To understand a client and their needs, we first ask questions to develop a clear understanding of their business, their industry, their goals and target market. How would you like your customers to describe you? Who are your competitors, and how do you differ from them? Does the company have sub-brands or different services? How and where will the logo be used? Would you describe yourselves as fun or serious? Loud or quiet?

These are just a few of the questions that will give us an insight into the personality of the business, the scenarios in which the new identity will be used, and how to position and differentiate the company from its competitors to provide the best possible solution.

To get to the right result, we set clear goals from the outset. After collating all the information during the discovery phase, we create a simple one-page design brief outlining our key findings and considerations. This helps us to stay focused when making future decisions on possible design directions throughout the process.

Depending on the project we will develop one to three 'Snapshots', a design overview that helps present the visual language, direction and vision of a project that consists of fonts, colours, logo styles, patterns, photography and visual elements. This helps to inspire and give the client an insight into our thoughts and direction of the project before we pop the kettle on and start sketching.

Once we have defined the direction and developed a good understanding of the personality of the business, we grab a blank sheet of paper, a pen and a mug of Yorkshire tea. We sketch, and then we sketch, and then we sketch some more! At this stage, there are no right or wrong ideas or doodles, absolutely everything and anything goes down on paper as soon as it pops into our heads.

After sketching tons of ideas, we take a break to reflect and judge each one against the design brief, and our findings, the most promising ideas are progressed further. Ultimately at this early stage, we don’t want to confuse things with minute details, it’s all about the idea. We present more detailed concepts to the client so they can focus on the basic design ideas and the rationale behind them.

After receiving feedback, we then refine our ideas, fonts are chosen to suit the style of the logo or the personality and character of the brand identity. Such as a contemporary sans-serif font, a traditional style serif font, or, to create the right look and feel or something unique, we may have to customise a typeface to suit. Alignment, construction, sizing, spacings and colour are all considered at this stage. Following more feedback, we will develop the chosen route and fine-tune even further, making sure every detail is where it should be.

Further refinements may be made and the colours finalised, an important step in the process as the colours chosen will become an integral part of your brand identity and applied to all areas of the company. Is your company youthful and energetic? Then maybe yellow is the colour for you. Do you want to exude trustworthiness and maturity? Let’s try blue. Or, do you want to be perceived as modern and loud? Then red could be what you are looking for!

A few more rounds of refinement may be needed at this point before we arrive at the final designs that will lay the foundations to develop an outstanding brand identity that reflects who you are, what to stand for, and that most importantly sets you apart from your competitors.

After we have worked so hard to create an identity that we are all proud of, let’s keep it that way! That’s why we work with our clients after the delivery of their new mark to help develop it across a wide range of customer touch-points to make sure it is used correctly and remains consistent.