Brand marketing that works.
Your work matters. Your brand should say so clearly, and move people to act.
You read that in about a second. That’s the time most people give a brand.
In that second they decide whether to trust you, fund you, buy from you or partner with you. Meaningful work loses that second every day.
What I hear from leaders
Different organizations, the same few problems.
- “People don’t get what we do.”
- “We look less credible than we are.”
- “Our campaigns get attention, not action.”
- “Every team tells a different story.”
- “AI is multiplying our content, and the quality is slipping.”
What I do about it
Three moves, in order. Most projects use all three. Some start with one.
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Sharpen the message
Brand strategy, positioning and storytelling that land in a second with the people you need most.
- Positioning and messaging
- Brand story
- Naming and brand architecture
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Make the brand as strong as the work
Identity and design systems that hold up in every office, channel and partnership, and in AI tools.
- Visual identity
- Design systems and templates
- Guidelines and an AI brand DNA
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Make it move people
Brand marketing campaigns and launches built around one clear action: a donation, a sign-up, a partnership, a sale.
- Campaign ideas
- Launches and anniversaries
- Social, email and advertising
What changes
- People get it in a second.
- The brand looks as credible as the work.
- Every team tells the same story.
- Campaigns turn attention into action.
“Thank you for all the amazing work that made us look credible, professional and an organisation with whom people want to partner.”
“Thank you for your impeccable design and helping us bring the new Maverick Collective brand to life in such a beautiful and dynamic way.”
“Thank you for securing such a fresh visual identity for HIAS that has inspired us around the world to highlight the stories of refugees.”
“Thanks to you and your team for all of your brilliant design work for DISC, which you made appear effortless.”
“Your hard work, reliability, and gentle way have been wonderful to experience. You made a great impact for IRC.”
Design systems built for institutions
Brand, identity and campaign work for organizations with budgets from $200 million to over $1 billion, working in up to 55 countries.
Clients, employers and funders of my work
Work also funded by PEPFAR.
Insights
Short, practical notes on brand marketing that works.
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How to build a living brand system in the age of AI
Static guidelines can’t keep up with fast teams and AI tools. A four-step framework for a system that can.
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Your brand has about a second
What people decide in the first second, and how to design for it.
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Writing brand rules AI can follow
Words like “modern” mean nothing to an AI. What to write instead.