan Quarter brand to life, from our shared values and personality to our tone of voice and practical toolkit. It isn’t about making everyone look or sound the same. Instead, it gives us a common thread that connects what we do, while leaving space for the independence and personality at the heart of the Quarter.
Think of it as a toolkit, not a rule book. Use it, adapt it and make it your own.
USING AI
AI can be a useful tool, but it shouldn’t speak for you. Use it to help, then make it yours.
DO
- Use AI as a starting point for ideas, structure and first drafts.
- Give it real detail about your business, people, products and stories.
- Edit everything so the finished content genuinely sounds like you.
- Add the human stuff: personality, humour, local knowledge and specific details.
- Check your facts, including names, dates, times, prices and claims.
- Keep it simple and accessible: clear, genuine content is usually better content.
DON’T
- Copy and paste straight from AI without reading and editing it.
- Lose your own voice: if it could describe any business in any town, rethink it.
- Overdo the adjectives: not everything is vibrant, exciting, unique or unforgettable.
- Overuse emojis: screen readers may read each one aloud, making posts difficult for visually impaired people to navigate.
- Fill posts with unnecessary hashtags, exclamation marks or generic AI phrases.
- Invent information, reviews, quotes or experiences. AI can sound convincing even when it is wrong.
