Positioning & direction
Clarify the audience, business context and intended character. A shared direction helps evaluate design choices without reducing the process to personal preferences.
HanovaDevs / Identity & direction
Brand Identity & Strategy.
Make every touchpoint feel unmistakably yours.
Positioning, visual direction and practical brand assets that belong together. A system your team can use beyond the first presentation.
01 / Understand the business02 / Build with purpose03 / Hand over with clarity
Start with the right problem
A distinct identity. A consistent expression.
A brand identity needs to work across the places your business shows up. We connect audience and positioning with typography, colour, imagery and practical usage guidance, so decisions have a clear reason behind them.
What comes together
Considered in detail.
Connected by design.
The right result needs more than one isolated deliverable. These workstreams help shape a coherent engagement.
Logo & visual language
Explore identity directions and how they work at different scales. Review the mark alongside typography, spacing and supporting design elements.
Colour & typography systems
Build a considered palette and type hierarchy for the agreed touchpoints. Readability, contrast and practical font licensing are part of the discussion.
Guidelines & applications
Translate the direction into usable files and examples. Document how the system should be applied so the identity can remain coherent across teams.
What could we make together?
A service is a starting point.
Here’s what it can become.
Find the kind of project you have in mind. These are possible engagement types; the brief decides the exact deliverables.
01
New brand identities
Establish the core visual direction before expanding into many assets.
Positioning brief · Identity directions · Core kit
Discuss this project type02
Brand refreshes
Resolve inconsistency while retaining the recognition worth keeping.
Asset review · Refined visual language · Transition plan
Discuss this project type03
Digital brand systems
Make the identity usable across websites and product interfaces.
Type & colour · Layout rules · Digital examples
Discuss this project type04
Launch asset kits
Prepare a connected set of assets for a defined product or company launch.
Asset inventory · Scoped applications · Export set
Discuss this project type05
Social & presentation templates
Give a team reusable formats that preserve the visual direction.
Editable templates · Layout guidance · Usage examples
Discuss this project type06
Brand guidelines & handover
Make approved decisions easier to apply consistently.
Usage rules · File organisation · Licence notes
Discuss this project typeWhere are you starting from?
Choose the situation closest to yours to see how the work can begin.
A possible starting point · 01
Give the business a coherent visual starting point.
Establish a direction before expanding into many assets. The identity should communicate clearly in the everyday places the business needs it.
- Audience and positioning workshop
- Identity and type exploration
- Core brand kit and usage guidance
A possible starting point · 02
Build consistency without discarding recognition.
Review what is already recognised and where the identity becomes inconsistent. Agree which elements should evolve and which should remain familiar.
- Existing asset and touchpoint review
- Refined visual system
- Transition and application examples
A possible starting point · 03
Carry one direction across the important touchpoints.
Define the assets needed for the launch and how they relate to the website or product experience. Avoid assuming every possible application is included.
- Launch asset inventory
- Agreed digital and print applications
- Organised production handover
10 familiar challenges / practical responses
Sound familiar?
Let’s work through it.
See how we would approach the problem—and what we would check before calling the work complete.
Find the right level of help ↓01Our business looks different everywhere.
Our approach
Build a common type, colour, spacing and image direction, then apply it to the important touchpoints.
How we check it
Review the agreed website, document and social examples side by side.
02The logo does not work at small sizes.
Our approach
Review the mark in the actual digital and print sizes in scope and define suitable variants.
How we check it
Test small placements, single-colour use and the approved export formats.
03Design decisions are based only on personal taste.
Our approach
Agree audience, positioning and intended character before evaluating visual directions.
How we check it
Review concepts against the written brief rather than unexplained preferences.
04Our brand feels generic.
Our approach
Identify the cues, tone and visual choices that fit the business instead of assembling unrelated trends.
How we check it
Compare directions against the positioning and the competitive context supplied.
05Colours and type are difficult to read.
Our approach
Define practical text, background and type combinations for the intended touchpoints.
How we check it
Check representative contrast, small text and real layout examples.
06Every designer starts the brand from scratch.
Our approach
Document the visual system and create reusable examples that explain the decisions behind it.
How we check it
Ask a new contributor to apply the guidance to an agreed example.
07A refresh might discard existing recognition.
Our approach
Inventory familiar elements and decide deliberately what to preserve, refine or retire.
How we check it
Review the transition across existing and new touchpoints.
08We do not have the right files for everyday use.
Our approach
Agree editable source files, export formats and a clear folder structure before handover.
How we check it
Open the agreed file types and check the intended usage of each export.
09Font and stock-asset rights are unclear.
Our approach
Identify third-party assets and record the licences or purchases needed for the proposed use.
How we check it
Review the licence inventory and ownership notes; specialist legal clearance is separate.
10The launch needs many assets but the scope is unclear.
Our approach
List the actual formats, templates and applications required, then prioritise the launch set.
How we check it
Approve an asset inventory with dimensions, formats and review responsibilities.
A scope that fits the situation
The right level of help.
A purposeful next step.
You may need an independent review, a defined build or a focused improvement. Start with the work that matters now, with responsibilities and boundaries agreed.
Talk through the options ↗Direction & identity review
For a business that needs a stronger starting point.
- Audience and touchpoint review
- A considered visual direction
Core identity system
For a new brand or a defined refresh.
- Scoped identity assets and visual rules
- Practical digital application examples
Brand rollout
For a direction ready to be applied.
- Agreed templates and launch assets
- Organised files and usage guidance
From the first conversation to delivery
Know what happens next.
Review points make decisions visible. Scope, dependencies and feedback responsibilities shape the delivery plan.
- 01
Find the direction
Discuss the audience, positioning, existing recognition and intended use.
- 02
Explore & select
Present and review identity directions against the agreed brief.
- 03
Build the system
Refine typography, colour, layout rules and scoped applications.
- 04
Prepare the handover
Organise approved files, usage guidance and licensing information.
Designed to be useful after delivery
A handover.
Not a mystery.
Know what you own, what your team can change and who is responsible for the next update. The proposal sets out files, access, documentation and support.
Identity directionTypographyColour systemsAsset kitsBrand guidance
Third-party fees and ongoing work are discussed separately.
Your scoped handover
- An agreed positioning and design direction
- Approved identity assets in specified formats
- Typography and colour guidance
- The scoped application or template set
- Usage guidance and licensing notes
Quality is part of the work
Usability across sizes
Review the identity in small digital placements and the larger formats in scope.
Readable combinations
Check important colour and typography pairings for the intended use.
Practical ownership
Clarify font and asset licences, editable source formats and agreed usage rights.
See the thinking in practice
The work, not just the words.
A related website example showing a brand expressed through a digital experience. This is not a claim that we created every client logo or brand asset.
View case study ↗Fashion ecommerce
RAQS
An editorial brand experience connecting collection discovery, brand storytelling and customer information.
Read the case studyEvidence instead of empty promises
Define what better means.
Then check the work.
A finished deliverable and a business result are different things. We agree what can be tested directly and what needs observation after release.
- 01
Define the direction
Agree the positioning, audience, use cases and criteria for choosing a concept.
- 02
Check the system
Review small-size use, readable pairings, export formats and the important touchpoints.
- 03
Check practical adoption
Test whether the team can apply the guidance consistently. Brand recognition or commercial impact needs separate research.
You do not need a perfect brief
Bring the context.
We’ll help shape the plan.
A few useful inputs make the first conversation more specific. If something is missing, we can identify it together.
Share your brief ↗Use redacted examples where needed. Don’t send passwords or private customer records in an enquiry.
- 01
The business & audience
Your offer, intended audience and the impression the identity should communicate.
- 02
Existing recognition
Current logos, previous assets and the elements you want to preserve or change.
- 03
Real touchpoints
The website, product, presentation, social or print formats that actually need the identity.
- 04
Decision & ownership needs
Who approves direction and which editable formats, licences and rights the proposal must address.
Useful answers before we start
Less uncertainty.
A better first conversation.
Have a question specific to your project? Tell us the context and we’ll discuss the next step.
Ask the team ↗What types of projects does your brand identity & strategy service cover?
Possible project types include new brand identities, brand refreshes, digital brand systems, launch asset kits, social & presentation templates, brand guidelines & handover. We define the deliverables, dependencies and acceptance criteria in the proposal for your project.
Is brand strategy the same as a logo?
No. A logo is one part of the identity. Positioning, audience, visual language and practical applications help explain how the brand should behave across different touchpoints.
Will we receive editable files?
The proposal specifies editable source formats, export formats and usage rights. Font, stock asset and third-party licence terms are identified separately.
Can you work with our existing logo?
Yes, where that suits the brief. We can review the existing mark and build a more coherent supporting system rather than assume a complete replacement is necessary.
Are packaging, social templates and a website included?
Only the applications listed in the agreed scope are included. We can discuss a connected rollout, but a core identity project does not automatically contain every digital and print deliverable.
How are cost and delivery dates agreed?
We review the requirements, integrations, available assets and review responsibilities before proposing a price and delivery plan. The website estimator is an illustrative planning tool, not a binding quotation or a promised delivery date.
What happens at handover?
The proposal defines source and design access, documentation, account ownership, licensing and any training or support. Third-party subscriptions, maintenance and future feature work are identified separately rather than assumed to be included.
Your next project starts with a conversation
Bring us the challenge.
Let’s make a clear plan.
Tell us what you need to improve, what you have already tried and what matters most.
Let’s discuss your project ↗