How we builtour own brand
Our own brand, built the way we build one for a client: research, strategy, a mark with a meaning, and a 26-page book that tells everyone how to use it.
- 26Pages
- 3Parts
- 5Brand colours
- 2Typefaces
- 01
The aim
The aim was a brand that says what we actually are: the agency that finishes the job. Our old identity was a logo and a few colours, used differently on every invoice, deck and banner. We wanted one clear idea behind the name, a mark that carries it, and written rules strict enough that anyone on the team, or any printer, gets it right the first time.
- One idea behind the nameNot "creative" or "results-driven" like every agency, but something we can prove: we finish the job.
- A mark with a meaningA logo that explains itself in one look, instead of a shape people forget.
- Rules anyone can followSizes, spacing and colours written down, so the brand looks the same on a business card and a billboard.
- 02
How we made it better
We started with research, not sketches: we studied five published brand guides (British Beer, Certbar, CirrOps, Elista Jewel and Eleven Dice) and wrote down what each did well and where each fell short. From that came the strategy and the one idea: own the finish. The mark joins a speech bubble (we talk with you) and nested squares (we build it right). Then we specified everything: construction in ratios of one unit, clear space, minimum sizes, a five-colour palette used 60 / 30 / 10, two type families, icons, illustrations, the tagline and the stationery.
- 03
What we delivered
A 26-page brand book in three parts (Brand Foundation, Identity System, Language & Applications), with exact HEX, RGB and CMYK values and no placeholder text anywhere. Every invoice, proposal, deck and this website now follow the same book.
How we build a brand
The same five steps we take for every client, shown on our own brand. Each step has a page in the book.
- Step 01
Research
Five published brand guides studied page by page: what they show, why, and where they fail. Lorem ipsum left in a finished guide, HEX-only colours, missing misuse rules.
- Step 02
Strategy
Positioning, story, mission and personality, written before any design. The territory to own: the agency that actually finishes the job.
- Step 03
The mark
Speech bubble plus nested squares: we talk with you, and we build it right. The navy square sits off centre on purpose, to give the mark forward motion.
- Step 04
Identity system
Construction, safe zone, minimum sizes, variants, mono and background rules, and a palette with a job for every colour.
- Step 05
Language & applications
Sora and Manrope with a set type scale, icons and illustrations drawn from the mark, the tagline, and the stationery kit.
How the logo was made
A speech bubble for how we talk with clients, nested squares for how we build. Put together, the mark says it in one shape: we talk with you, and we build it right.
- The bubble & tailConversation and responsiveness: we talk with people, and we answer.
- The nested squaresLayers of a system built correctly. Also a target and a screen.
- Orange × navy overlapEnergy held by trust. The overlap is off centre on purpose; it is never "fixed".
Inside the book
All 26 pages. Click any page to read it full size.
Download the brand book
PDF · 26 pages · 0.9 MB
Your brand next?
Tell us where you are today. We will reply within 48 hours with what we would do first, and what it would take. No pitch deck, no obligation.
- Free first review of your website and marketing
- A clear plan, even if you do it yourself
- Straight answers from the people who build it
