Strategy lands before the pencils do
We start with the market, the competitors and the people you are selling to. The identity is an answer to that, which is why it survives the first management change.
Branding
A B2B branding agency for companies that have outgrown their first identity, or never had one. Research and strategy come first, then an identity people remember and the guidelines that keep it consistent as the company grows.
Four things that decide how the work turns out.
Research before pencils
Every identity starts with the market, the competitors and the audience. The moodboard comes later.
Guidelines people actually follow
Color, type, tone, spacing and the rules for the situations we are not in the room for, written so a new hire gets it right on day one.
One team, one thread
The people who set the strategy design the logo and roll it onto the website. Nothing gets lost in a handover between agencies.
Checked at every size it has to work
A mark is not finished until it holds up on a building and at sixteen pixels. We test it at both before we hand it over.
What the work adds up to.
5.0
Average rating on Clutch
Across 22 client reviews, branding projects included.
2017
Building brands since
Catering, real estate, transit and conservation among them.
$1,000
Where a branding budget starts
Advanced projects from $3,000, Premium from $6,000.
Our branding process for building stronger brands
What the work looks like up close.
A whole system around the mark
Logo suite, color, typography, spacing, tone and the rules for the rooms we are not in. Your team gets it right on day one without asking us first.
Rolled onto the real thing
Packaging, signage, decks, social and the website all come out of the same system.
How it actually runs.
Understanding you
We begin with your business, your story, your audience and your goals.
Market research
We research your market, your competitors, what your audience expects and what the category already looks like, to find the openings.
Create your brand brief
We turn the findings into a clear brand brief: purpose, audience, positioning, personality and messaging.
Setting guidelines
We define how the brand should look, feel and communicate across every touchpoint.
Crafting your logo
We develop concepts that reflect your values, carry your personality and scale into a full identity system.
Feedback and refinement
We gather your feedback, review directions together and refine the visual and verbal identity.
Brand unveiling
We prepare the brand for launch: assets organized, rollout planned across channels.
Extending your brand presence
We carry the identity across website, social media, presentations, print and packaging.
Where this has gone before.
What lands on your side.
- Brand strategy direction
- Market and competitor research
- Logo design
- Color palette and typography system
- Brand guidelines
- Brand applications for digital and print touchpoints
Best fit if this sounds like you.
- Startups launching new brands
- Businesses going through a rebrand
- Companies with an inconsistent visual identity
- Brands after stronger market positioning
Who we do this for.
In their words.
“Their designers did an awesome job and we felt that they are masters of their craft.”
Real estate company
“We really like how they focus on the company first before discussing the price for the project.”
Paint company
“We can tell they really cared about the project and wanted to do their very best job.”
Natural nut butter company
Asked often enough to answer here.
How long does a branding project take?
Most run seven to nine weeks from the first call to launch-ready assets. Research and the brand brief take the first two weeks; the rest is identity design, refinement and rollout. Projects with naming, packaging or several sub-brands take longer, and we say so before we quote.
What do we actually receive at the end?
A logo suite in every format you will need, a color and typography system, brand guidelines, and the applications you asked for: social, presentation, print or packaging. Everything is organized so your team can use it without coming back to us.
Do you handle naming as well as the visual identity?
We build the positioning and messaging that a name has to sit on, and we will work with a name you already have. Full naming projects are scoped separately because they run on a different timeline. Trademark clearance is a job for an IP lawyer, not for us. We are not qualified to give that advice and we will say so rather than guess.
Can you rebrand us without rebuilding our website?
Yes. A rebrand and a rebuild are separate decisions. We will tell you which parts of the current site will carry the new identity and which will not, so you can stage the work rather than do everything at once.
How many logo directions do we see?
Three developed directions, each one a system rather than a single mark, so you can judge how it behaves on a sign, an app icon and a document. We refine the direction you choose rather than starting over.
How much does a branding project cost?
Branding projects at Align fall into three bands: Basic from $1,000 to $3,000, Advanced from $3,000 to $6,000, and Premium from $6,000. Where a project lands depends on the research, the number of applications and whether there are sub-brands. We quote once the brief is agreed.
Do we need a brand refresh or a full rebrand?
A refresh keeps the name and the recognisable parts of the mark and fixes what has drifted: color, type, layout and how it is applied. A rebrand starts again from positioning. If people already know you and the problem is consistency, a refresh is usually enough. If the business has changed what it sells or who it sells to, the identity has to change with it.
Where are your clients based?
All over. Align runs two offices, Ho Chi Minh City and the US East Coast, and works with clients wherever they are. Reviews across time zones are routine here rather than an exception, and the working language is English.