Our logo is both copyrighted and has been very well received
Copyright doesn't offer very strong protection for logos. You should look into a trademark registration.
Keep in mind, you don't
need to trademark your logo. But it's a good idea to research the differences between copyright and trademark to make sure your logo is protected the way you want.
but my question is: how do you take an idea and build it into a brand?
That's a complex - and potentially expensive - question. Building a brand takes time. Start at the bottom; grassroots marketing is your best bet.
Oftentimes, your "brand" is determined by how the consumer market perceives your product. A $50 t-shirt in Nieman Marcus is perceived as high end; while a $10 t-shirt in WalMart is perceived is cheap. Is there really a $40 difference in the quality of the cotton, stitching and scree print? Probably not. But there certainly is a $40 difference in the perception of the two brands. And both brands may be very successful with millions of dollars in annual revenue. But because of the stores the shirts are sold in, the difference in perception exists.
To understand where you want to go with your brand, think about your target market. What do they wear? Where do they buy their clothes? What can you do to put your products in a position where your target market can buy them? Think about some marketing strategies. How can you reach your audience and tell them about your brand? What does your target market do? Where do they go? What do they listen to? What do they read? Who are their influences? How can you reach those influences so you can market your product through them?
Maybe offer it to these groups as a "fundraising campaign" where the group selling them gets a piece of the profit.
