Building a brand is one thing. Building a strong brand that works is another…
Whether you’re juggling vendors, managing everything in-house, or trying to get a new brand off the ground, one thing’s for sure: branding has a lot of moving parts, and even more opinions. Everyone has a take, but not everyone has a plan. That’s where we come in.
At Asen, our branding process is strategically built to bring clarity to the chaos. It’s not just design. It’s not just strategy. It’s a big-picture partnership built for brands that want to grow.
Let’s walk through how we do it — and why it works. But first…
A Few Common Branding Misconceptions
“Branding is all about the logo”
A strong logo is a great start, but it’s only one part of your brand’s identity. True branding also includes your messaging, other visual elements (like iconography, typography, and colors), and the entire brand experience at large (aka how your audience experiences your brand). It should all work together to tell your story across every touchpoint.
“If our team likes it, that means it will work.”
We love when teams love their branding! But keep in mind that branding is subjective, just like someone’s taste in music or art. It’s natural to have internal preference among your team, but that’s not a substitute for a formal brand strategy built on in-depth audience and industry research. We like to say: “It’s not about who’s right, it’s about what’s right for your brand.”
“We don’t need to rebrand, what we have has worked for years.”
Sticking with what’s familiar can feel like a safe move, but even the strongest brands need to evolve. Most successful companies revisit their branding every 5-7 years to stay relevant, reflect growth, and signal progress in a fast-moving market.
Refreshing your brand doesn’t mean you have to start over or lose existing equity, but it will help you stay ahead in a competitive landscape. Here’s how we help brands do just that…
Step 1: Laying the Strategic Foundation
Every branding project starts with alignment. In a one-on-one strategy session (virtually or in person at our Knoxville office), we sit down with your team to understand the business: where it’s headed, what challenges you’re navigating, and how branding can help move things forward.
From there, our team dives into all the things that actually matter when building a successful brand: audience segments, competitors, growth goals, and internal input. This stage isn’t a guessing game. It’s grounded in research, guided by intention, and driven by collaboration.
Step 2: Turning Insight into Creative Direction
Next comes concepting. Our marketing strategists and creative team collaborate to develop a big-picture vision based on key insights learned in step one. This phase typically includes:
- Logo designs and supporting brand marks
- Typography, iconography, and color palettes
- Taglines, messaging samples, and tone of voice
Brand elements for Archway Counseling. View the full case study here.
Step 3: Presenting & Refining Concepts
Once the concepts are built, we’ll meet with your team to present them in a way that shows how the brand could come to life across different channels. The goal for this stage is to provide you with a clear sense of each concept and the creative direction’s potential within your industry. Then, we’ll consider any input from your team, evolve what resonates, and refine the chosen path until it feels both bold and authentic.
Step 4: Building Brand Guidelines for Consistency
A brand is only as strong as it is consistent. That’s why, once a direction is finalized, we create a detailed brand style guide to keep everything aligned moving forward.
This guide includes visual standards, messaging strategy, usage rules, and ready-to-go assets — all tailored to help your internal team, outside partners, or future collaborators represent your brand accurately and confidently.
Brand style guide for Archway Counseling. View the full case study here.
Step 5: Launching Your Brand (Strategically!)
Once everything’s in place, we shift into launch mode, which is never as simple as just swapping out logos. In this stage, we’ll work with you on a tailored rollout strategy — one that considers your audience, timing, messaging, and channels to make sure your brand enters (or re-enters) the market with clarity, confidence, and a sense of momentum.
Website design for Archway Counseling. View the full case study here.
Why Our Brand Development Process Works
Asen’s branding process works because we think through every detail, from market positioning to how your brand shows up on websites, ads, and everywhere else it needs to live. We don’t just hand off a new brand and call it a day. We work alongside your team to make sure what we build together is used effectively.
Whether we’re managing your website, social channels, digital ads, or helping your internal team hit the ground running with the assets they need, we’re here to support the long game — not just the launch!
If you’re looking for a comprehensive marketing partner who sees the big picture and wants to help you build something that lasts, we’d love to connect! Get to know us more or reach out today on our site here.