One idea that everything flows from.
A brand concept is the creative idea behind your brand. It translates your strategy into a story and a feeling people recognise, even before they have seen the logo. A strong concept ensures that your logo, imagery, copy and campaigns do not stand apart, but tell one story together. It is the bridge between what your brand wants to say and how it looks.
We start with the strategy and the creative brief: what does your brand stand for, what is its personality and what feeling should your audience get? From that foundation, we explore creative directions in moodboards, with colour, typography, imagery and motion. Then we develop at least one brand concept: a central idea with a first visual expression and a key message. We show how the concept works on your most important touchpoints, such as your website, social media and a presentation. That way you can judge whether the concept carries your brand before we develop the full identity.
Creative brief
We translate the strategy into a creative brief with the personality of your brand, the feeling you want to evoke and the criteria the concept must meet. That way we know in advance what we are testing against.
Moodboards
We create one or two moodboards that show possible directions for colour, typography, imagery and motion. Two feedback rounds help us get the atmosphere right.
Concept
We develop at least one brand concept: the central idea, a key message and the first visual expression with logo, colour, typography and imagery. We present the story behind every choice.
Testing
We show the concept on the most important touchpoints, so you see how it works in practice. In two feedback rounds we refine it, after which it forms the basis for the full identity.
What a strong brand concept delivers
Coherence
Logo, imagery, copy and campaigns tell one story together.
Distinction
An idea of your own makes your brand recognisable and hard to copy.
Well-founded
Every creative choice can be traced back to your strategy, not to taste.
The brand concept is the idea; the visual identity is its full execution. In the concept we capture the story, the feeling and the first visual direction. In the visual identity we develop that into all elements: logo with variants, colour palette, typography, graphic elements and imagery.
That way you know the foundation is right before we work everything out in detail.
Because we would rather develop one strong, well-founded idea than three half-finished ones. With the moodboards we agree on the direction in advance, so the concept matches what you have in mind.
Three concepts side by side often lead to a choice based on taste, or a hybrid that convinces no one. One concept that we refine together in two feedback rounds delivers a stronger result.
You usually notice that in the moodboard phase already, and that is what the phase is for. That is where we adjust the direction, before a concept is developed. After the concept is presented, there are two feedback rounds to refine it.
We test every comment against the creative brief. That way, together we keep the focus on what the brand needs.
A concept needs a clear starting point. That can be an extensive brand strategy, but also a compact brand session in which we capture your positioning, audience and brand values. Without that foundation, a concept quickly becomes a matter of taste.
The concept is the common thread in everything that follows. It determines how your website looks and feels, which images you choose and how your campaigns are built. In your PR and social media, the concept ensures recognition too.
In the brand guidelines we capture the story behind the concept, so everyone who works with your brand understands it.
Yes, we even recommend it. We prefer to present the concept to the people who will carry the brand. That builds support and lets us answer questions straight away. In a larger organisation, it can help to show the concept to a small group of employees or customers as well.