As some of you may know, this year I’ve been working on the 365 daily design challenge on my Instagram. The process has been great. I’ve met some awesome people, discovered a crazy amount of new design techniques and really pushed myself beyond some very difficult sticking points. Some posts have taken minutes, others have taken hours. But that’s just how it goes sometimes. If you’re active on Instagram you’ll see that I’m now on Series 4 designing craft beer can concepts. You’ll also be able to see the process videos for each of these designs. And if you’re not on the gram, head here to keep your eyes peeled for the next series using skate decks—my personal fav so far. I hope you like the series and let me know what you think.
We know that writing the perfect design brief can seem daunting. Some businesses have a good grasp, while others haven’t a clue where to even begin. The good news is, as the client, you shouldn’t have to worry about writing the design brief and here’s why.
Often, the most significant mistakes happen during the initial briefing stage, and surprisingly, this isn’t always from the customer’s standpoint — more on this in point 3.
As an entrepreneur or key decision maker at your firm, you may find yourself up in the crow’s nest, making calculated decisions. However, if like most people, you may not have spent years learning about brand strategy. The chances of knowing how to attract and covert an audience into loyal customers using design are slim.
If you’re eager to attract loyal customers while receiving a rewarding ROI, this is guide written for you.
Here are 10 things you must know before writing a design brief:
Make the commitment
Avoid the temptation to take the lead
Discuss the ideal outcome, not what you think you need to get there
Seek a specialist in serving your industry
Discuss the budget early
Discuss the planned schedule and deadlines
Target audience
Agree on the scope
Seek a designer that you feel a connection with
Trust your gut
1. Make the commitment
When writing a design brief, it may seem that you have already committed to levelling up. From my experience with our clients, you would be amazed by how many aren’t ready for change yet. When they describe their dreams and desires, they get scared and start rummaging around for excuses to avoid jumping in with two feet.
Sometimes it isn’t until the project gets to the final stages that they begin to believe in becoming and owning what until now always seemed like a pipe dream.
This step is one of the hardest, from a mindset perspective. However, when you do, it’s so worth it. So the first step should be to commit to a mindset shift. You need to commit to levelling up if you’re to dominate your industry as you know you absolutely can.
So for your business to succeed, commit to a better you now and do not be tempted to look back. All your comfort zone will ever do is hold you back.
2. Avoid the temptation to take the lead
Aside from budget restrictions, this is also why people are often tempted to use Wix and Fiver. However, unless you’re a superhuman, you will always struggle to build a website that converts.
You will also have to invest a vast amount of time learning new skills: hours on trying to becoming a UX expert that should be spent growing your business, servicing clients, and developing your expertise.
Invest smartly and leave the design to the professionals.
3. Discuss the ideal outcome, not what you think you need to get there
When owning a business, it’s common to assume that you know what a designer needs to do for you to reach the next significant milestone. However, unless you have already commissioned an experienced brand consultant, you may not be in the best position to diagnose the best solution.
What’s worse, is this could be a costly risk to take. Much like requiring the service of a surgeon, it would be a complete disaster if they simply agreed to proceed with everything you asked them to.
Rather than self prescribing the solution, take the time to explain what it is that is motivating you and allow a brand strategist to diagnose the best approach to the project in a way that considers your level of comfort and of course, your budget.
4. Seek a specialist in your industry
Seeking an agency that specialises in servicing your industry with the testimonials and case studies to back it up is ideal.
You’ll find all sorts of agencies that have honed in and are nailing their niche. Not only will this give you a considerable advantage, but the chances are also that they’ve already gone through the trials and tribulations by helping many businesses just like yours.
Here at Studio Innate, we specialise in lifestyle and consumer-focused brands because we’re experienced in how that market speaks, thinks and acts.
5. Discuss the budget early
Most people have a fear of discussing the budget, and it’s not surprising with so many trades from different industries taking advantage. Do your due diligence and speak to a few agencies.
It’s in everyone’s interest to talk money nice and early. Avoid the temptation to seek a one size fits all price and be open to discussing the value of the opportunity to you.
Allocating 5–15% of the foreseeable opportunity will help you to assign a proportionate budget. So if you believe the opportunity could yield an additional £20k in revenue, then you should allocate no more than$1,000–£3,000. If you find the potential growth is much higher, say +£100k in revenue, then you should assign no more than£5,000–£15,000. And if there isn’t an opportunity for notable growth, then well, 5–15% of £0 is still £0. If you find yourself here, an excellent opportunity could be to consider crowdfunding or to arrange a free 60-min consultation.
6. Discuss the planned schedule and deadlines
Be upfront and clear about the dates and events surrounding the opportunity that may be motivating the project. For example, if you’re in a rush to prepare for peak season, then it’s best to discuss a strategy to accommodate that in the best way that won’t damage your brand.
When positioned correctly, a brand should deliver sentiments like reliable, trustworthy, sophisticated and professional. The reverse is also true. Rushed and thrown-together is a perception that could irreparably damage your brand’s reputation before it gets a chance to connect with the ideal audience.
So it’s in your best interest to be realistic, transparent and open for advice when planning a schedule.
7. Target audience
Determining the target audience may seem like an obvious one, but you would be surprised how many of our clients haven’t decided who their brand best suits.
Often a brief discovery conversation on user profiling can help to get a head start here. Although it can seem restricting, honing in on a niche audience can provide great success.
When you know you have an excellent service or product, its understandable to feel the urge to shout it from the rooftops to everybody in earshot. However, if you focus on becoming a generalist, then your ideal audience aren’t likely to feel as special. And that’s when potential loyal brand advocates pass you by.
8. Agree on the scope
Scope creep is well known for being one of the most common symptoms for delivering a disastrous and unfinished project. Often scope creep is caused by skimming over the desired outcomes and goals. Be clear about what a great success would look like and likewise, be clear about what a complete disaster would look like for you.
Collaboratively agreeing on the northern star for the project will prevent going off-piste.
9. Seek a designer that you feel a connection with
If you’re lucky enough to find an agency that specialises in your niche or industry, then the chances are you’re going to have a great deal in common.
As humans, we naturally gravitate toward relatable people. Tribal behaviour of this nature dates way back to the early caveman days and is still present in modern-day society. You’re going to need to work very closely with the design agency of your picking so make sure you seek out a good fit.
At Studio Innate, we see a good fit by asking ourselves, “If our paths had crossed outside of the workplace, would we happily grab a beer together?” So far, so good.
10. Trust your gut
When making the crucial final decision of whom you can trust to deliver your project, listen to what your gut is telling you.
It may sound like a wise old tale, but this is actually hardwired into us biologically—this is your limbic brain talking. Look at why the agency exists and what they truly stand for.
Summary
If you’re in the process of writing a design brief to hand out to several agencies, consider replacing your Word documents with a good old fashioned conversation.
Not only should our top ten tips save you a vast amount of time and money, but you should also now be able to spot the less honourable operators in the market. Unfortunately, it’s the same as when you take your car to the mechanic without any knowledge about what needs fixing.
When hiring specialists in the field like us at Studio Innate, you want to ensure they take the lead. They are the experts, and you’re paying them handsomely to take on the project while producing the best possible ROI.
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Related Testimonial
“The initial phone call I had with James at Studio Innate really got me to start thinking about things quite differently. I didn’t appreciate that what was needed to make the company/brand successful was more than just a website. If this hadn’t been made clear as early as James made it, I would have been tempting to just go with a generic web design company!”
“This has completely changed the way I think about my business and will continue to do so, moving forward! Small things make a big difference; Colour choices, vibrancy, wording, and stripping things back to define why we do what we do and rebuild the brand from there.”
“Specifically, I liked the personality of James and his team! I have always been listened to, involved in every decision and made to feel part of it all. I was so scared of losing control of something I’d built, and, although my initial thoughts haven’t been what we’ve gone with, I was very much a part of that decision. It’s also been great to see James enthused by the project rather than just feeling like ‘another project’ he’s working on – they’ve all been really passionate about making it work!”
“Top benefits have been response time when I’ve requested help with something. Being local made it easy to go to the office and engage personally. Also, gaining other professional connections to help get the project off the ground.”
“Big thank you for helping me on this journey and being so enthusiastic about it all from the word Go!”
Kat Penn Founder – VoxFresh
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This is part IV of our Rebrand Series. Haven’t read part III yet? Read it here.
From
establishing how we were going to do things, and how we would name ourselves,
the next big thing was to translate our humble, forward-thinking, and
empathetic personality into a matching visual identity. Finally, time to let
our creative ideas on the loose!
After
some initial concepts and getting all the typical “logo clichés” out of our
system, we stumbled across the perfect typeface. Circular — a bold but soft
sans serif that’s also used by the likes of Spotify. Sometimes the thing you’re
looking for is right in front of you when seeking inspiration, and for us we
always start by matching a Spotify playlist for vibe of the work we’re going
for.
Circular
felt like the perfect fit to be our brands standard typeface.
We
also wanted to inject a bit of our independent and personable touch into the
logo, so we opted to lead with a hand-crafted script.
Our
meeting room: where ideas come to life.
As
you can see, we didn’t add a lot of colour to our visual identity.
The
minimalistic colour palette.
⚫️: While colour can
increase brand recognition there’s no reason black—when used
appropriately—can’t be just as distinctive, memorable and communicative of a
brand’s attributes. Black is to be taken seriously. It represents power,
luxury, sophistication and exclusivity. Black is bold, classic and not to be
fooled with.
⚪️: White represents
simplicity, purity, innocence and perfection. And if you had to identify one
brand that has used white to convey its brand message to perfection it would
have to be Apple. White represents the simplicity of the products in both their
form and function. White also comes with a starkness or sterility about it,
which we often use to convey a minimalist aesthetic and clean, modern quality.
The
black and white theme is included everywhere: from our studio to our website.
This
was the last part of our Rebrand Series. But hey, don’t worry, we still have
some other articles in the making! Meanwhile, we’re also active on a bunch of
other social media.
This is part III of the rebrand series. Haven’t read it part II yet? Read it here.
When
naming a business, people often expect to hear a name and to immediately feel
if it’s right or not. But that’s not how it works in most cases. A bit like
love at first sight.
Of
course, an edgy and memorable name is nice to have, but if it doesn’t stand for
anything, there really isn’t any purpose for it.
After stress testing many options, there was one word that kept surfacing: Innate.
Definition: Existing in one from birth; inborn; native: innate musical talent.
We know that the prospect of starting a business can seem daunting. With more and more people choosing to work for themselves, we were beginning to notice a pattern forming. Our customers were all prepared to the risk when pursuing careers with the things they love to do, or feel naturally gifted with. Whether that’s through, musicianship, a genuine desire to help others, craftsmanship, or in hospitality—the ‘why’ question tends to be answered along the lines of: “I just feel like I was meant to do this.” And this is the moment when we know we’re a good fit for someone.
Not
only is our new name truthful to our purpose, it’s also short, easy to
remember, and easy to pronounce.
So why incorporate ‘Studio’ into the name?
For us, it’s never been about building a huge multinational design agency with thousands of employees. Similar perhaps to the vision and purpose of an independent coffee shop, as opposed to a high street chain. Of course, there’s certainly a place for large marketing agencies, much like there’s a place for large hotel complexes. But for us, personally we feel more aligned to the vision of an independently owned boutique. And it seems the independent start-ups we like to work with have not only been finding their way to us, but also feel at home in our studio environment. So, for us this is something we wanted to stand by.
Mission Statement
With our purpose and our clients’ needs aligned, we could then begin to craft our new mission statement to enforce our purpose.
We believe that everyone has an innate gift. For some it bursts out at every given opportunity. It’s present with everything they do. For others it’s modestly preserved.
Behind the most inspiring brands are gifted innovators—people that strive to make a difference.
We build truthful and compelling brands that connect the dots between the companies of tomorrow and the audiences that long for them.
Click here for the final part of the Rebrand Series. Expect some cool visuals in the making of our identity.
This is part II of our Rebrand Series. Haven’t read part I yet? Read it here.
In April 2019, we finally took the plunge. There were two things we were absolutely certain about. The work was no longer representative of a solo consultant, and we were beginning to fall into a well suited niche. We changed, our services changed and our team changed. Now, the only thing left to do, was to dig into why we do what we do, and why anyone would care?
We started as we normally do. By addressing the ‘why’ conversation.
Why do we do what we do?
I’ve always had a genuine desire to help people. If I think of something that can be of use or value to someone, they’re the first to know about it. I obsess over finding a fix to a problem, even if the tools and objects to hand are restricted. And if people are struggling with something, I’ll take the time to fully understand the situation before sharing insights to the best of my ability.
I’m a strong believer of treating people as you’d like to be treated yourself — and as the team leader, I’m dedicated to ensuring our brand always stands for that. After all, a brand would be nothing without the human element behind it.
How do we do what we do?
We found that our sweet spot was listening and understanding the journey and ambitions for each client. This forms the foundation to all of the work we produce. Done are the days of skipping the strategy. We decided that from now on, we would pass on the outsourced contract work, and focus our attention to providing purpose led design.
Who are we best suited to serve?
We’re excited by the vision of the innovators of tomorrow. The people that hold the key to making the world a better place. If we can help the right people, with the right incentives, to pursue their innate ability, remarkable things can be achieved. We’ve always supported fellow independent businesses and love the passion that comes with small start-ups. And that’s an exciting opportunity to be a part of.
What’s our look?
After establishing our ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘who’, we could begin plotting our core pillars: approachable, humble, forward-thinking, and empathetic.
Today marks the day that we officially rebrand to Studio Innate.
This is the story of how we’ve grown from trading as a single freelancer, through to a lean and eager brand experience studio.
Roughly a decade ago now, I took to the industry offering myself as a freelancer. From helping lots of different agencies I got to witness many successes, and many failures — all providing an invaluable insight into the mechanics of a design agency.
It wasn’t long until I got the bug for working with clients directly. With the assistance of fellow pals and freelancers in my network (most notably Gordon) a small team took form, which soon became a very appealing secret weapon to a few agencies I was freelancing for. However, working through crowded agencies meant communication was getting tangled up. What’s worse, is this was negatively impacting the work.
All whilst this was happening, I was getting a good taste for how much more we could offer when dealing with our clients directly. So naturally I decided to shift the focus.
Slowly but surely, we’d outgrown our solo consultant’ appearance. We became more confident, tougher, and began to attract like-minded independent businesses. More and more people found their way to us with bigger opportunities. Not only did we get a huge kick out of the achievements we were now seeing our clients receive, our clients seemed to like who we’d become, and what we could now offer. But for new clients, it was becoming confusing. Time to invest some of our brand strategy and positioning on ourself.
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
The rise of the digital age, has created a divide in design agencies. On one side, you have what would traditionally be regarded as a ‘large’ agency. Often from the ashes of a print house. And on the other, ‘small’ boutiques. But how are they different and what are the expectations that come with each?
The ways of measuring the quality of an agency is changing. When you think of a large agency, immediately you would assume the work is better.
The only addition a large agency has is a higher volume of staff with a city central address. If anything, this shift in landscape is making the large agencies struggle with a new wave of creative talents born into the digital age and readily available through a simple DM on Instagram or Behance.
For me personally, when I was contracting as a freelance design consultant, I noticed that the majority of the small boutiques felt the pressure to pretend they had various locations and more staff than that actually had — some even using fake board members and city centre forwarding addresses to complete the illusion. As well as finding this somewhat amusing, I could never understand why they would feel the pressure to do this…
Here’s an example of how I see this: We’ve got a superb independent coffee shop here in Newbury called Harrison’s. Everything from their beverages and food, to the atmosphere and hospitality is in a completely different league to what Starbucks, Pret, Nero or Costa could ever offer. See where I’m going with this…? Not only is your coffee always made to perfection by expert barista Pedro, they personally source their organic ingredients from the best independent local businesses. And to go the extra mile, my 2-year-old son is invited to water their fresh herbs as well as receiving a free treat each visit — which is basically daily.
The framework of a boutique design studio is very much the same. Here at Studio Innate we don’t pretend to have a board of elite directors. Our focus is more aligned to building strong relationships with our clients, enabling us to gather the insights necessary to produce the best work possible.
Working with a large agency involves lots of people, which means communication can get tangled up. Our creative team work directly with our clients because the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
Many companies approach us about the struggles and misrepresentations they face with their existing identity system and brand. Many feel a good business face lift is order at this stage. But this isn’t quite the root of the problem.
The problem always lies with the brand. Enterprise marketing legend Seth Godin recently conducted an interview where he perfectly articulates how the value of a brand is measured by how much extra you will pay above the substitute.
“If Nike opened a hotel, I think we would be able to guess pretty accurately what it would be like. If Hyatt came out with sneakers we’d have no clue, because Hyatt doesn’t have a brand — they have a logo. If I swapped the signs on a hotel at that price point you couldn’t tell. If you were in a Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, the hallway, the room, I wouldn’t know where I am — No brand.”
“What it means to have a brand is you have made a promise to people. They have expectations. It’s a shorthand. What should I expect the next time? If that is distinct, you’ve earned something. If it’s not distinct, let’s admit you make a commodity and you’re trying to charge just a little bit extra for peace of mind. The problem that Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and the rest have is sort by price. If I go online now to find a hotel it’s really simple — sort by price. Why would I pay $200 extra to go a block away? I don’t.”
“What’s the value of a brand?
The value of a brand is how much extra I am paying above the substitute. If I’m not paying extra, you don’t have a brand. When we think about what brands ought to do to move forward, the most important thing is to not worry about your slogan, your spokesperson — they’re wrapping. It’s to worry about the substance. Work that matters for people who care. Find the people who care. The smallest viable group you can live with and figure out how to give them something that matters.”
“There are hotels (these new chains of mini-boutique hotels) that charge double what a Hyatt might charge, for less. But it’s only less by the Hyatt measure. It’s way more by the measure of someone who cares about what the people in the lobby look like or who cares about how hip it feels to walk into the bar. They’re investing not in… ‘oh you get a room with three power outlets’. They’re investing in throwing a party in a place where you can also sleep. Those hotels have a brand and those hotels are what people pay extra for.”
Following the rise to fame that British boxer Anthony Joshua has had, I found myself stumbling across his live website design. I was quite surprised to find an off-the-peg cheap website theme. As I’m sure you can image, I felt obliged to explore my curiosity by reworking a higher profile website to match his forever rising status.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
As an avid lover of the Nike brand, I decided to give the Flatspot website a little freshen up. The existing website overall works well and serves its purpose. However, I’m a fond believe that anything can be improved. So I set out to play around with a new user interface designed for a more aesthetically pleasing feel along with a more engaging balance of the necessary page components.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
I recently set myself a little challenge on Instagram. Running a business from day to day and finding time for my family when I’m not working leaves little time for anything else. However, I did manage to put aside an hour each day for 6 days to build a set of type posters.
I used to be a huge fan of typography and infant, it was certainly one of my key interests when starting out as a designer. I’m sadly given very little freedom to play around with quirky type layouts these days so taking a trip back down memory lane was quite a treat.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
I recently discovered the amazing power that Sonos delivers. Not only on an audio level, but the way it electrifies an entire building with balanced audio throughout. As an avid music lover, I can’t stand it when the music is turned up to 11 in neighbouring rooms to compensate for the lack of speakers elsewhere.
Anyway, to cut a long story short… My love grew for the brand when I downloaded the beautifully crafted mobile app which controls and connects all of the different speakers throughout the building. However, I then gasped in disbelief when I opened up the desktop app to find an outdated Microsoft Windows inspired (sorry windows lovers) interface. For a while I shrugged and let it pass me by. But before long I couldn’t resist to explore my curiosity. The “what if” that always prompts me in fixing problems with design took a hold. So, I set out to re design the interface.
Here is the existing design…
And here is my curious rework of the desktop app
I didn’t want to fly fearlessly into the face of confession so felt it was wise to place elements where they’re best known.
Other the noticeable facelift, the main things I wanted to change with the UX were;
The use of reflections and the deep blue removed to match the mobile app.
Adding a more user-friendly media switching tool
Cleaner icons
Stacked carousel scrolling to keep the back searches within reach
Fingers crossed for an update of this nature for Sonos soon…
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
When introducing a client to the process of building theirnew websiteor app, I often like to reference the process of building a house. From time-to-time a client will be under the impression a designer exists to make a platform more visually pleasing to the eye of their customers which simply isn’t the case. Sometimes you just need to knock things down and start over.
Throughout the process, we like to collaborate with the client ensuring the knowledge of our combined industry specialists is maximised.
Step 1
The drawing board (UX)
We start by working out the intended user requirements. We need to calculate why a user will be in certain areas, how they arrived there, and what particular things they’ll require to be accessible along the way. This is called UX (User experience) design. Upon understanding the objectives and purpose of the build, we can then look at designing how this will flow from one area to another. Once we’ve got the core user journeys pencilled out, we can start to consider the black and white outlines of the design, much like architectural drawings.
Step 2
Planning Application (Client feedback)
We’re now at the stage where we can produce our proposed thinking for the client’s consideration. This stage consists of making sure all of the key objectives are ticked and the overall proposed feel is to industry standard specs. After-all, you wouldn’t want to build an abstract modern building at the heart of a historic village. Users want to feel reassured and at home when visiting a destination, they’ve painted a picture of in their mind
Step 3
Interior/Exterior design (UI)
Once we’re happy with how the proposed site flows, we’re able to start considering the UI (user interface) design. This is the fun part… We’re then able to inject the personality and desired charm into the website with little nods to specific industry references. We can really start to design how certain elements will look, respond and communicate the messaging throughout.
Step 4
The Build (Development)
Now we’re happy with how the site plan is communicating is message and how everything looks and flows, we can begin to work on the build. We begin this stage by considering how to best build this and on what platform. Much like considering and selecting your materials for the building. We’re then able to look at utilising pre-fabricated plugins for certain interactive elements of a site (like a booking form or a shop) much like you would when installing intricate automatic glazing or fingerprint recognition locks.
Step 5
Final touches (Design refinement)
Once the build is complete, we’re at the stage where we can look back at the process and examine what we have left in the budget to splash out on lovely little touches. This is where some really nice, tactile transitions and features can really bring a website to life.
Step 6
House warming (Go live)
Now the project is complete, we can crack open a beer and unveil your brand new shiny website for all to see, reassuring and pleasing your existing customers and attracting you lots of new ones.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
Before I set out to explain my opinion on dyslexia, familiarise yourself with the words in the poster below.
(Image: Dan Britton)
Chances are, this may not have been the quickest or most comfortable thing to read…
I should note that I was diagnosed from an early age with dyslexia. Not only did this explain why I was falling behind at school I also felt the majority of my teachers gave up on me. Naturally I on boarded the disability stamp and continued to invest my time in creativity. This was when I began discovering the ways I could use my disability to simplify things.
Being dyslexic, I’ve never felt the temptation to sit and read books until recently—and even now it’s a huge struggle. But I’ve become rather good with sentences that begin with “So, basically…” This is where crafting a mission statement for a brand has its advantages. In today’s fast paced world, it’s essential to communicate at the speed of light.
For me, this is where dyslexia may have been misdiagnosed as a disability.
Dyslexicgraphic designerslike myself, simply want to make experience as easy and informative as possible. In a way, my ethos as a designer relates to the saying “Treat people like you want to be treated yourself.”
This is why when building a brand,website, identity system in the simplest way possible for complete user satisfaction.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
BBC South checked in this week to discuss the typical proceedings from a client’s initial enquiry through to the delivery of their end product. Whether a client is after a website design or a brand new logo design, the basic rules and framework are harmonious throughout. The show was broadcasted across, Berkshire, Surrey, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire attracting a wide range of listeners.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
In a recent article it was argued thatweb design has become boring and predictable since its early days of hectic layouts and loud random colours. Arguably, there are a handful of websites that can’t be excused for their lack of functionality and purpose however, they may at least relate to one and other with a similar layout. The fact the structure is similar doesn’t make it boring, it makes it instantly familiar to users around the world. This is because we’re no longer trying to pave the way anymore. We’ve researched and discovered factual information into how users interact with digital interfaces, known in the industry as UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) design. This is the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product. Out of the madness has emerged standardised patterns that are now convention due to best practice research seen adopted by big players like Facebook, Google and IOS.
You can expect to go to a random site and immediately understand where the navigation is likely to be and for the most part, how it works. You also have an idea of what pages are called and what information those pages contain, such as contact, about and store. You know what icons mean, you can easily identify buttons and navigational signposting making the site immediately understandable. After all, who has the time to decrypt every site they land on?
Here’s an example to consider… There’s nothing exiting about road signage. So why don’t we make them all special and unique? Because every time you see one and even at a moment’s glance in your peripheral vision, you know what information it shows and what it’s indicating about your journey ahead. With that in mind, we’re all familiar with the confused feeling on arriving at a motorway service station when greeted by unfamiliar signage. With the desire to consume a product or service the last thing you want is to get lost along the way. Road signs are so universal and “boring”, you can go to another country where the signs are in a different language, but you know what they mean because they speak the same visual language, and that extends past road signs, into general public informational signs.
I guess we’ve ironed out a few of the basics which as a result allows little time for error. The basic rules are defined, and the language has been set. With this said, there is a place for creativity and thats what we’re constantly challenging but the internet simply isn’t what it was back when it started. Its more advanced and in short has done some growing up with the responsibility of serving vastly many more purposes. If every site structure was completely different, not as many people would find the internet as useful.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
You may have recently noticed that online giants Google, have gone through and spruced a few things up. This was recently revealed in a promotional video boasting their growth over the past 17 years demonstrating how people in the growing digital age are interacting differently across their various platforms. It’s said that the new branding has set out to reflect these changes.
“So why are we doing this now? Once upon a time, Google was one destination that you reached from one device: a desktop PC. These days, people interact with Google products across many different platforms, apps and devices—sometimes all in a single day. You expect Google to help you whenever and wherever you need it, whether it’s on your mobile phone, TV, watch, the dashboard in your car, and yes, even a desktop!
Today we’re introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens. As you’ll see, we’ve taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs (such as tap, type and talk).
It doesn’t simply tell you that you’re using Google, but also shows you how Google is working for you. For example, new elements like a colorful Google mic help you identify and interact with Google whether you’re talking, tapping or typing. Meanwhile, we’re bidding adieu to the little blue “g” icon and replacing it with a four-color “G” that matches the logo.”
With all that said, along with that initial uneasy feeling we know all too well when something you’re all so familiar with sudden looks completely different, Google have made a great leap into the future with thisrebrand. It’s clear to see that this has received mixed reviews but maybe that could be down to how the audience received it? When Apple release a new interface a great sense of anticipation swamps the release date. Google very much swept the carpet from beneath us with this one. That being said, people will defiantly grow to like it. After going on the journey provided in the brand promotion video it becomes very apparent how our digital age has naturally demanded thisfresh new look.
Good old trusty Google just got young and fun once again without the need to desperately shout it from a pointless slide or ball pit. Maybe Facebook will consider sharpening up their dated look next.
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
Building a brand that connects in many ways is one of the hardest things to crack. Still to this day one of our favourite brands is Nike. You’ll be surprised to know that it was created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student from Portland State University. The crazy thing is, she was only paid $35 (which works out at roughly £20, give or take) for the masterpiece.
Carolyn Davidson met Phil Knight (co founder of Nike) who at the time was an assistant professor at PSU. Davidson started helping Knight at a freelance rate of just $2 an hour whist Knight was beginning work on creating his own brand of athletic shoes.
Lo and behold, the Nike Swoosh was created. A “tick” shape designed to indicate movement and speed. The swoosh was also themed to lightly symbolise a wing to honour the Greek goddess of victory. This was created in 17.5 hours, which totalled to the amount of $35 (again, roughly £20). Davidson continued producing designs for Nike until she then branched out to be a freelance designer in 1975.
Carolyn Davidson was eventually commended for her tremendous input to the well known brand. The company threw a party to honour her and she was given a generous amount of company stock along with a diamond and gold ring featuring her iconic design.
This is just a small example of how important and influential a brand can grow on to be.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
Here at Innate we’re huge fans of beautiful, well-crafted Typographic Design. When it comes to the work of Seb Lester, that’s exactly what you get. Free hand typography is an art form the best of us “designs” wish we could master. It seems we’re forever wishing we could simply create the ideal typeface that “just works” all from the touch of pen to paper in such a fluid way that Seb Lester delivers. A true inspiration.
Great work!
For more information on Seb Lester, visit his website or keep up to date with him on Facebook.
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
When we’re working away in the studio, we have the perfect balance of music to accompany the creative process. Nothing too mellow, and nothing to heavy. Whether it’s for a web design project, branding or graphic design, this for us is the perfect balance to immerse ourselves within each project.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
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