Demystifying the art of brand creation

Ever wonder how a seemingly simple logo can carry the weight of an organization’s mission and values? From the initial idea to the colors and fonts, the journey of crafting a brand’s visual identity is a blend of strategy and creativity. Learn the fundamental steps we take to transform abstract ideas into compelling visual brands.

Discovery

Every branding project begins with discovery – a process to understand our client’s voice, their goals, and how and where their brand will exist. Discovery includes asking questions to identify the client’s mission, reviewing internal materials, competitive/industry analysis, and coordinating stakeholder interviews and surveys. The discovery process is also an opportunity to ensure all stakeholders are aligned on a direction before we begin the design. At key points throughout the process, we invite our clients to review and participate in the creative process.

Brainstorming

Informed by our discovery work, brainstorming is the time to freely explore and play with icons, shapes, colors and symbolism through sketching, doodling and iterating on a whiteboard. This no-rules session aims to generate as many ideas as possible — whether practical or outside-the-box. No idea is a bad idea! From our various ideas (often more than 40), we select the strongest concepts for refinement.

Refinement

We take the best concepts from the brainstorm and refine the sketches. This process translates our abstract ideas into tangible, visual forms that consider the applications and platforms that will host the brand. Throughout the refinement stage, we apply different lenses, such as scalability and legibility, to ensure the logo remains impactful whether it’s on a business card or a billboard.

Color selection and typography

Along with logo development, color selection and typography are integral to establishing an effective brand identity. This process involves testing different color schemes and fonts that align with the look and feel of the organization. We provide our clients with various color palettes and font options to collect their feedback. Accessibility is also a key consideration, focusing on sufficient color contrast within images and legible letter forms for text to be easily readable for all audiences.

Style guide

It is important to define the brand identity and standardize the visual elements like logo usage, color palette and typography so everyone applies it cohesively. We work with our clients to develop a well-defined style guide that ensures brand consistency across all platforms and materials, and the brand’s overall impact and professionalism.

Brand announcement and implementation

It is an exciting moment when the visual identity and logo are shared publicly and released into the wild. Timing, roll-out and the comprehensive application of the new brand, from brochures and social media graphics to presentations and websites, is essential.

Creating a compelling visual brand is more than aesthetics. It requires a strategic approach from initial discovery to final implementation. This thoughtful refining process ensures that a simple logo effectively communicates the profound mission and values it represents.

Watch the branding process unfold

Check out this video that captures the branding process for Books are Good Medicine, a podcast sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community exploring books and other K-12 teaching resources on the Native American experience.