Every business is in a different place.
That’s why I tailor my process to match the problem you’re trying to solve. You might need the full meal, or just a snack. Fine by me.
Just know that regardless of the engagement, my work starts with strategic thinking, solidifies with rigorous iteration, and culminates with polished execution.
Every relationship starts with a first date. In this case, it's a kickoff call (or series of calls) in which we can get to know each other and find out if we are a good fit. Since the work we are doing at its core is communication, I will ask the kinds of business and marketing questions you'd expect in any strategic endeavor. Additionally, this call helps us establish the current state of your brand and gives us the information needed to craft a proposal and scope of work.
Assuming we are a good fit for a project, I will use what I've learned about the initiative to create a project agreement. This document seeks to give us both clarity on the process, investment, and timeline. Once the agreement is signed, we can begin work.
Brand design is challenging. That's because the destination is unknown and the correct path is unclear. To help us navigate this ambiguity, we start with a creative moodboarding excercise to aid in our conversations. I will collect samples of marks, color, type, design, photography, copywriting, etc. for the team to simply react to and discuss. The goal is not to have the answers. The task is merely to see what has gravity – what draws us in. Out of those conversations, certain qualities and characteristics will inevitably arise that move things forward.
Before we ever pick a color, sketch a logo, or write a headline we work to establish a strategic foundation upon which everything else is built. By analyzing your business landscape we can start to pair your truths, with your audience's needs, and market opportunities. This brand pillars create a roadmap that informs all other decisions that follow.
Brand identity encompasses the many different ways your brand expresses itself in the market. This includes all the visual building blocks we assemble to bring your brand to life. Everything from logos to typography to iconography and color. From copy and messaging to images and video. All of these elements become the raw material for every touchpoint your brand creates going forward from print to social to web to retail and beyond.
Brand design is an iterative process. We start with a breadth of options, and continuously go deeper. Through rounds of revisions we whittle away at the rough edges until the final brand becomes clearer and more precise. Ultimately, we arrive at a clean, consistent brand that accurately reflects the strategy and positions the business for the future.
Until this stage, all the design work and thinking has been strategic, but theoretical. However, once the final brand is approved, we can start to use that raw material to make things real. Working together, we will craft all of the final deliverables to truly bring the brand to life.
When dust settles, I will deliver a final package that includes all of your brand assets including logo files, font files, working design files, production art files as well as a PDF Brand Guide that sums it all up and demonstrates brand usage.