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Brand Lab
Where entrepreneurs cultivate & engineer their personal brand, build thought leadership, and innovate their businesses.
Helping left-brainers, think right™.
We live in a time of abundant choice.
In fact, you can probably name at least ten other people who hold the same title you do. In the United States alone, there are:
- 1.3 million lawyers (Clio)
- 1.4 million accountants and auditors (Statista)
- 2 million Engineers (ASEE)
- 3 million real estate agents (ARELLO)
- 4.4 million software developers (Go Remotely)
- 25,510 mortgage brokers (Zippia)
If you’re currently generating at least $1M+ annually, you have already shown that you understand the importance of getting your name out there as you are currently experiencing the compound effect of positive word-of-mouth and referrals.
However, the market has been shifting drastically over the past few years. (No, it’s not only you that’s been feeling it).
This means that how you get your name out there and claim your competitive advantage needs to shift as well.
People are no longer just looking for a service. They are looking for meaning, identity, belonging, connection, status, and transcendent experiences.
Everything we do, associate with and buy, says something about who we are and how we see ourselves. We form our self-concept—who you think you are, and what makes you, you. We align ourselves with individuals and brands that stand for the same thing.
In our search for meaning, personal brands become lightning rods.
Your industry is no exception.
Commodities compete on price. Brands command a premium.
If people aren’t willing to pay more, have a preference for, or develop a deep emotional connection with your product or service, then you’re a commodity.
How can you avoid this outcome? You have to innovate. You have to design. By design, I don’t mean graphics, shapes, logos, or icons.
By design, I want to refer to Nobel laureate, Herbert Simon’s more expansive definition of design: to design is to devise courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
Does that sound like you?
If so, you are in the right place.
Welcome to Brand Lab
Brand Lab is my first-ever mastermind, born from over two decades running Blind®, a two-time, Emmy award-winning, design and production company, and now The Futur™, an education and omni-channel media company with over 3 million followers across multiple platforms.
If you’re reading this sentence, it’s safe to assume that your time is valuable, you have a bias towards action, and you are an out-of-the-box thinker. So, here’s the tl;dr version (too long, didn’t read).
In Brand Lab, I will help you:
What’s Included:
I’m sure we can agree that the last thing you want or need is to commit yourself to long calls or trainings that take up (even more of) your already limited time.
Your six-month access to Brand Lab will include:
Brand Lab Onboarding.
90-minute 1:1 Personal Brand Coaching Session (limited to the first 10 people who join Brand Lab).
90-minute Weekly Brand Lab Office Hours for Critiques, Feedback and Creative Direction.
Executive Summaries & Replays.
Access to my network of designers, editors, and creators.
Brand Lab Topics of Discussion
Here are just a few of the topics that I expect to cover with Brand Lab participants.
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Personal Branding
Content Marketing
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Creative & Art Direction
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Story Structures
Social Media Management
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Conceptual Thinking
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Passive Income Models
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Event Design
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Authority Building
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Public Speaking
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Teaching Methodologies
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Content Models
You’ve mastered the art of business. I’ll show you how to master the business of art.
In his book, A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink, notes the importance of right-brained thinking (design, story, empathy, and play) as critical components, as we shift from the Information Age towards the Conceptual Age. The ascendant brands in the 21st century (Meta, Netflix, Tencent, Sony, Adobe, Disney, Riot) directly/indirectly harness the power of imagination and ideas, not information.
Various thought leaders have simultaneously concluded that “It’s not the attention economy. But rather, attention is the economy.” Those who can create, capture, and leverage attention are the future billionaires.
Those who can create, capture, and leverage attention are the future billionaires.
Need Proof?
Here are just a few of the examples we found online of people who are in industries that “don’t need personal branding,” who have shown just how wrong that assumption is in today’s market.
Brand Lab Provides Creative Direction that Fits within Your Busy Schedule.
If you are generating at least $50k a month and want to amplify your reach and influence through personal branding, click below to apply for a spot inside Brand Lab.
Your Personal Brand Coach
In an interview with Complex magazine, Todd McFarlane, arguably the most successful comic book artist of all time, was asked what the secret to his success was. He said that he was “bilingual—he spoke the language of art & design, and the language of business.”
Like Todd, I am a bilingual creative—a hybrid professional that lives at the intersection of business and design. I have had a 20+ year history in running a creative services company (Blind), and am a traditionally trained designer.
I got my BFA in graphic design/packaging from ArtCenter College of design in 1995. From 1995-2018, I ran a two-time, Emmy® award winning production and post production company in Los Angeles. Over that period, we grossed over $80m in revenue, had bi-coastal offices, worked with the top tier advertising agencies, and Fortune 1000 brands like: Nike, Sony Playstation, X-Box, Land Rover, Google, Microsoft and Electronic Arts.
During this period, I was coached for 13+ years by my business mentor, Keir McLaren (my unofficial MBA). I taught at ArtCenter College of Design for close to 15 years. I have hired and worked with hundreds of artists over my career. I’ve lectured all over the world and have been published by the leading industry magazines and books including: Communication Arts, I.D., Type Director’s Club, The One Show, British D&AD, Shoot, How, Magazine B, and PPaper. I’ve delivered keynote talks and workshops for: Digital Design Days, Awwwards, Entrepreneur’s Organization, AIGA, MIT, Stanford youth alliance, and RGD.
I didn’t start creating content on Youtube, first as the Skool, then as the Futur, until January 2014, at 42 years of age. I’ve made over 1,800 videos, hundreds of posts and carousels, and have managed to amass a sizable social following and a Top 20 marketing podcast that has included interviews with: Chris Voss, Daniel Pristley, Kindra Hall and Vinh Giang.
My social stats—all organic, no black hat strategies.
In other words, working with me inside of Brand Lab doesn’t just give you a personal brand coach, but one who has the experience and results to get you to where you want to go.
Expertise
- 23 years running brand design consultancy Blind
- 15+ years of teaching design at ArtCenter and Otis College of Art and Design
- 10+ years of international speaking, content creation, and audience building
- 2 years of running the EO jumpstart program
Awards Won
- 2 Emmy® Awards
- 2 Clio Awards
- Effie Gold Award
- Gold and Bronze ADDY Award
- London International Award
- Individual Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Gold & Silver Create Awards
High Profile Clients Supported
- Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
- Justin Timberlake “Lovestoned”
- ColdPlay “Ink”
- Xbox, Playstation, EA, Audi, Honda, Google, Mophie, Microsoft, Sony, Spike, Fox Sports, UFC, MLB Allstars, Quicksilver, Crate & Barrel, Anime Expo, Nat Geo Wild, Taco Bell, Dunkin, Verizon and American Airlines
Published In
- Communication Arts
- I.D.
- Type Director’s Club
- The One Show
- British D&AD
- Shoot
- How
- Magazine B
- PPaper
Boards Participated On
- SPJA and AIGA (Board of Directors)
- Otis College of Art and Design (Board of Governors)
Here’s what others
have to say:
Your Questions Answered
What is the investment?
The Brand Lab Membership is an investment of $18k for six months and includes all calls, resources, and direct feedback and creative direction on your brand, design, writing, positioning, etc. from Chris Do.
What does the application process look like?
All potential Brand Lab participants will need to apply before joining. You can click here to submit your application and receive a pre-approval at the end. Your application will then go to a member of our team who will personally review your application and reach out to discuss your next steps.
When do the Office Hours happen?
Brand Lab Office hours are held on a weekly basis, alternating each week to accommodate those in different time zones. We make it easy to join, no matter where you are in the world.
Also note that these calls are designed for you to be able to pop in and out, as needed. We encourage you to come to the calls when there is work you want Chris’ eyes and expertise on.
What is the time commitment?
Get in. Get what you need. Get out. It's that simple. You can commit as much time as you need or as little time as you want - it's totally up to you. Join the calls when you need help. Get the help you need, and then get back to your primary business.
I want to make sure I’m in a place to make the most out of my Brand Lab experience. Is now the right time for me?
Brand Lab was created with the busy schedule of an entrepreneur in mind which means that whether you show up to three calls or twenty, you’re going to be able to make the most out of your experience.
The one thing we do ask is that you either have a team on hand for the implementation of your Brand Lab roadmap or are open to tapping into my network (I’m happy to make connections) so that the work is getting done.
My revenue this year isn’t what it once was and $18k feels like a lot right now. What should I do?
As I mentioned above, we are in a time when the market is changing - drastically and fast - and this may already be showing in your revenue. As someone who has run businesses throughout some pretty big market shifts, I can tell you that innovation is paramount during this time. What that looks like for you may or may not be this direction. Only you can decide that. Just know that we’ll be here when you’re ready.
I’m a creative, can I join Brand Lab?
While the offers we have at The Futur™ were created with creatives in mind, Brand Lab is for left-brained entrepreneurs, authors, thought-leaders, consultants, coaches, and media mavericks.
Who is Chris Do?
Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.
He currently serves as the chairman of the board for the SPJA, and as an advisor to Saleshood. He has also served as: advisory board member for AIGA/LA, Emmys Motion & Title Design Peer Group, Otis Board of Governors, Santa Monica College and Woodbury University.
He has taught Sequential design for over 15 years at ArtCenter College of Design as well as Otis College of Art and Design. Additionally, he has lectured all over the world including: AIGA National Design Conference, Birmingham Design Festival, Awwwards New York/San Francisco/Amsterdam, AIGA Miami, The Design Conference Brisbane, Creative South, Digital Design Days Milan/Geneva, Lu Xun Academy Fine Art Dalian, Motion Conference Santa Fe, VMA Design Conference, MIT Boston, Bend Design Conference, Graphika Manila, Create Philippines, Rise Up Summit Cairo, RGD Design Thinkers Toronto, California Institute of the Arts, LA Art Institute, Otis College of Design, UCLA, MGLA, Cal State Los Angeles/ Northridge, Post Production World, Adobe Video World and San Diego University.
His firm’s work has been recognized by national and international organizations such as: the Emmy’s, Clio, Effie Gold, Huffington Post, Lynda.com, Webbie, Communication Arts, London International Awards, One Show, British D&AD, AICP 20, Pictoplasma, How, 72 dpi, L.A. Weekly, Boards, Res 10, Type Director’s Club (20, 22, 23, 26), IDN, Addy Awards, BDA, Create, Stash (2, 12, 22, 24, 35, 43, 65), Creatie Augustus 2010, Motion Design, Asia Image, Brief, 365 AIGA Year In Design 26, Art Director’s Club, Motionographer, New York Festivals, B Brand, PPaper, I.D., and Print.
Mr. Do has given talks and conducted workshops on: Sales, Negotiations, Value Based Pricing, Mindset, Branding, Graphic & Motion Design, Social Media Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Business Management, and Client Relations.
Experience Your Next Level of Growth and Impact.
If you are generating at least $50k a month and want to amplify your reach and influence through personal branding, click below to apply for a spot inside Brand Lab.
Note: The Brand Lab investment is $18k for six months, with payment plans available.