Growth Collaborative Branding Process
Each brand design project can take approximately 3 – 6 weeks. Full branding projects (which include brand development – printing & website design) can typically take anywhere from 1 - 3 months. All time estimates are dependent upon the individual project, number/complexity of revisions, client response timeliness, and our current client schedule.
1. Getting Started
Like any new relationship, it all starts with an introductory meeting to make sure we are a good match for each other. After your initial review, we will ask you some questions regarding your business, vision, and the goals you have for your brand. You’ll also get the chance to ask us any questions that come to mind. This introduction will give us both a chance to get to know one another and make sure we are going to make an awesome team.
2. Booking
If we hit it off and find that we are a good match, we will then put together a formal cafeteria-style bid for the scope of the project and send it to you for review and consideration. If everything proposed is approved, you will then sign a copy of the proposal and complete the down payment invoice to hold your spot in the Growth Collaborative queue. *Please note this deposit is nonrefundable.
3. Homework
We will give you a little homework to prepare for our upcoming project. We will send you a list of items needed to get us going. If needed, we may schedule an additional meeting to answer any new questions that come up or to propose a new idea/model for you to consider. This information will provide us valuable insight as we move through your brand design process.
4. Inspire
Woohoo! Your project start date is here, so we’ll dive right in. Our first step in the branding process will start with an inspiration board. We will study your existing brand, goals, market competitors, and consumer base in order to create a color palette and basic style inspiration – this will set the overall tone of your new brand or re-brand. Typically, you can expect to receive your first inspiration board within 10 business days of your start date. You’ll then have a chance to review and request up to 2 rounds of revisions until you are excited with the overall direction.
5. Create
Now that we have established and finalized your inspiration board, we will then get to work on creating the cornerstone of your new brand – the logo. The logo design process can take approximately 10 - 15 business days to complete. During this phase, you will receive a few (typically 3-5) unique logo concepts designed based on the information given in the initial stages and your approved inspiration board. Once received, you will have the opportunity to review and request up to 2 rounds of revisions of your new logo design.
6. Polish & Deliver
Now it’s time to put it all together, to create your final look: {baited breathe} your new Brand Style Guide! We will bring your logo, color palette, inspiration board and logo variations together - along with any social media icons, fonts, patterns, or other approved elements into a complete brand guide. Once we receive your approval and final payment, we will package up your entire Brand Style Guide and send it to you. This will include accessible files for your access and quick reference as well as native files for any designer’s use as you see fit.
7. Print & Social Branding
We can now take your new brand and continue it through your printed materials and online presence (business card, business letterhead/note cards and envelopes, stamp, hangtag, stickers, vehicle graphics, POS displays, website, Facebook and YouTube pages, etc.) to complete your seamless new look. In addition, we can manage all of your printing needs, too. The Growth Collaborative is a well-rounded, full-service team. We work with several print brokers to ensure the best printing for a great price and in a timely manner. Projects big or small, we will help you print it all.
Full Brand & Web Development Process
8. Website Design & Development
While we place the appropriate print orders, now is a good time to get started on your new website. Please allow approximately 2 - 4 weeks for design and development of your site. By this time, you will have completed the needed content for each page. All site photography and content is due prior to website design and layup. During this step, the design of the home page and all interior pages are completed before the initial review. At the end of this step, we send you a live test site link for your final review and approval. Please note, that any delays in content may delay your project and bump it back in the queue. *If any changes are requested by client after launch approval, it will be billed separately.
9. Launch
Once approved, our final checklist is complete and all systems are a go, we will launch your new site to the world. At this time, we will also schedule our introductory tutorial to provide you access and show you how to make updates to your site from the backend. Up to 3 hours of website tutorial is included in your project bid. We are available to answer any questions you may have during these tutorials. *Or if you’d prefer NOT to maintain your site in-house, we can happily maintain it for you. We offer competitive website management billed by half hour increments.