The milk branding process

The blood oath. Once we agree on the project budget, deliverables, and terms, I will set you up in the system and assign your homework…

The (very important) homework: this is how I milk your professional personality. 

It comes in the form of a form. Filled with questions about your brand. Some simple, some hard, some more abstract—all designed to work from different angles to get you thinking deeply about your company. You (and your team) will tell me everything until we’ve stripped your business naked. 

Answering the questions should help you think about your company and brand from your customers’ perspective. There are no right or wrong answers. 

This is where the magic happens and is the basis for how I tailor the visuals to fit you. My job is not to invent personalities for brands; it is to milk them.

I do my thing. With everything laid bare, I work out which cuts fit your body shape and which colours bring out your eyes and match your skin tones. Every client/project is different and is tailored as such, but the process is the same:

Research and inspiration: I take a wide look around - competitor and target audience analysis, design trends, books, art, the outside world, wherever my eyes can take me.

Testing and play: Experimenting with different visual design concepts, layout ideas, styles, fonts, colours, patterns and graphic elements to find a suitably tasty direction.

Tighten and delete: Curating a brand is about choices, what to include, and just as important, what not to include. Disciplined editing is an art. When I present a brand, I’ve heavily refined and driven toward what I believe is the single best solution, and I create a presentation to encapsulate my vision of your future.

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It’s important to remember that my client is your client, not you. Yes, I want you to LOVE it, but it’s better that your clients like it, that’s who it’s for.

I present the brand—you look at it. 

We discuss. 

Any immediate questions? Fire away. 

After you’ve swallowed the milk, you need time to go away and digest. 

Honest feedback is the name of the game. I’m not going to be offended if it doesn’t feel right. Consider what works for you. Will you feel confident selling this vision to customers? 

If needed, I will rework the project until we reach a conclusion where we are all happy, and it will do its job in the real world.

With the visual sign off, we head towards the launch. 

Firstly, admin. I need to export and provide all the relevant files as agreed in the scope, such as: The logo suite with variants, colour palette codes, font files, print-ready files, and template files.

If agreed, I will;

• furnish you with a brand book to help you understand how to implement your brand moving forward

• arrange any print collateral (business cards/signage/etc.) 

• liaise with any colleagues who may be providing other services (photography/video/website/etc.)

Soft or hard launch. Showing off your new brand is exciting and an important PR opportunity. Launching strongly will maximise the impact you will see.

Aftercare is important. Ask if you’re unsure about anything. 

Does this look right? Am I doing that right? What would you do here?

This is absolutely fine. I’d rather make sure you know what you’re doing moving forward rather than guessing. 

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If you need anything else designed or help with your ongoing marketing. There are so many elements to building and sustaining a brand; by the time a project ends, your needs may have increased. We can talk, and I can quote for any additional work required/desired. 

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One thing that works well for clients is purchasing a bank of hours, which can be used to produce ad hoc content when needed, or to consult or tweak your in-house design.