Brand design is a process that creates a visual identity for your business. It’s a journey of discovery, helping you put a look and feel to what you do and your services. Each design expert has a different way of working, some can produce a quick logo for a small investment (which is often ideal for start ups who need to get going asap) others use a strategic approach to help you attract your ideal clients and create a brand with personality.
My approach as a brand design expert is the strategic route. Through my experience working with top brands such as VANS, Adidas, ASICS and Dr. Martens as well as studying brand strategy with UAL Central Saint Martins, I have created a proven 6 stage process that delivers strong and powerful brands.
Over the years this process has been tested, adjusted and evolved to become a stream lined strategy. All of my clients go through this journey, we work together to discover exactly what their brand should look like to give maximum effect with their marketing.
Having a strong brand that you have helped create will help you use the brand more efficiently. Knowing why the fonts have been chosen, why the colours represent your brand and the meaning behind its look & feel will give you the upper hand. You will be able to use your new brand designs with ease, allowing it to work its magic and attract your dream clients. You can say good bye to wasting time on Canva for 5 hours a day!
When meeting a business owner like yourself I always chat to them about my 6 stage process, why its in place, what each stage is and what we do. It goes a little something like this…
Stage 1 – Questionnaire
Like many, many, many others, you’ve probably jumped right into creating a logo, bashed a few things out in Canva, or got someone on Fiver to do it and then thought, “what the bloody hell am I doing.” That’s when strategy comes in and sorts out this whole mess. It gives you a direction. And, we kick it all off with getting to know you. We research your business, ask loads of questions, get down to the nitty gritty and find out just who you are and why you started this whole thing.
I’m not gonna lie, on a few occasions this part has made me cry. Discovering my clients’ journeys and what led them to where they are now is so inspirational. I feel honoured to working with such brilliant people.
Stage 2 – Research
As well as looking at your business we will look at those around you. The brands you love, the brands that are like you and the businesses that you just think… “bore off you’re doing a crap job and I can do it loads better!”
Taking a closer look and dissecting their brand identities really gives us the upper hand, we can prey on their weakness and use their strengths to our advantage – making your brand a force to be reckoned with – mwwwhahaha!
Stage 3 – Ideas and Inspiration
I LOVE this part and so do my clients. This is where we start to get visual and create a feast for the eyes with some really tasty mood boards.
Using all the info from the research stage, I start to picture what your brand could look like – this is where your businesses personality starts to come to life. Brand values play a huge part in creating mood boards as well as what your brand does and who it does it for.
At this stage I create three core themes that I feel would represent your brand. We then discuss them, share notes and get your thoughts on how you feel your business should look.
The mood boards contain loads of beautiful ideas for fonts, typography, colour palettes and logo design styles. We can even include any ideas you may have as well! It’s great to compare notes and start to visualise your brand.
Stage 4 – Design Summary
This is a bit like a brief; a description of what we want the outcomes to be for your brand, what do we want it to look like, what colours should we be using, what style of fonts do we feel would work well, who should it appeal to. We also add in here what we don’t want the brand to look like!
In short, it’s a bullet point list that comes with a refined mood board so we can see exactly how the logo designs should be created.
Stage 5 – Design Concepts
Using ALL of this information – research, ideas, inspiration, mood boards and design summary I then start to work my magic and create some design concepts.
Again other designers and brand experts have different approaches when it comes to starting a design. For me it starts with word association, I write down words that I feel are or could be associated with your business, whether it be verbs, nouns or adjectives. I use these words along with the name of your business to start sketching designs. I do loads! I sketch until I can’t sketch anymore!
Once I’ve got all the sketching out of my system I look through the designs and pick out the logos that I feel would work best. These designs are then drawn more precisely and accurately using my AMAZING iPad Pro. They are then digitalised onto my iMac using Adobe Illustrator where they can be created to absolute perfection. This is where I then start to add font choices and colour palettes to the designs to really bring them to life.
At the end of this stage I create 3 final logos that I will share with you. I will discuss why the logos have been created, why I have used certain fonts and what feeling the colours provoke.
Together we are then able to play around with the designs, maybe combining features from them or altering the layouts to refine it into a finished brand identity.
Stage 6 – Final Brand Design
The moment every client (and me!) has been waiting for. The final design!
Your logo will be created and showcased in all it’s glory! It’ll be ready for you to use online and digitally for things like social media, websites, Canva, PowerPoint, Google Docks, Accounting software etc. You’ll also have the files that are in the best format for print too, that means you can get your business cards printed, make postcards, notebooks, pens you can even go and slap it on a jumper and wear it all day long! The world is your oyster.
And I won’t leave you with just that – I don’t want you to poo your pants and wonder “What on earth am I going to do with this now?!” I’ll load you with a brand guidelines so you know what all your colours and fonts should be and how your logo should look. I’ll also supply a guide on your brand files so you know exactly how and what to use them for. And if that isn’t enough I’ll be knocking around afterwards just incase you need my help with anything at all when it comes to using your brand. Not to mention my free Facebook Group that you can have access to with loads of advice and guidance when it comes to branding your business.
After that you are now ready to rock ‘n’ roll!
One client of mine was so excited to receive her brand she honestly didn’t sleep all night, she was too busy looking at it all and coming up with ideas to get it going, to launch and putting it all in place!
If you’re struggling to know where to start with creating your logo and just need HELP! Fill in the contact form below and lets chat about how strategy can stop everything from looking cobbled together so you can have your dream brand.