no. 01identity design + complete brand
If you like the idea of someone else making sure your reputation precedes you, let’s go.
Let’s show people how serious your game is from the split second they lay eyes on you. We start our signature creative process with Brand Discovery, where we listen with intent. We’ll get to know you, your business, the state of your industry, and your dream brand.
Then, we hop down our own research + brainstorming rabbit hole, and emerge with a design direction that will set you apart. By the end of our collaboration, you will receive a complete package of visuals tailor made for your market of choice.
Every line, color, font, and shape designed with intention.
PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND ALTERNATE LOGOS
Color Palette + font collection
Supporting Graphics + SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN
Brand Handbook + Style Guidelines
Established clients unlock access to these additional services ::
Why? We dove deep to create your brand identity so we can build out fast.
GRAPHICS + ILLUSTRATION
Your identity package already comes chock full of custom graphics, but your work deserves end-to-end visual consistency. Hand off your extra brand collateral to us, and we’ll make sure your clients have a superior—and memorable—experience.
Welcome Packet Design
Menu Design
Company Signage
Other Touch Points
PRINT + PACKAGING
Remember picking up that box or that clothing tag? The one that made you think “Ooooooh, this is too perfect to throw away!” We’ve got the inside track with vendors who make the good stuff, and we know their processes like the back of our hands.
Letterpress + Edge Painting
Foil-Stamping + Embossing
Bottle + Vessel Printing
Custom Box + Carton Design
WEB DESIGN
Our custom Squarespace sites deliver lightning-fast messages that your clients will believe before they read a word. When we’re done, you’ll have a clean, easy-to-maintain site that people will want to live in - beautiful, thoughtful, inspiring, and actionable.
Sell Services and/or Products
Online Scheduling
Digital + Physical E-Commerce
Content Management
DESIGN RETAINER
It’s like having your own high-level, in-house designer, but without the costs and training associated with an employee. Think :: guaranteed availability, quick turnaround, and peace of mind knowing your visuals will stay polished and on point.
Social Media
Last-Minute Events
Big Announcements
Website Updates
or, for those in a pinch…
no. 022-day design intensive
FOR SMALLER PROJECTS WITH A QUICK TURNAROUND
THINK: INVESTOR PITCH SLIDE DECK
“Skip the line” and receive our undivided attention for two full workdays. This is perfect for small projects on a tight timeline, where we are in constant contact and reach the finish line within 48 hours.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS ::
Create simple, temporary branding for your startup’s investor pitch - demonstrate that you pay attention to detail at every stage and gain credibility because your idea already looks ready to go
Polish up that slide deck for an important presentation
Build a 3-page informational website with a typographical logo to serve as a starting point for your business
Oh! You’re a detail person, too?
Yes, we can get specific on every part of our process:
THE BRANDING PROCESS :: Get the scoop
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You’ll be surprised how luxurious this part feels. When was the last time you had a riveted audience hear you talk at length about who you are, what inspires you, and why you do what you do? You may even stumble upon memories and details you’ve forgotten. Our in-depth questionnaire and one-on-one discussion give your mind a chance to stretch, relax, ramble, and remind yourself why you do what you do - and all this quietly outlines how your mission will show up in design.
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Now, it’s on us. We review everything you said and wrote, and build the foundation of your visual Brand Strategy. We distill your mission, story, and core values into a succinct guide, then identify the kind of impression you want to make on your target market. (We even take a peek at your competitors to make sure the path we’re charting for you puts you in a clearly separate category.) You’ll read your resulting guide and think “ahh, yes!”
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Next, we use your Brand Strategy to inform your design direction. You know those amazing color palettes you’ve seen everywhere? Now we curate one just for you, and design a style board that reflects your brand’s unique aesthetic. After chatting and clarifying the direction, we hit the ground running and start sketching.
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We present a refined set of logo concepts, explaining how every font, color, and shape was carefully + strategically chosen to capture the attention of your audience. We can also provide digital mock-ups if you want a clearer picture of how your branding would show up in the real world.
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Once you give final approval to your chosen color palette and logos, we get to work filling out your brand with font collections, patterns, and supporting graphics. We fold in extras that give your brand character and depth. You’ll be surprised how many decisions this eliminates down the line: When colors, fonts, and icons are preplanned, every campaign you run will look polished (whether you planned months in advance or threw it together last night). You’ll love the confidence that comes with knowing where to start, every time.
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Now that we have all your materials, we organize them all and hand them off in a tidy package. Your files are neat, organized, and ready to be used by any vendor with the right software. We totally eliminate frantic searching for files - it is all clean, labeled, and put together - ready for immediate use.
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If your client relationships call for custom stationery or packaging, then your new branding gets its very first workout here! We begin with a questionnaire about your client touch points, then follow up with concept presentation, vendor and paper selection, proofing, and production. We will oversee every detail from start to finish. All you have to do is tell us what you love, and we take it from there.
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A finished social media presence lets people know that your performance is predictable. That’s why we create social-specific profile images, Instagram highlight covers, and easy-to-use graphics and templates. Not sure what you need yet? We can look through your accounts and tell you what collateral we think would increase trust and consistency.
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Are you building excitement with your audience for what’s to come? We provide sneak peek and launch graphics to make that easy. We also do a final wrap-up with you to make sure you feel confident about deploying your new branding. And we’re always here for questions!
complete branding starts at $6975 - custom packages availableNeed a website?
Once identity design is complete, we have a solid foundation to build you a website that drives sales.
THE WEB DESIGN PROCESS :: MAKE IT A DOUBLE SCOOP!
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First, we help you plan your content. Page by page, you tell us what needs to be communicated and what actions you want people to take. We have an in-depth discussion about your priorities, must-haves, goals, and everything in between. Since we’ve already worked together on your branding, we’re three steps ahead on understanding the message you need to send.
Need to hire a copywriter or photographer to get this thing out the door? We can intro you to some great ones.
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Once your content is ready, we enter the wireframing stage, in which we design a rough layout of each page. (If you plan on hiring a photographer, this is the moment to come up with an efficient shot list!) We also take the branding we did together and tailor a design direction that’s specific to your website.
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You send us your jaw-dropping professional images and ready-to-use copy. We organize it and get ready to breathe design life into it.
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You take a breather (ahhh) and we dig in. The buildout can take anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks, depending on the complexity and size of your site.
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It’s time to see your site! We unveil it just to you (no hitting publish yet!) to spin through, enjoy, and make sure it’s everything you dreamed of. Edits are usually minimal at this point, but if there’s anything to tweak, this is the moment to flag it. You approve the desktop design, then we optimize the site for mobile, take care of SEO enhancements, and do all final prep.
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Upon receipt of final payment, we hand over the keys. We digitally transfer all access and ownership to you, and perform final tests. At this point, the site is ‘live’ but hidden from the public. We meet virtually to walk through the back end, so you know where everything is and how to make updates in the future.
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The time has come. It’s ready. We remove the password and make your site public, you pop all the corks, wave all the sparklers, and start seeing sales and bookings flow in.
website design for established clients starts at $4975
FAQ ::
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Of course you can! We have a project minimum, but you are free to swap out design elements and add additional services. Get in touch and we can talk through your specific project!
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Our most popular branding package requires 6-8 weeks from start to finish. But want to know a secret? We work more at your pace than vice versa. The more decisive you are, the quicker the process is. Creative work can’t be rushed, but we do pride ourselves on our work ethic and efficiency. Clients are always surprised how fast we are! If you’re on a strict deadline, you’ll have to tell us about it before anything is signed.
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If you want a gorgeous outcome filled with meaningful details, we need to get to know you. That kind of product is powered by our understanding of who you are. It wouldn’t make sense to take a full day learning about you and your business if all you really need is a 1-hr design project.
Once we’ve done that groundwork of understanding your deepest goals and direction, we can get a tremendous amount done for you in 1hr. That’s why we save our hourly rates for established clients - we can produce more for them in that hour than we could for someone only passing briefly through. We love efficiency and lasting relationships.
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Oooh, I love this question. :: cracks knuckles :: :: wiggles typing fingers ::
Let’s do a quick check-in. Simple questions to start:
• Am I starting a new venture?
• Has my creative style changed?
• Have my overarching goals shifted since I visually branded last time?
• Has my business evolved, expanded, or changed in a fundamental way?
• Am I targeting a new clientele with different expectations?All of these are definite flags for a rebrand. But evolutions can also be subtle.
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Here are the secret signs to watch for. You know you’re definitely in the zip code of a visual rebrand, if not knocking on the front door of one, when the following starts to happen:
• You’re not quite capturing the attention of the client you want to serve
• You’re experiencing ‘style drift’: You realize that new images, messages, and campaigns have a different look and voice than when you launched your first visual identity
• You hesitate to hand out business cards or send people to your website because it doesn’t reflect the direction or quality of your current work
• Your website contains language, services, and packages that aren’t current - and you keep putting off changing anything because you know it’s not as simple as updating a price. Multiple things need rethinking, and you just can’t find the time.
• You hesitate to accept referrals from current clients because it’s more of the same work, and you need a new challenge
• Day-to-day operations start to wobble - you’re digging to find old files, having assistants re-create things from scratch, you’re using unrelated fonts and colors that look good for this project but don’t necessarily present a consistent face.
• You feel like you’re making too many day-to-day decisions, and are pulled in too many directions. The idea of huddling up with a helper to get clarity, lay a foundation, and have a smoother ride thereafter sounds like relief.
If any of those sound familiar, you are completely normal, and it’s simply time for an update - or perhaps a complete overhaul.
All businesses evolve over time, and if you’re ready to capture a new audience or take it to the next level, let’s talk!
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Good news: We already take on a limited number of projects to provide quick turnaround. But let’s talk: describe exactly what you want, and we’ll tell you what we can do. If your project would require us to work after hours to get it done, rush fees would apply.
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Maybe! If you’re already a branding client and you have a Squarespace site: YES. If you haven’t worked with us before, and you have a Squarespace site: yes, but only via our 2-Day Design Intensive.
If you noticed that we only design for Squarespace, here’s why:
We’re a small studio, and we’d rather be really good at a few things than mediocre at a lot of things.
After extensive research, we decided that Squarespace offers our clients the best combination of price, user experience, design, and flexibility.
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If you need a site that is part portfolio, part online shop, yes, we can help!
If you’re looking to build an empire in which the vast majority of your income comes from online product sales, no. (We actually don’t believe Squarespace is the perfect solution for that.)
If we help you with branding, and your web design needs are beyond our capabilities, we will happily refer you to one of our favorite developers. The cool part is, your branding will be so on point that another web designer will easily be able to pick up where we left off.
The Results ::
I am so in love with my rebrand from Akula Kreative!
Like most business owners, my business is my baby, and Nikki truly handled it with care. She was so patient and helpful with all of my questions.
I felt taken care of during the process and am beyond ecstatic about the final outcome. I HIGHLY recommend her and will keep going back for my design needs!