Business consultancy branding for the never normal world

Brand research

The founder was fully engaged with the branding process right from the start.

Our research began with a long, open conversation about Helen’s vision for the business. This session was followed by a workshop, where we dissected competitors’ brands and mapped out the needs of various audiences.

We didn’t have all the answers at the end of the research phase. But we had a clear picture of who this new company was here for and who they were up against. Analysing existing brands also helped us understand what to avoid or aspire to.

Brand strategy

The brand strategy workshops helped distill the founder’s vision into a well-defined, distinct brand identity.

The brand identity sums up the brand purpose, core values, personality, ambitions and desired positioning of the brand.

Brand positioning

It’s hard to stand out in the saturated business consultancy landscape. But the founder’s experience provided an opportunity for a unique positioning. She had set out to build a business delivering culture change as well as financial results. So we created a brand that gives equal weight to emotional intelligence and IQ.

Brand purpose

It was really important for the founder and the Brand Purist team to create a business consultancy brand with a positive vision. It had to have a purpose that went beyond driving growth for businesses. It had to resonate with the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. These must-haves inspired the brand purpose: to create value for all by reshaping the business world.

Brand naming

Naming is often the most challenging aspect of branding. We set ourselves strict criteria and deadlines to deliver an evocative name. The Shape Beyond name is the result of hard, collaborative work. It expresses the idea of transforming and shaping businesses, while going beyond expectations. It also captures the idea of nurturing future business leaders.

Brand design

The design phase began with brainstorming ideas, collating inspiration and forming a concise design brief. The founder’s role was crucial in determining the visual direction. But it was our job to bring it all together into a meaningful, yet simple solution.

Logo design

The Shape Beyond logo is one elegant stroke, expressing unity and collaboration. One path – with twists and turns – represents the journeys that Shape Beyond guides businesses through. The letter B is literally the shape beyond the letter S. It also wraps around the S to signify nurture. Round forms give the logo a friendly feel.

It isn’t always possible to capture so much in a logo mark. But we strive to combine simplicity with meaning in every logo we design.

Visual identity

The logo is only the beginning. We created a colour palette to further emphasise the concept of nurture and nature. Organic shapes, inspired by the logo’s fluid form, can be used as brand expression. They represent the idea of the constantly changing, challenging environment of the never normal world.

Brand implementation

The brand implementation focused on getting Shape Beyond off the ground quickly. Our top priorities were:

• logo assets,
• e-signatures,
• digital and print-ready stationery,
• website,
• pitch presentation,
• content development,
• icons and imagery,
• social media profiles,
• brand guidelines.

Brand messages

We also took care of Shape Beyond’s written communications, summarising key propositions, benefits and what the business does. Written content needed a straightforward but inspiring tone to match the brand’s personality and resonate with the target audience.

Web design

The Shape Beyond website is functional but stylish. Designing it helped us flesh out the visual identity as many elements are in play on a simple page. Typography, colours, images, icons, buttons, divider lines and more all need to work together.

Brand guidelines

Finally, we delivered a brand book to capture the brand identity, including the purpose, values and personality. It also provides guidelines for logo, typography and colour use. This document is now the foundation of the brand. We’ll be there for Shape Beyond as they grow, helping their brand evolve with their business.