Brand Identity Design
Creating the core identity: name treatment, logo, colour and type, built from a positioning decision rather than from taste, and tested where it will actually be used.
Overview
An identity is a solution to a positioning problem, which is why identity work that starts with moodboards tends to produce something attractive that does not do anything. If you cannot say what the identity is meant to signal and to whom, the design has no criteria to be judged against and the review becomes a matter of preference.
The other common failure is testing in the wrong place. A logo presented large and centred on white will always look good. It has to be tested at favicon size, on a phone, in a single colour, on a delivery vehicle and next to a competitor before anyone signs it off.
Who this is for
- Companies whose identity predates what they now sell
- Businesses after a merger, a pivot or a spin-out
- Organisations whose identity does not survive being reproduced small
How we approach brand identity design
The specific pieces of work a typical engagement covers. Scope is agreed up front — nothing here is a surprise line item later.
Positioning input
The strategic brief the design answers. Without it, review is a matter of taste and there is no way to conclude.
Name treatment and logo
The primary mark plus the variants reality requires: horizontal, stacked, single colour and a mark that works alone.
Colour system
A palette that works in print and on screen, with contrast checked so accessible combinations exist rather than being hoped for.
Typography
Typefaces chosen for range and licensing as well as appearance. A face without a decent weight range causes problems for years.
Application testing
Tested at the sizes and in the contexts it will actually appear, including the awkward ones.
Core guidelines
Enough documented rules that someone else can apply the identity correctly without asking.
From first call to measured result
The same sequence every time, so you always know what happens next.
Brief
Agree what the identity has to signal, to whom, and against which competitors. This is the criteria the work is judged on.
Explore
Develop genuinely different routes rather than one preferred direction with weaker alternatives beside it.
Test
Apply the leading routes to real materials at real sizes before choosing.
Refine and document
Finish the chosen route, produce the file set, and document the rules for using it.
Outcomes, not deliverables
A pile of artefacts isn't progress. These are the changes the work is meant to produce — and what we report against.
An identity that means something
Built against a positioning brief, so it does a job rather than merely looking current.
Reviews that can conclude
Judging against agreed criteria is what stops identity projects circling for months.
Works everywhere it has to
Testing at real sizes avoids the discovery that the mark is illegible on an app icon.
Applicable by others
Documented rules mean the identity survives being handed to a printer, an agency or a new hire.
Common questions about Brand Identity Design
The things people ask before they get in touch. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
How long does a rebrand take?
Ten to sixteen weeks for the core identity, longer if positioning work is needed first. Rollout across everything you own takes considerably longer and is usually phased over a year or more.
Do we need a full rebrand?
Often not. If the identity is sound and the problem is inconsistent application, that is brand identity visuals or graphic design work at a fraction of the cost. We would rather tell you that than sell a rebrand.
How is this different from visual identity systems?
This creates the core marks and elements. Visual identity systems turns those into a complete, rule-governed system across every application. Small organisations often need only this page; larger ones with many touchpoints need both.
Who owns the design at the end?
You do, with the source files and, where licensing permits, the fonts. We would expect any identity work to be fully transferable, including to another agency.
Thinking about Brand Identity Design?
Tell us what you are trying to change. If we are not the right fit we will say so, and point you somewhere better.
Looking at the wider picture?
Brand Identity Design usually sits alongside other work in Branding & Experience Design. Browse the full area to see what it connects to.