Edip Kilinc is the founder of Webwavers. Together with his team, he develops websites, brands, and digital presences for ambitious companies – with over 250 completed projects, and honored with awards including the German Design Award 2026.
A brand core does not have to be complicated. It consists of three statements that apply internally and shine through externally.
Sentence 1 – What we stand for. The conviction that guides your work. Not the offer, but the principle behind it. We believe that a website is only finished when someone can use it without an explanation.
Sentence 2 – Who we are here for. The target group, defined so narrowly that it excludes others. Medium-sized industrial companies with between 50 and 500 employees that sell products requiring explanation.
Sentence 3 – What we do differently. The difference to the obvious alternatives, in a verifiable form. We do not take on any project where the content is not defined beforehand.
These three sentences fit on half a page. Anything longer will not be applied.
A brand core does not have to be complicated. It consists of three statements that apply internally and shine through externally.
Sentence 1 – What we stand for. The conviction that guides your work. Not the offer, but the principle behind it. We believe that a website is only finished when someone can use it without an explanation.
Sentence 2 – Who we are here for. The target group, defined so narrowly that it excludes others. Medium-sized industrial companies with between 50 and 500 employees that sell products requiring explanation.
Sentence 3 – What we do differently. The difference to the obvious alternatives, in a verifiable form. We do not take on any project where the content is not defined beforehand.
These three sentences fit on half a page. Anything longer will not be applied.
Take your three sentences and ask: Could a competitor sign them off just like that?
If so, they are worthless. "We stand for quality, reliability, and partnership-based cooperation" could be signed off by anyone. That is precisely why it is on every second website and contributes nothing.
A useful brand core has a flip side that someone else could choose. If you say that you only work with clients who deliver content themselves, then there are providers who do it differently – and that is proof that you have taken a stand.
The second test: Have you made a decision in the last twelve months that conformed to these sentences and cost money? A rejected project, a lost client, an extra effort that you did not charge for. If not, the brand core is an intention, not a practice.
A brand core is not created in a creative workshop, but by evaluating what is already there.
Step 1 – the best clients. Take the five projects that went best. What did these clients have in common? Industry, size, situation, attitude. This is where Sentence 2 comes from.
Step 2 – the worst. The three projects that were tough going. What was different there? This sharpens Sentence 2 at the limit.
Step 3 – the decisions. What rules have you given yourselves over the years without writing them down? What do you reject? Where do you not yield? This is where Sentence 3 comes from.
Step 4 – the reason. Why do you work this way? Not the marketing answer, but the honest one. This is where Sentence 1 comes from.
This takes two to three days, the majority of which is spent in conversations. It doesn't require an agency, but someone who asks follow-up questions.
If the three sentences just sit in the folder, the work was in vain. They are needed in five places.
Website. Sentence 2 determines whom the texts are written for. Sentence 3 belongs as a statement on the homepage – not literally, but recognizably.
Offers. Sentence 3 explains why your offer looks the way it looks. That justifies prices better than any list of services.
Rejections. Sentence 2 provides the reason why a project does not fit. That makes rejections easier and looks more professional than being fully booked.
Hiring and onboarding. Sentence 1 is what new employees need to understand before they work independently.
Design. Only when the three sentences are set can it be judged whether a draft fits. Without them, any design discussion is a matter of taste.
The last point is the one that saves the most effort.
Too many values. Six concepts on a poster – innovation, quality, sustainability, partnership, responsibility, passion. That guides nothing because no conflict arises. Values only show themselves when two of them collide and you know which one wins.
Too broad a target group. Medium-sized enterprises is not a target group, that is 99 percent of all companies in Germany. The narrower, the more useful – and the easier all further decisions become.
Too much aspiration, too little practice. A brand core that describes how you would like to be does not work. It must describe how you actually work – otherwise, customers and employees will notice it at the very first contact.
A fourth, quiet mistake: The brand core is formulated once and never reviewed. When the business changes, the core changes too. One hour once a year is enough to check whether the three sentences are still correct.
Four signs, each from everyday life.
Decisions are made faster. If someone asks whether you should take on a specific project, there is an answer instead of a discussion.
Writing texts becomes easier. Anyone who knows who they are writing for and the attitude behind it does not need assistance with wording.
Applications are a better fit. People who feel addressed apply – and others do not. That is a win.
Customers describe you the way you describe yourself. This is the strongest proof. Listen to how existing customers recommend you. If their words resemble yours, the core is working.
If none of these four signs appear, it is rarely due to the wording. Usually, the core is too general – and then the only thing that helps is to narrow it down until it hurts.
