As a business, your brand is your identity – it’s what sets you apart from your competitors and makes you stand out in a crowded market. A strong and well-crafted brand can make all the difference in determining the success of your business. In this blog post, we’ll talk about the brand design process.
At Inkpot Creative, we specialize in branding for photographers and online unconventional creatives. We understand the power of visual storytelling and how important it is for businesses to have a cohesive and impactful brand design. Our aim is to help you create a unique brand identity that not only captures the essence of your business but also resonates with your target audience.
Your brand is essentially the personality of your business – it’s how people perceive and interact with your company. A strong brand can help build trust, credibility, and loyalty among your customers. It also enables you to differentiate yourself from your competitors and make a lasting impression on potential clients.
Keep reading to learn all about the brand design process at Inkpot Creative!
Brand Design Process
Step 1: Inquiry + Proposal
The first step in our brand design process is to inquire about our services. Whether you prefer a discovery call or would rather communicate through email, we are happy to accommodate your communication style. We understand that not everyone is comfortable speaking on the phone, and as fellow introverts, we completely get it.
After our initial discovery call (or response to the inquiry), we will send over a detailed proposal outlining our services and available dates for your project. This proposal will be available for 7 days so that you have time to review it thoroughly and secure your spot with us.
We believe in transparency and want to make sure you have all the information you need before moving forward! Once you accept, we move onto step 2.
Step 2: Onboarding
The next step in our brand design process is to get you set up in your own private Notion portal. We are big fans of Notion and find it a great tool for organizing and collaborating on projects.
In this portal, you will find all the details of what we will need from you before we begin working on your project. This usually includes a brand questionnaire that will help us understand your vision and goals for your brand, as well as creating a Pinterest board, which is always an exciting and fun part of the process.
Your Notion portal will serve as a central hub for all communication and project updates between you and our team. It allows us to easily share information, files, and progress updates with you, keeping everything organized and easily accessible.
We believe that clear communication is key to a successful brand design process, and Notion helps us achieve that! (And if you’re not using Notion in your own biz yet… def check it out!
Step 3: Brand Vision/Strategy Call
The third step of the brand design process involves a crucial milestone that really helps us start the project off right: the Brand Vision Call. This call takes place during the week before the project officially begins, and it plays an integral role in shaping your brand identity.
During this call, we take the opportunity to delve deeper into your brand and understand your target audience! We firmly believe that a successful brand should be a seamless fusion of your unique personality and what your clients aspire to see.
By asking questions and exploring your brand’s core values, we can create a brand design that truly resonates with both you and your audience. This step sets the foundation for the rest of the brand design process, ensuring that we are aligned with your vision and aspirations.
We want to understand not just what you offer but also the underlying motivations and aspirations that drive your business. By exploring the why of your brand and the needs of your target audience, we can create a design that strikes the perfect balance between your unique vibe and the expectations of your clients.
Step 4: Design Weeks
Now for the fun part – design weeks! This is where we really get to bring your brand to life. Over the course of 2 weeks, we will work to create your first and second draft of branding materials. From logos and color schemes to fonts and brand marks, we’ll carefully craft each element to reflect your brand’s personality accurately.
We value collaboration and want you to be involved every step of the way. That’s why we encourage you to leave feedback on each draft so we can make sure your branding truly resonates with you.
After all, it’s important that you love your branding as much as we do! Our goal is for you to feel connected to your brand and proud to show it off to the world.
Step 5: Collateral Design
In the fifth step of the brand design process, we go beyond just creating a stunning logo and visual elements for your brand. With your branding project, you get three bonus collateral items that will elevate your brand’s presence across various platforms.
Whether you need professionally designed business cards to leave a lasting impression, eye-catching social media templates to engage your audience, or pricing guides specifically tailored to your photography services, we have you covered.
These collateral items are carefully crafted to align with your brand’s identity and are included as part of our comprehensive package. We understand the importance of these materials in building a cohesive and memorable brand image.
So, during the third week of the process, we dedicate our time to designing these bonus items, ensuring that they perfectly complement your brand’s visual identity and overall marketing strategy.
And yes, you do get the design files so you can update these collateral items as you grow! (And use them to build other collateral items of your own.)
Optional Step: Web Design
When it comes to the brand design process, the sixth optional step is where things really start to take shape. This is the moment when your brand comes alive online, especially if you’ve also booked website design services!
We understand the importance of creating an unforgettable online experience for your audience, and that’s exactly what we do. By taking your brand and transforming it into an engaging online presence, we ensure that your couples will be captivated from the moment they land on your website.
We carefully craft an immersive experience that keeps them scrolling, exploring, and ultimately clicking that “contact” button. It’s our goal to make your brand not just visually appealing, but also highly effective in generating leads and conversions.
We build out our websites on Showit, Squarespace, or WordPress (with Kadence or Elementor).
Step 7: Offboarding & Launch
The seventh step of the brand design process is an exciting one – it’s time to launch! After putting in all the hard work and going through the previous steps, it’s finally time to see your brand come to life.
When you reach this step, you’ll receive a set of folders containing all the essentials for your brand. This includes your brand files, carefully crafted and curated to represent your unique identity. These files are everything you need to maintain consistency and make a lasting impression as your brand grows.
If you’ve added on a website, we’ve got you covered with website tutorials too. We want to ensure that you have all the knowledge and resources to seamlessly integrate your brand into your online presence.
And to top it off, we prepare some stunning launch graphics that will allow you to showcase your new brand in style.
Additional Services & Ongoing Support
Now that the project is officially over, congratulations on reaching the final step of the brand design process!
At Inkpot Creative, we are thrilled to offer you the opportunity to continue working with us beyond this milestone. One of the ways we can support you in your ongoing growth and success is through our monthly blogging services.
With our monthly blogging service, you can continue to expand your online presence, attract organic traffic, and connect with your target audience. We will craft engaging and informative blog posts that are tailored to your specific brand goals and audience.
By regularly updating your website with fresh and relevant content, you’ll be able to establish yourself as an industry expert and drive more traffic to your site.
Our past clients have experienced great results with our monthly blogging service. They have seen their monthly traffic grow immensely. This significant increase in organic traffic has not only boosted their online visibility but also helped them attract more leads and conversions.
Final Thoughts: Brand Identity Design Process
Well, there you have it! Those are the details of our brand design process here at Inkpot Creative.
Interested in leveling up your brand this year? You can get in touch with us here about your brand or website project. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Check out these posts next:
- Why You Need Brand Photography For Your Website
- 13 Signs You Need a New Website
- How to Start a Web Design Business with No Experience
KP’s design journey began in book publishing, but she fell in love with the truly limitless possibilities that web design presents. Since then, she’s been helping photographers and creatives become the no-brainer option for their dream clients before they even get on a call.
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1/19/24
Published On:
Krystianna Pietrzak
