Have you considered changing your process in order to land bigger clients? I decided to build this extensive two-in-one Brand Strategy & Identity System to help me position higher and differentiate from the old boring guidelines by offering dual-purpose solution that covers all touchpoints.

I structured it in 9 different chapters and 28 sub-categories, covering in-depth key strategic aspects from brand purpose, positioning, personality etc. to comprehensive visual & brand identity. It was built in Adobe Illustrator and is fully customizable. Now you might be wondering if made a use of AI in my workflow, not in particular for the content & design itself since this was a real client project. Rather, I used ChatGPT to better structure its table of contents.

Looks great! My approach depends a bit on the project. If I'm dealing with a big client, I'll definitely use a more in-depth process from the start. I think it's valuable to understand the client's company and their market positioning before jumping into the design side of things.

The difference between a $5K logo and a $20K brand identity:

A $5K logo gives you a mark. Maybe a color palette. A few font pairings. A PDF you'll open once and forget.

A $20K identity system gives you a decision making framework that scales.

Here's what I mean:

The logo is 5% of the work. The other 95% is the system that tells your team and every designer or marketer and agency you'll ever hire exactly how your company should show up on every surface and In every context.

A $5K logo needs you to be in every meeting to say "no don't do that"

A $20K system means you never have to say that again.

The companies that scale their brand are the ones with the best system behind it.

Which one are you paying for?

Exactly!

The real value isn’t the logo, it’s the system that removes guesswork at scale.

When structure is clear, the brand can grow without constant correction