The brand identity design process from start to finish

Proposal

After you contact me about your identity design project, I’ll be in touch to get an overview of your needs. Together we’ll determine the scope and timeline. I’ll send you a proposal and contract with terms. Once approved, to begin a project a standard 50% deposit is required. The remainder is due when the work is completed. If another payment plan is more suitable, we can discuss options.

Branding is the effort to influence this perception. You can’t control what your neighbor’s mom might say. But you can do your best to make the right impression.

Discovery

Research is the most important step in the brand identity design process. We can’t design a logo or the look and feel of your brand without a roadmap. In this step, we’ll create one. I’ll provide a questionnaire to help you clarify the unique attributes of your brand. It’s sort of like a personality test for your company. I’m interested in your goals and objectives, your company’s capabilities and values, who your target market is, where you’re currently positioned, and where you want to take the brand in the future.

I’ll also survey:

1. Your existing logo, website, print and digital materials
2. Your competition’s design, so you can stand out from the crowd
3. Examples of appropriate styles

Information gleaned in the discovery phase sets the direction for the next steps.

Concept Development

Here’s where ideas come to life. I’ll work up several creative options for you—smart solutions that make sense and are a great fit with the parameters we’ve established in the discovery phase of the identity design process.

Refinement

From among the concepts presented, you’ll choose the best idea to focus on. Then we’ll refine it through a few iterations until it’s just right.

Launch

Time to show the world! When you’ve approved the designs, I’ll create the final artwork files and deliver them to you and/or your print vendor. If needed, I’ll contact printers for quotes and manage the printing process for you. If your identity design project includes a website, we’ll hit publish and launch it. If your project includes a brand style guide, all the elements of your brand identity—logo, typography, color palette, photography style, icons, patterns, and more— will be captured and described in this document. You’ll have a handy reference to keep you on brand going forward.

If you have a brand identity design project in mind, I’ll be happy to talk it over with you.