Brand identity & visual direction
A brand that holds up everywhere it shows up.
A logo isn't a brand. A brand is what people recognize before they've read a word: on a sign, a business card, an Instagram grid, a proposal, a van. I build identities that stay consistent across all of it.
If it only works on white, it isn't finished.
Real brands are judged in the wild: a phone at arm's length, a card in someone's hand, a sign read from across a room, a photo taken by a client rather than a photographer.
What's included
A complete identity system, not a single file.
Everything you need to look like the same company wherever someone runs into you, organized and ready to use.
Logo suite
A primary logo, secondary marks and a submark for small spaces.
Typography system
Defined roles for headings, body and accents, so every document looks intentional.
Color palette
Exact values for print, screen and signage, so your purple is the same purple everywhere.
Imagery direction
Photography guidance so future photos still look like you.
Real-world applications
Cards, signage, social, proposals and packaging: the things you actually use.
Brand guidelines
A written guide so anyone you hire later stays on brand.
Identity first
Why the brand comes before the website.
A website built before the brand is settled tends to get rebuilt.
When the identity is defined first, every decision after it gets faster and cheaper. The site knows its typeface. The signage matches the menu. The Instagram grid doesn't drift. You stop making the same aesthetic decision over and over, differently each time.
Already have a website you like and only need the identity tightened around it? That's a perfectly good place to start, too.
How the work runs
Four stages, in this order.
Identity projects typically run three to six weeks. Scope and price are agreed in writing before we begin.
Positioning
Who you're for, what you're known for, and what you want people to feel.
Direction
Two or three distinct visual routes, presented in context rather than as isolated logos.
Refinement
One route chosen and developed properly, with the full system built out around it.
Delivery
Every file format you'll need, organized, plus the guidelines and a walkthrough.
Brand and website together
Worth more once it's live.
Most clients do both. The identity is worth more once it's live somewhere, and the website is stronger when it isn't guessing at the brand.
Common questions
Good things to ask.
What do I actually receive at the end?
A complete, organized identity system: primary logo, secondary marks and a submark, every file format you'll need for print and screen, a typography system, exact color values, imagery direction, and a written guidelines document.
How long does a brand identity take?
Typically three to six weeks: positioning and research first, then two or three distinct routes presented in context, then one chosen route developed into a full system.
Can you work with the logo I already have?
Often, yes. If the logo is sound but everything around it is inconsistent, the work becomes building the system that should have existed around it. If the logo itself is the problem, I'll say so plainly rather than build on a weak foundation.
Do I need a new website at the same time?
No, but most clients do both. If budget means sequencing them, brand first is usually the better order.
What does it cost?
Identity projects are quoted at a fixed scope and fixed price, agreed in writing before we begin. What moves the number is how many applications you need, whether print and signage are included, and whether a website runs alongside it.
How many rounds of revisions do I get?
Enough to get it right. Because the process starts with positioning and narrows to one route, we rarely need many. Revisions sharpen a direction; they don't start over.
Start here
Let's define what your brand looks like.
Tell me about the business, who you serve, and what isn't working about how you look today. The first conversation is free.
Book a free consultation