Brand Building for Makers:

What The Sims Can Teach Us About Worldbuilding in Marketing

If you ever played The Sims, you’ll remember the loading screens:

They didn’t need to say anything. But they did. And we loved them for it.

Those little lines were warm, weird, and entirely unnecessary. And that’s what made them unforgettable.

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Believe it or not, they’re also a perfect lesson in brand building for makers.

Because what The Sims understood is this: Every moment is part of the story. Even the in-between ones.

Worldbuilding in Marketing: Not Just for Games

Game designers use the term worldbuilding to describe how they make a world feel real and alive, from the language and visuals, to the sound of a footstep. And in a small business context, we can borrow that same idea.

Brand building for makers isn’t just about your logo or Instagram grid. It’s about crafting a world your audience can step into and recognise as yours—a world that feels coherent, human, and thoughtful, even in the tiniest moments.

This is where touchpoint storytelling comes in. Every sticker, footer, email, pop-up message, or order confirmation is a moment to deepen the relationship. It’s not about over-polishing, it’s about choosing to care.

Emotional Design: Making People Feel Something

Don Norman, a pioneer in user experience design, introduced the idea of emotional design. The belief that how something feels can be just as important as how it functions. This applies to your brand, too.

People might not consciously remember the font on your label. But they’ll remember how it made them feel when they opened the box. Or how your "oops, something went wrong" page made them smile instead of sigh.

Even the Apple Store trains its staff to "surprise and delight." They know that emotion is sticky. It’s what turns a moment into a memory, and a customer into a loyal fan.

What This Means for Makers

You don’t have to overhaul everything. But if you’re building a brand as a maker, artist, or creative business, here’s where to start:

✍️ Write microcopy with personality: Add warmth or humour to those blank-feeling spaces (like 404 pages or email footers).

📦 Make your packaging part of the story: Think about how someone feels opening it.

🙏 Don’t underestimate thank-you notes: Handwritten, typed, or stamped. They all add texture to your brand world.

🧵 Create consistency in tone: Your Etsy page, Instagram bio, and business card should all sound like they come from the same world.

Little moments matter. And most brands ignore them. That’s your opportunity.

A Fresh Pair of Eyes Can See What You Can’t

When you’ve been inside your business for a long time, it’s easy to go blind to the details. You might not even realise which parts of your brand world are feeling flat, fragmented, or forgotten.

That’s where I come in.

I help creative small businesses audit their brand world. Every touchpoint, every tone shift, every tiny moment, and find the gaps that are quietly chipping away at trust or consistency. Then we build (or rebuild) something that feels like you and resonates deeply with the people you’re here to serve.

So if you’ve got the core of your brand but want to take it deeper…

If you’re ready to make your world more immersive, more memorable, and more felt...

You know where to find me.

Let’s reticulate those splines!