Journal

Advice for third sector and founder-led, service-based organisations

Managing internal and external design resources to build a strong brand. Maximising the effectiveness of client creative in-housing.

How subtle design changes can be transformational

This post outlines some of the ways smaller charities can work with a branding agency to get the best results.

By taking that leap into niche positioning, you build your proposition around the value you bring to your clients, gaining a razor sharp new business strategy in the process.

The mission-led businesses I work with embody their founders’ singular vision. They understand the importance of having a point of view.

Advice on evolving a brand identity so it can appeal to multiple generations

Why you need a brand review before you even start thinking about rebranding (and how to do one)

There's a sliding scale for designs – from designs that are novel (if not original) and challenge the norms, to designs that regurgitate fads.

How brand designers, strategists and their clients can take practical steps towards a more inclusive approach to brand identity design.

Because it’s not always love at first sight

Marty Neumeier’s Brand Commitment Scale survey

Discover where to adapt and where to stand firm

Clients have their say

How purpose and vision statements can help you get there

Brand discovery is integral to any rebrand or brand refresh. It sits at the heart of a project, and is far more than that initial, ‘getting to know you’ discovery call. It’s what needs to happen before anyone starts doing any of the creative work as it is what informs the brand strategy

What they are and why you need one. Why is a brand system important? What is included in a brand system?

Introducing the double distillation process: How to find the source of what makes your brand tick, something I like to call brand essence.

How we respond to the changes that come our way determines our future. Even though we may sometimes get stuck, human instinct programmes us to problem-solve, let the light in and find ways to improve things.

The main thing with positioning is to use it to first of all, find your sweet spot and then, communicate it. Being specific and not trying to be all things to everyone is vital.

Always on the lookout for injecting new ways of thinking into B2B branding, we’ve spent the past couple of years using a brilliant tool that really gets the creative juices flowing.

When you’re talking about branding and marketing communications there is a definite order of things. Although they’re closely related and should, once your brand is established, enjoy a symbiotic relationship, your business will do much better if they’re tackled separately by specialists.

Creating values that are clear, meaningful and actionable

A useful tool for stress testing your positioning and what differentiates you from your competition

Excluding client-side ‘non-creatives’ from a branding project, is no longer the way to go if you want team buy-in.

Or, how to breathe new life into your brand without throwing the (brand) baby out with the bathwater.

How to help ideas and innovation flourish

Briefing a photographer can seem daunting – but a good client brief is what sits at the heart of any set of successful images

Part 1: Find your brand essence – how to achieve clarity from the start

Myths, misconceptions and what to expect when you’re rebranding

Five good reasons to press go on a rebrand project (and three reasons to avoid it like the plague).

Why a branding project should always start with a conversation

Back in the day, B2B tech companies were often known for using formal, jargon heavy languages that was difficult to understand

Following one of the toughest years in recent memory, our creative director Sue shares the books that helped her on her agency journey over the last 12 months

Have you got your house in order? Find out by following our no-nonsense guide to brand architecture, complete with examples of the four most common models

There is so much more to brand repositioning than a logo, BUT we all love a good makeover, so we have put this collection together – swipe right and see the change.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed by an endless list of marketing options, we suggest focusing on three core rules of attraction that consistently generate interest and provide value to customers.

For film and television production companies to stand out and win prestigious projects, a professional brand is essential

Celebrating an anniversary, whatever your business and however old you are, is an opportunity to share with your staff, customers, clients, investors and stakeholders the fact that you have created something reliable, dependable, successful and longlasting.

Books by brands – what’s in it for the brands?

Eight things we learned when managing this wayfinding project

Designing an attractive site is only one part of the battle for success. When an all important customer arrives at your site you will want them to take action and you have only a few seconds to make them*.

In my experience, there are five main reasons why businesses rebrand. You may be considering such an exercise now or in the near future and I hope to give a little guidance with some real examples.

What happened when we took a leaf out of our own branding book

Books by brands – what’s in it for the brands?

In the world of internationally respected design agencies, Pentagram stands head and shoulders above others, yet despite its much admired conceptual and creative foundations, of its twenty-one international partners: only four of them are female.

Managing internal and external design resources to build a strong brand. Maximising the effectiveness of client creative in-housing.

The mission-led businesses I work with embody their founders’ singular vision. They understand the importance of having a point of view.

And why that is definitely not the answer. Book review: 'Citizens' by Jon Alexander with Ariane Conrad

AI & creativity, productivity, inputs and outputs

There’s one major underplayed factor that affects the success of any rebrand. Here’s what can go wrong and the special ingredient needed to get your project just right.

How your brand strategy can help you through hard times

Brand discovery is integral to any rebrand or brand refresh. It sits at the heart of a project, and is far more than that initial, ‘getting to know you’ discovery call. It’s what needs to happen before anyone starts doing any of the creative work as it is what informs the brand strategy

How we respond to the changes that come our way determines our future. Even though we may sometimes get stuck, human instinct programmes us to problem-solve, let the light in and find ways to improve things.

The main thing with positioning is to use it to first of all, find your sweet spot and then, communicate it. Being specific and not trying to be all things to everyone is vital.

How to help ideas and innovation flourish

You have personal and business goals, and you know that having a strong brand strategy will help you reach them. When you start to look for the best partner to help you achieve this, the choices are myriad

Websites by their very nature are an intangible thing, so people tend to think they have no impact at all. It’s just some lights on a screen – nothing to worry about, right?

In 2016, we published an article discussing the lack of representation for women in the design industry. The statistics were depressing: 78% of designers were men, and 41% women in design were paid less than £20,000 per year, compared to 26% of men.

In the world of internationally respected design agencies, Pentagram stands head and shoulders above others, yet despite its much admired conceptual and creative foundations, of its twenty-one international partners: only four of them are female.