Design and branding that people remember
A brand is not a logo. It is a system that lets a company look recognisable everywhere a person meets it, and lets the team produce new materials without a fresh debate about colours every time.
What it is and which problem it solves
Design and branding work means creating a company's visual language and applying it day to day. It starts with positioning and key messages, continues with logo, colours, typography and image style, and ends with the concrete materials your team uses every week.
The problem we solve most often is fragmentation. The presentation looks one way, social media another, ads a third, and the website something else again. Each may be fine on its own, but together they do not add up to one company. People need to see a brand several times to remember it, and that only happens when every encounter looks like the same place.
The second problem is speed. Without guidelines and templates, every new material starts from zero. That costs time and produces uneven quality. Once the system exists, a new ad or poster takes hours instead of days and still looks right when someone else makes it.
Who it is for
This service suits companies growing faster than their visual system, and those preparing for a new stage: a new market, a new product or larger advertising investment.
- New companies that need their first complete visual identity
- Companies whose brand has aged or no longer matches the offering
- Teams producing materials every week who need templates
- Companies planning a campaign that needs one visual line across all channels
What is included
- Brand foundation: positioning, key messages and tone of voice
- Logo and its versions for different uses
- Colour palette, typography and layout principles
- Image and video style guidelines so content looks consistent
- Templates for social media and ad creatives
- Templates for presentations, documents and print materials
- A brand guidelines document for your team and partners
- File handover in every format you need
What to expect from the result
The result of brand work is not a folder of files, it is a team that works faster and a company that looks consistent even when different people prepare the materials. So we always test the system in real applications, not only in a presentation.
The practical gain shows up in the first months. Preparing a new ad takes hours instead of days. Presentations and proposals look like they come from one company. Social content no longer needs a separate debate about which font is correct.
In the long run consistency lowers marketing costs. When people recognise your brand within the first second, advertising does not have to spend budget introducing you again every time. That is why we look at design together with the website and ad creative rather than in isolation.
How we work
- 01
Research and positioning
We work out what the company sells, to whom and how it differs. The visual language follows from that conclusion instead of from taste.
- 02
Direction
We prepare one or two full visual directions in real applications rather than abstract logos on a white background.
- 03
Identity development
We take the chosen direction to a full system: logo versions, colours, typography, layouts and image style.
- 04
Applications
We build the concrete materials your team will use: ads, posts, presentations, print.
- 05
Guidelines and handover
We prepare guidelines and templates so new materials can be made without us, and walk the team through them.
- 06
Maintenance
After handover we help with new materials and keep the system from drifting apart over time.
Three tiers
The three tiers match how broad a system your company needs right now. We agree the exact scope after the first conversation.
Essentials
from 950 EUR + VAT
The visual foundation: logo, colours, typography and basic templates. Suited to companies starting out or tidying up what exists with minimal scope.
Campaign
from 2 200 EUR + VAT
A visual line for a specific campaign or season: ad creatives, posts, posters and print in one consistent style.
Brand System
from 3 500 EUR + VAT
A full brand system with guidelines, a broad template set and multi channel applications, so the company still looks consistent a year later.
Rebranding
If the brand already exists and has history, we start with an audit: what is valuable in the current brand and what must not be lost. From there the process is the same as the Brand System tier. From 3 500 EUR + VAT.
- Three concept directions, two rounds of revisions in each stage. Additional revisions 55 EUR/h.
- Not included: naming, trademark registration, photography, website, print layout production, signage and vehicle production.
- Separate work: layout 35 EUR/h + VAT, design 55 EUR/h + VAT. Minimum two hours. If the work grows into a project, we move to a fixed price and count the hours already worked towards it.
- Project prices are fixed for the agreed scope, not billed by the hour. The hourly rate applies only to work outside a project.
Common mistakes we see
- A logo without a system, so every material looks different
- Too many colours and fonts that nobody remembers or follows
- Design that looks good in a presentation but fails on a phone screen
- Guidelines so long that the team never opens them
- Ad creatives made in a hurry that do not look like the same brand
- Rebranding without a reason, trading recognition for a new look
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need to change the whole brand or just part of it?
- Often it is enough to build a system around the existing logo. In the first conversation we assess what already works and change only what genuinely gets in the way.
- How long does a branding project take?
- A visual foundation usually takes three to four weeks, a full system with guidelines six to eight weeks.
- Will we be able to produce new materials ourselves?
- Yes. We hand over templates in the formats your team already uses and keep the guidelines short and practical.
- Does the design work together with the website and ads?
- Yes, and that is one reason we often do this work together. One language across channels makes advertising cheaper, because people recognise the brand faster.
Need one consistent visual language?
Send what you have today and tell us where it falls short. We will prepare a proposal with concrete scope and timing.
Write to hello@polaroaks.com