A name and identity
built from strategy, not a mood board
A name and identity that starts from a mood board instead of a strategic brief usually looks fine and says nothing specific. We build naming and visual identity from the positioning and voice work underneath it, so the result is distinctive for a reason, not just for taste. It ships as a brand book your team can use without calling us for every template.
When a mood-board identity breaks
A name and logo chosen from a mood board, without a strategic brief behind them, tend to look fine in isolation. They collapse the first time the business has to make a real decision with them. Which tagline fits a new market. How the mark should shrink onto a favicon. Whether the voice that felt right for the launch campaign still fits a year later. Without documented rules, every new designer, every new hire, every new agency reinvents the identity slightly, and the brand drifts without anyone deciding it should.
We have built identities where the strategy came first and the visual system expressed it on purpose. One example: a 3D motion intro, built specifically because a six-figure consulting decision needed a stronger first impression than a static logo could give. Another: brand books that let a growing team of designers and writers stay consistent without a single point of approval slowing everything down.
An identity with no documented system behind it is not actually an asset the business owns. It is a look that only the original designer can reliably reproduce.
How we build the system
Where naming is needed, we generate options checked for real availability: domain, trademark conflict. We also check how the name sounds said out loud, not just how it reads on a slide.
For the visual system, we develop three distinct directions and take one further into a full system. That means logo variations for every real use case, a palette and typography that work beyond the hero image, and a grid that holds the pieces together.
Everything ships as working files, not just a style reference. Templates for the site, social posts and ad creative get built on the system, so your team can produce new material without redesigning the rules each time. All of it gets documented in a brand book PDF. It is detailed enough that a new designer, or a different agency entirely, can follow it without us in the room.
What we need from you
A strategic brief, ours or one you already have, and your real decision-maker available to choose between the three directions. An identity decided by committee consensus usually ends up diluted. If a name or mark already exists, tell us upfront. We build around real constraints rather than pretending they do not exist.
What counts as a result here
Whether a new hire, designer or agency can produce something on-brand using only the brand book, without needing to ask us what is allowed. That is the real test of whether the system actually works as documentation.
Price and timeline
| Option | Price | What it covers | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch or audit | from $1,500 | Three directions, one system, logo files, brand book | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Monthly management | from $700 / month | Ongoing template production as new channels or campaigns launch | monthly, no lock-in |
| Full control, handover to your team | from $2,500 | Full system, extended template library, training for your design team | 4 to 6 weeks |
Where this connects
Naming and identity work builds directly on brand strategy and a positioning and messaging workshop. Start there if the strategic layer is not yet in place. The full build is on the brand and creative service page. A real example: the citizenship consulting brand launch, built with its own brand book and a 3D motion intro for a high-ticket US audience.
Have a name or logo that nobody can confidently build on without asking first? Get in touch and we will look at what exists so far.
FAQ
How much does naming and brand identity cost?
From $1,500 for a full identity system. That means three directions with one developed, logo files, palette and typography, templates, plus the brand book. Delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Naming alone, without the full visual system, is scoped separately and smaller.
Do we need the positioning work done first?
Strongly recommended. An identity built without a strategic brief usually needs rework once the brand makes a real decision it did not anticipate, which market, which audience. See positioning and brand strategy first if those are not yet done.
Can you work from our existing name or logo?
Yes. We take an existing name or mark as a constraint and build the system around it. That includes a brand that wants to formalize rules it has only had informally so far.
What do you need from us?
A strategic brief if one exists, or willingness to do that work with us first. Plus your real decision-maker, available to choose between the three directions we present.
What do we get at the end?
A logo system and files, palette, typography and grid, templates for site, social and ads. Plus a brand book PDF that documents the rules, so future work stays consistent without needing us in the room.