Solutions 01 Brand Identity
First, what should improve. Then, whether design needs to change
Pinning down who you are, in a form others can build on.
01
Brand Identity
Timeline
2
weeks
Brand Sprint · 4 sign-offs
The real problem
The issue isn’t how it looks. It’s that no one wrote the decisions down
That cost never shows up on a quote, but you pay it every month.
How we approach it
The order is business growth goals (customer count, price point, retention, new markets, fundraising) ➔ where the gap is today ➔ whether the design needs to change. A few times, the price sheet turned out to be fine and the problem was the sales process.
An identity’s value isn’t in those two months. It’s in every decision after them. Once the positioning is set, you stop re-arguing “should we write this line?” and “can we use this color?” every time. That’s why we deliver rules and tokens. A stack of images goes stale in three months. Rules don’t.
Before we propose anything, we look at these four things
01
The last three things you told the outside world
The first line of your website, the first slide of your deck, your sales team’s opening line. If the three don’t match, your positioning hasn’t been written down yet. It isn’t a copywriting problem.
02
How long a new asset takes you
If you have to dig through old files to find a color every time, you have precedents, not rules. Precedents get messier as they pile up. Rules save more the more you use them.
03
Where competitors’ messaging crowds together
We’re looking at which positions are already taken. You can only stand out where nobody else is standing.
04
Whether your identity can plug into engineering
Are there tokens, measured contrast ratios, minimum sizes? If not, someone has to translate your design for engineers by hand every single time.
What we ask on the intro call
muzi
Which business metric do you want to improve in six months?
You
Inquiries. About three or four a month right now.
muzi
Then let’s leave the logo alone for now. We’ll check if the first line of your website, the first slide of your deck, and your sales intro are saying the same thing.
A rule that makes our job harder
In phase 2 you pick one route. No taking parts from all three.
In each route, the proportions, colors, and type hold each other up as a whole. Pull them apart and recombine them, and you get something that looks like none of them. It’s the most common, and most expensive, kind of rework we see.
You get something at the end of every phase
Phases marked “sign-off” don’t move forward until you’ve signed off.
01
Anchor phase
Interviews, competitor scan, confirming positioning
You’ll see a positioning statement + direction keywords
Sign-off: positioning locked
02
Divergence
Three visual routes, each with a wordmark, three colors, and a layout example
You’ll see a three-route proposal
Sign-off: pick one route
03
Convergence
Taking the chosen route deeper: drawing, contrast calculations, type roles, layouts
You’ll see the final core identity
Sign-off: revision round 1
04
Systems
Tokens, components, applications, guidelines document
You’ll see the full delivery package
Sign-off: revision round 2
05
Handoff
Training, file delivery, and maintenance advice
You’ll see a handoff meeting + file library
What you get
The last three items are the dividing line: your engineers can plug them straight in without reading a manual first.
What we deliver: rules and tokens, not a stack of images.
Strategy Positioning statement: one sentence on who you are, who it’s for, and how you differ from everyone else. Includes do and don’t examples for tone of voice.
Logo Primary logo plus horizontal, vertical, one-color, and reversed versions. Clear space and minimum sizes, one set for print and one for screen.
Color Primary, secondary, and neutral scales, each color labeled with its role. Includes an accessibility contrast table with the ratio for every foreground/background pair.
Typography Which typeface for the wordmark, headings, body, and numerals. Sizes, line heights, and letter spacing from the largest heading down to footnotes. Licensing notes.
Graphics and layout An icon language or supporting graphic system, with quality criteria. Grid and spacing scale, and three or more layout prototypes.
Files Vector source files and exports in every size, a web font package, design tokens (CSS variables and JSON), and the guidelines document.
See a real example
Click into any of them to see how we made the calls at the time.
Who does the work
Google APAC Product Marketing
Positioning, go-to-market strategy, competitive analysis, and naming.
Brand Identity work
LifeOS brand identity
LifeOS brand identity
Muzi Studio brand identity
Muzi Studio brand identity
Fixed scope, clear numbers
You’ll get a price range at the end of the intro call. No form to fill out first.
How we charge
Brand Sprint (two weeks) or priced by phase (if the scope isn’t settled yet, we do the Anchor phase first and decide from there)
Two revision rounds included. Anything beyond that is quoted in advance
You’ll get a range at the end of the intro call
What we need from you
One point of contact who can make the final call, and up to two other decision makers
Existing material: source files for your current logo, product photos, existing copy
Two 90-minute meetings (Anchor phase, route selection)
A reply within 48 hours of each presentation. Late replies push the timeline back
What’s not included
Print production and press checks
Trademark searches and registration filings
Commissioned photography and illustration
Web build (available as an add-on; see Web & Technology)
Producing new assets after launch
What’s involved
CoreBrand StrategyVisual DesignSupportingSocial MediaVideo
FAQ
Can you really finish an identity in two weeks?
Yes, because we do the thinking up front. Positioning has to be confirmed before the end of week one, and visuals only start in week two. When projects drag, it’s rarely a shortage of hours. It’s that decisions never settle.
We already have a logo. Can we just do the guidelines?
Yes. That’s usually a question of design system governance, not an identity overhaul. A one-day audit first will cost you less than opening a full project.
Who owns the copyright to the files?
Everything is yours once the final payment is made, source files included. We keep only the right to show it in our portfolio, and if you’d rather it stay private, we can exclude that in the contract.
Do we need to buy font licenses separately?
Yes. In the type roles, we note which typefaces need a commercial license and roughly what they cost. You can buy them yourself or have us handle it.
Book a 30-minute call
It’s free. We’ll ask whether the last three things you told the outside world were the same message. By the end, you’ll have an initial read on direction and scope.