Guides
Practical reading on brand strategy, identity and working with agencies. Back to the First Identity shortlist.
How Long Does a Branding Project Take?
Realistic timelines for sprints, studio projects and large rebrands.
Brand Design Trends in 2026 and How to Use Them
The directions shaping identity design this year, and a warning about following them too closely.
London or Regional Agency: Does Location Matter?
Whether an agency's location still matters when most projects run remotely.
How to Choose Brand Colours That Work on Screen
A practical method for building a colour palette that is distinctive, accessible and usable in product UI.
Choosing Brand Typography: A Founder's Guide
How to pick typefaces for your brand, what licences cost and when a free font is good enough.
Brand Guidelines: What to Include and What to Skip
The sections every set of brand guidelines needs, and how long the document should really be.
The Logo Design Process, Step by Step
What happens between a brief and a finished logo, and why good designers start with questions.
Logo vs Brand Identity vs Brand: What Is the Difference?
Three terms that get mixed up constantly, explained in a way you can use in a meeting.
Trade Mark Basics for UK Startups
What a trade mark protects, how to search the register and when to speak to an attorney.
Branding for Investor Pitch Decks
How brand and design influence fundraising, and what to prioritise in a deck.
Branding for FinTech Startups: Building Trust Fast
How financial technology companies can look credible without looking like a bank.
Branding for Web3 Startups: Earning Credibility
How Web3 projects can use brand to build trust with users and investors in a sceptical market.
Startup Website Essentials: What Your First Site Needs
The pages, messages and proof points every early-stage website should have.
Rebrand or Refresh? How to Decide
The difference between a full rebrand and a lighter refresh, with signs that point to each.
How to Compare Branding Agency Proposals
A scoring approach for comparing proposals that differ in scope, price and process.
Freelancer vs Agency: Who Should Design Your Brand?
When a freelance designer is the right choice and when a studio or agency is worth the extra cost.
DIY Branding vs Hiring a Professional
What founders can sensibly do themselves and where professional help pays for itself.
AI in Branding: What It Can and Cannot Do in 2026
A realistic look at how AI tools fit into brand work, including the ownership questions.
Brand Naming Basics: How to Choose a Company Name
Types of names, how to shortlist and the checks to run before you commit.
Brand Architecture Explained for Growing Companies
How to organise products and sub-brands as your company grows.
Measuring Brand ROI: Metrics That Make Sense
Practical ways to track whether brand investment is paying off for a young company.
What Is Brand Strategy? A Plain-English Guide
Brand strategy explained without jargon: what it covers, what it produces and how to tell when yours is working.
What Is a Visual Identity and What Should It Include?
The components of a visual identity system, from logo suite to imagery, and how they fit together.
What Is a Brand Sprint? How Four-Week Branding Works
Brand sprints compress strategy and identity into weeks. Here is how they run and who they suit.
How Much Does Branding Cost in the UK?
Typical UK price ranges for freelancers, small studios and large agencies, and what drives the difference.
When Should a Startup Invest in Branding?
The trigger points that justify professional branding, and when a simple placeholder is enough.
15 Questions to Ask a Branding Agency Before You Sign
The questions that reveal who will do the work, how the process runs and what you will receive.
Senior-Led vs Junior-Led Agencies: Why It Matters
How agency staffing models work and what they mean for the quality of your brand.
Boutique Studio vs Big Agency: Which Should You Choose?
An honest comparison of small studios and large agencies across cost, speed, attention and scale.
Founder-Led Branding: Why Founders Should Stay Close to the Work
Why brands built with direct founder involvement tend to be sharper, and how to do it without micromanaging.
Brand Audit Checklist: 20 Things to Review
A quick self-audit to find the weakest parts of your current brand.
Motion in Brand Identity: When Animation Earns Its Place
How motion adds recognition to a brand and what a simple motion guide contains.
Brand Photography and Imagery: Choosing a Style
How to define an imagery style that feels like you, with or without a photography budget.
Brand Consistency for Small Teams
Simple systems that keep a brand consistent when nobody has 'brand manager' in their title.
B2B vs B2C Branding: What Changes and What Does Not
The real differences between business and consumer branding, without the myths.
7 Signs You Have Outgrown Your Brand
How to recognise when the brand that got you started is now holding you back.