Brand and identity, written down

What this actually is

Naming and verbal identity, a logo with the type and colour system around it, art direction for how the brand is photographed and laid out, and guidelines that state what the brand is not. That last part does most of the work. A rule like make it premium cannot be broken, whereas never two saturated gradients on one screen can, and a rule you can catch yourself breaking is the only kind worth writing.

This studio runs its own visual work off a written document for exactly that reason. It is loadable, so the constraint sits in front of the first decision rather than arriving at review when the work is already made and everyone is attached to it.

Who this is for

Founders naming something for the first time, companies whose identity has drifted across five people and four agencies, and personal brands where the person is the product. It suits anyone who will have to hand the brand to someone else, which is almost everyone eventually.

It is the wrong purchase for a business that wants a logo by Friday and has no intention of applying a system afterwards. That is a real need and there are cheaper ways to meet it.

How it runs

The first stage is the verbal work, because a name and a way of speaking decide more of the visual direction than a moodboard does. Then the system: type, colour, the grid, the treatment of photography. Then the application, which is where the guidelines get written against real layouts rather than as an abstract document nobody opens.

Reference material is analysed before anything is taken from it, and a pattern only becomes a rule once it has appeared in at least two independent sources, or when it is simply a preference that gets recorded as a preference. Pretending taste is purely empirical would be its own kind of dishonesty.

What moves the price

One thousand five hundred euros covers naming and verbal identity, the logo with its type and colour system, and art direction with guidelines. The number moves on how many applications have to be designed rather than specified, whether print is involved, and whether the name needs trademark clearance.

A brand that will be applied by an outside team costs more than one applied in house, because the guidelines have to survive being read by someone who was not in any of the conversations.

What you get

• →Naming and verbal identity
• →A logo with its type and colour system
• →Art direction, including how the brand is photographed
• →Guidelines that state what the brand is not, and not only what it is
• →The source files, in formats you can hand to anyone

How much does branding cost?

From 1,500 euros for naming and verbal identity, a logo with its type and colour system, and art direction with guidelines. The price moves on how many applications are designed rather than specified, and whether print or trademark clearance is involved.

Is a logo included?

Yes, with the type and colour system around it. The logo on its own is the smallest part of what makes a brand hold together, which is why it is never sold here as the whole job.

What are brand guidelines for?

So the brand survives being applied by someone who was not in the conversations. The useful part is the list of what the brand is not, because those are the rules a person can catch themselves breaking.