What are the stages of a brand identity design process?

Owners who commission a brand identity often cannot see what happens between the first call and the final files. This post lays out the five stages Tribal House uses, what you provide at each one, what you receive and where projects slow down.

We mapped our five stage names onto two outside explanations of the work: a nine-step process by Aaron Marquis for Ziflow and a six-stage process by Jacob Cass for JustCreative. Wikipedia supplies the definitions. A duration appears only where our terms or a source state it.

What is a brand identity design process?

A brand identity design process is the sequence of steps that turns a business's goals, audience and competitors into a name, a visual system and the rules for using them. Tribal House runs five stages: discovery, direction, design, production and launch assets. Outside sources list six to nine steps for the same work.

Wikipedia describes a brand as a distinguishing marker, such as a name, symbol or design, that sets one seller's goods apart from the competition. It lists a name, design, images, slogan, vision, writing style, font and symbol as components of a brand identity. A process has to deliver all of those parts and the rules that hold them together.

The same encyclopedia describes corporate identity as a name, a logo and supporting design devices, governed by guidelines that set approved colours, typefaces and page layouts. Marquis and Cass both put research and strategy ahead of visual work. Our order follows the same logic.

What are the five stages of the process?

Tribal House uses five stages: discovery, direction, design, production and launch assets. The table maps each stage to what happens, what you provide and what you receive. The outside sources use more steps for the same work, and our stage names group their steps.

The stage contents and your inputs follow the outside sources and our advice. The dates, payments, review rules and handover come from our own terms. Cass says the stages overlap and loop back, so treat the table as an order of decisions and not as five sealed boxes.

Stage 1: discovery

Discovery starts with a 30-minute call and ends with a written scope and fee. Marquis describes this step as learning the company's personality, goals, values and existing branding through a brief and a questionnaire. Cass describes calls or a questionnaire followed by a proposal and a contract.

Marquis warns that skipping market and user research can send a brand off course. An NDA is signed before work starts if you need one, and the first 40% payment falls due at kickoff.

Stage 2: direction

Direction turns what the studio learned into a decision about where the brand sits. Marquis describes positioning, messaging and core concepts such as name, tagline, story and personality, followed by a one- or two-page design brief with the visual direction, goals, competitors, timelines, budget and approval terms.

Cass names positioning, messaging and brand voice as the parts of this step. Ask to approve the direction in writing before design starts, because a change of direction costs less here than in production.

Stage 3: design

Design produces the logo, the colour palette, the typography and the supporting elements. Cass lists a logo, a font system and colour palettes as the output of sketching and conceptualising. Marquis adds supporting imagery, patterns and textures.

Reviews run in rounds. At Tribal House reviews are asynchronous with a weekly sync, comments sit in one place and each round has a deadline. A design round can send a question back to the direction, which Cass's remark about looping back predicts.

Stage 4: production

Production makes the identity usable. Marquis describes adapting the identity to the resolution, dimensions and colour profile of each channel. Tribal House invoices the second 40% during production.

A scope change at this point goes through a written change order that you approve before the work starts. The order protects the date and the price, because both rest on the scope you signed.

Stage 5: launch assets

Launch assets close the project. Marquis lists vector graphics, high-resolution images and web-friendly versions, delivered with a style guide. Tribal House hands over Loom walkthroughs, a CMS guide and a launch checklist, and the final 20% falls due at final delivery.

A 30 to 60 day support window follows launch. We fix bugs found inside it at no extra cost, and a monthly retainer covers longer support.

How long does a brand identity design process take?

Tribal House brand and website projects ship in four to eight weeks. Sprints can start within a week if there is capacity, and full projects book out two to four weeks ahead. Neither outside page gives a duration for a stage, so we give no per-stage figure.

Three things move the date inside the four to eight weeks. The first is how fast you return comments, since each revision round has a deadline. The second is how many people approve each round. The third is whether copy and photos arrive before production starts.

Who does what at each stage?

The studio designs and produces. You supply the inputs, consolidate your comments and approve each round. One team at Tribal House handles strategy, identity, website and motion, so you brief a single group and not a chain of agencies, and you see the whole project in one place.

• The studio: runs the discovery call, writes the scope and fee, develops the direction, designs, produces the files and pages and hands over.
• You: supply goals, audience, competitors and existing material, name one person who consolidates comments, return feedback before each deadline and approve change orders.
• Both: hold a weekly sync and agree the approval points in the written scope.

Naming one decision maker on your side is our advice and not an outside rule. Marquis notes that approvers who lose track of several threads can comment on outdated versions, and one owner for the comments avoids that.

How do review rounds and approvals work?

At Tribal House, reviews are asynchronous, with a weekly sync. Comments go to one place, and each revision round has a deadline. Scope changes go through a written change order that you approve before work starts. Marquis gives the same reason for central feedback: approvers lose track of threads.

• Agree the number of rounds. Marquis says the design brief should state the number and frequency of versions and mockups. Our written scope is the place to record it.
• Review against the direction. Marquis advises that feedback should address whether the design fits the brand's values.
• Name three approval points. We suggest direction, design and final files. Each approval moves the project to the next stage.
• Keep to the deadline. A round that runs late moves the launch date.

What do you receive at the end of a brand identity project?

You receive final identity files, a set of guidelines and a handover. Marquis lists vector graphics, high-resolution images and web-friendly versions with a style guide covering logo usage, colour palettes, typography and design assets. Tribal House adds Loom walkthroughs, a CMS guide and a launch checklist.

• Files: logos and graphics in vector, high-resolution and web-friendly formats.
• Guidelines: rules for logo usage, colour, typography and design assets. Wikipedia notes that guidelines set the approved colours, typefaces and page layouts of an identity.
• Handover: Loom walkthroughs, a CMS guide and a launch checklist.
• Support: a 30 to 60 day window, with bugs fixed at no extra cost.
• Templates: ask the written scope to say whether quote, deck or social layouts are included.

The template line matters because identities live in documents. The Alutrade project gave the team a brand framework for assembling quotes, tenders and partner material. Our post on what our African brand projects teach us covers seven projects.

Which mistakes slow a brand identity project?

Seven mistakes slow an identity project: skipped research, vague terms, scattered feedback, late reviews, scope changes without paper, too many approvers and a weak handover. Each one adds a round or delays a date, and each has a plain fix.

• Skipping research. Marquis says it can send the brand off course and miss the audience.
• Leaving budget, timeline and deliverables vague. Marquis advises settling all three during onboarding.
• Scattering feedback. Comments split across several tools reach the studio late or on an old version.
• Missing review deadlines. Each revision round has a date, and a late round moves the launch.
• Changing scope without paper. A change order approved first protects both sides.
• Briefing too many approvers. Several voices produce conflicting comments in the same round.
• Ignoring the handover. A brand without guidelines drifts once the studio leaves.

The first three come from Marquis. The last four come from our terms and our advice.

What does the process cost and how do you start?

A project sprint starts from US$2,500 for one defined outcome, such as a brand system. A brand and website engagement starts from US$6,000, and a monthly retainer starts from US$1,500. Projects are invoiced in three stages: 40% at kickoff, 40% during production and 20% at final delivery.

Ghana-based clients receive quotes in cedis. Our guides to brand identity design cost in Ghana and logo design cost in Ghana give the published price ranges. See our services, our plans and recent projects, then book a discovery call.