So, you’re thinking about working with Rubie Jo Creative for a branding project? Firstly, that is so exciting and secondly, thank you for considering working with me!

In this post, I’ll walk you through my typical brand design process, step by step, so you know exactly what to expect if we work together whether that’s building a brand from scratch or giving your existing one a fresh new look.

Of course, every project is unique and comes with its own quirks, so things might vary a bit depending on your project’s scale. But this will give you a clear overview of what to expect when working with a brand designer. Keep reading 👇

Before any design even begins, let’s say hey

Before we can develop a brand, we want to make sure that we’re a good fit for each other. It’s important that we both feel aligned in both the style of design work and that we have a good feeling about each other too. Take a look at my portfolio and if you’re liking what you see, you’ll fill out the project inquiry form (this one right here), so I can learn some more about your project.

We’ll likely arrange a casual connection video call, phone call or continue our conversation via email if this suits you best. Don’t worry - this is a laid back chat where you can tell me allllll about your exciting project details and design vision, we’ll talk about launch dates, timeframes, pricing and if you have any questions just ask me.

Once our call is finished, I’ll send over a personalised design proposal that covers everything you need to know, including:

An estimated start date
Scope and package options and pricing
Clear next steps

If you’re ready to book in, I’ll send over a design agreement and first invoice to secure your spot on my calendar.

Once the (kinda boring but necessary) admin bits are out the way, we’re ready to start the branding design process.

Phase one - Getting to know you and your business

The design survey

Before any design happens, you’ll complete a detailed design survey. This is where we get to explore the nitty-gritty of your business such as where you are currently, your goals, offerings, who your ideal audience is, your design preferences and more. We’ll also cover budget options for fonts and stock images (not every project needs them, but it’s good to be transparent).

Your input is really important here because no one knows your business better than you do, and your insights will help us think strategically about it. What we learn from this survey will serve as the foundation for the project, every decision we make will always link back to your business's roots.

Brand discovery & creative direction

Now your part is finished, it’s time to start mine! I’ll create the brand discovery and design direction presentation for our project. I take everything we’ve learned so far about your business and how this fits into our visual strategy.

Depending on your project, I’ll share 1–3 carefully considered design direction mood boards for you to explore, each with its own style. The goal is to show how your brand could come to life through a thoughtful process of selecting colours, type inspo, logo styles and more to create a solid design direction.

These directions give us an overall vibe of what to aim for, and the one you choose will become our reference point as we move forward. At this stage, we can also talk things through on a call together so we’re fully aligned before moving into the design phase, coming up next.

Phase two - Design, create and refine

The design presentation

With the chosen design direction in place, it’s time for me to get completely stuck in and get lost in all things creative.

I’ll explore different possibilities for your brand based on that direction and present one strong, fully developed design concept. In some cases, I may explore a second concept if it adds value to the project, but everything is always rooted in the strategy we’ve built together.

I don’t do things half-heartedly here either. In the presentation, you’ll see how your brand identity takes shape. You’ll see mockups showing how all the pieces of your branding come together to work as one to create your cohesive brand identity. Plus, I provide a pre-recorded video presentation explaining the choices behind the design, so you can watch it whenever it suits your busy schedule as a business owner.

You’ll see mockups showing how all the pieces of your branding come together to work as one to create your cohesive brand identity, like in this real project I worked on with a client.

Feedback and refinements

Collaboration is really important to me and I want to make sure you feel heard throughout the process. That’s why I ask a few specific questions to gather your feedback and use a handy client portal to keep everything organised and easy for you across the span of our project. Plus, we always have the opportunity to schedule a call together if we need to go over anything.

After the presentation, I’ll gather your initial feedback, and then we’ll have two rounds of revisions included (so you get three opportunities in total). Combined with my experience, this makes sure we get the design just right and makes sure you’re absolutely happy with everything we’ve created so far. I’m proud to say that my clients often find the design process smooth, with minimal revisions needed but they are always there if we need them.

Phase three - Finalising, brand collateral and launch

Finalising and file delivery

We’re almost there! But just before we celebrate your new branding, we’ll sign off on the brand design and finalise any collateral pieces that may be included in your brand package. All your final files are then organised into a dropbox folder for you to download (or I’ll upload them to a location of your choice) making sure you have all the necessary files and file types you’ll need for now and the future.

You’ll also receive any final assets in your package, such as an in-depth style guide that outlines how your brand communicates itself which is great to send to any external contractors that you work with so they are always aware of the visual direction (social media managers, your team members, copywriters, for example), or a style board which is a condensed version of the booklet, depending on your project’s scope. A project wrap up file is sent your way too, which includes helpful resources and information about your projects files.

Launch

Don’t overlook the rollout of your branding; it’s an important step! It's always a good idea to have a plan of action about how you’ll launch to the world. This is something that doesn’t always have to involve a designer, businesses may have a marketing team, social media manager or a brand manager to handle this, but I’m here to help you with a launch plan if your brand needs it! We’ll talk more about the launch strategy based on each projects needs but some things I can help with are:

Designing launch social media graphics to help introduce your brand
Help with setting up customer journeys like email newsletters and content creation
Refreshing your website with new visuals and branding elements

And this is just the beginning of an exciting new journey…

Branding isn’t a one-and-done thing

It’s an ongoing process that evolves with your business. Just like watering a garden, keep nurturing it and it’ll keep growing. It’s a continuous commitment that’ll pay off in the long run and be SO worth it.