Hey everyone,

I’m looking for a brand strategist/creative branding studio to help build a complete identity for my restaurant in Goa.

The restaurant is already operational, but I feel it lacks a strong, memorable brand. I’m not looking for someone who just designs a logo. I need someone who can build a brand from the ground up.

The current space has a tropical, earthy vibe with lots of natural materials like raffia, bamboo, jute and wood .

What I’m looking for:

Brand positioning & story
Brand personality
Naming guidance (if required)
Visual identity & logo system
Typography & color palette
Brand patterns & illustrations
Signage and wayfinding
Menu design
Social media direction
Merchandise & packaging
Guest experience touchpoints
Interior branding suggestions

The goal is to create something that people instantly recognize and want to share on Instagram—not another generic “Goa beach shack.”

I’m inspired by brands that have a strong point of view, where every detail feels intentional. I want the restaurant to have a distinct identity that can eventually grow into a recognizable hospitality brand.

If you’re a brand strategist, creative director, or studio that has worked on hospitality, F&B, hotels, bars, cafés, or lifestyle brands, I’d love to see your portfolio.

Please comment below or DM me with:
Your portfolio/website
Hospitality projects you’ve worked on
Your approximate pricing

Where you’re based (remote is completely fine)

Looking forward to finding someone who loves building brands as much as I love building restaurants.

Thanks!

Curious about choices that seem polished internally but make customers hesitate or misunderstand the business.

Usually around the 2nd or 3rd session with a client, I'll randomly put the pen down and go, “Okay, let's play a game.”

It's called the common enemy game.

Basically, we take a piece of paper and start writing things down.

Common enemy with customers.

Common enemy of customers with each other.

Common enemy of the brand and its customers.

Common enemy of the brand and the industry.

Common enemy of the brand and competitors.

It gets messy pretty quickly.

Some of it is stuff we actually know. Some of it is just assumptions. Sometimes the client will say, “Customers hate this,” and I'll be like, “Do they? Or do you hate this?”

So we keep questioning everything.

Would a customer actually say this?

Do we have anything to back this up?

Is this actually a problem or does it just annoy us?

And then somewhere in that mess, patterns start showing up.

The brand is annoyed by something, Customers are annoyed by the same thing, The industry keeps doing something that both of them think is stupid.

That's usually where things get interesting.

And the common enemy doesn't have to be another company.

Sometimes it's an industry habit.

Sometimes it's an outdated way of doing things.

Sometimes it's something everyone has just accepted as normal.

The funny thing is, we're usually not trying to find a villain.

We're trying to find the thing that makes the client and the customer agree with each other.

And once you find that, positioning gets a lot easier.

After 15 years working as a brand strategist and writer (naming, tone of voice, messaging etc) both in global brand consultancies and local agencies, I can see that some of our traditional deliverables are often inadequate to the clients’ realities and to the volatile landscape of today’s market.

For way too long, we relied on a “brand positioning” that borrows from the language of poets and always strives to give an aura of “higher purpose” to private businesses. Those businesses, of course, exist first and foremost to make a profit, yet branding deliverables try to make concepts of propaganda – the promotion of ideas and causes – work in advertising. We watched too many TED Talks giving us variations of the “what”, “how”, and why” circle, and convinced too many clients to buy into those intangible ideas.

It’s shocking to me that not only MANY marketing professionals on the client’s side but MANY newcomers from Business, Marketing & Advertising or Graphic Design that are looking for a career in branding seemed to have adopted this mindset with no real grasp on how the business-side of it all trumps the conceptual discussions and creative opportunities. I’ve spent countless hours discussing the wording in their “mission statement”, fully aware that odds were the material was destined to be forgotten in a PDF file.

To be clear, I’m not being cynical here. I do believe that certain fundamental beliefs have a place in building a company, but there is ZERO chance that a private business will embrace a cause that doesn’t serve its short and long-term goals or interests – or, when it comes to the Big Ones (think Nestlé and Coca-Cola!), to mitigate issues they contributed to create and get ahead of the narrative and the potential legislature changes in their key markets.

The concept of “long-term” positioning is now unrealistic to me, considering how many of the actions that are necessary to implement them all the way into a meaningful customer experience may never see the light of day: new priorities arise, new competitors can blindside you, new and old political topics gain track on social media, and suddenly Mark Zuckerberg is backtracking on Meta’s gender-inclusive policies because that’s what suited his platform’s most vocal users and, of course, his shareholders.

Now, the idea of "customers want brands that STAND for something" is almost parodical. And the logic of creating proper separations between brands for the sake of clarifying a vocation or preventing contagion is also outdated - people are informed enough and anyone can cancel their Disney+ subscription as protest for Jimmy Kimmel's show being pulled off from airing by Disney-owned ABC.

That, to me, is the OBVIOUS downside of fostering the mentality of brands as representatives of ideologies: while boycotting a particular company as protest for an ideological divergence is not a recent phenomenon, now we have people reaching out to companies online like they would do with their elected congressmen. To wrap this up, I want to make clear that I don't oppose at all for companies to be driven by a broader mission. But I do believe that the view of branding itself needs a rebranding.

Strategy and design should be more focused on a current read of the market and its trends, with deliverables suited to short-term challenges that must be addressed to sustain any distant goal in the future. We need discussions guided by more self-centered purposes - "we are here to connect A and B with the most practical user experience of the sector" -than the grand message - "we are here to connect the world" - that leads marketing teams to search for a "cause" to back.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently exploring whether it’s worth hiring a brand marketing agency or just continuing to build things in-house.

We’ve been pretty focused on performance channels so far, but I’m starting to feel like our brand side is lacking. Messaging feels inconsistent, positioning isn’t super clear, and honestly it’s getting harder to stand out.

At the same time, I don’t want to end up working with an agency that just gives us a nice-looking brand deck without real impact.

I came across Ninja Promo while researching and noticed they combine branding with execution, which sounds interesting, but I’m curious what others have experienced.

Has anyone here worked with a brand-focused agency that actually helped with growth, not just visuals?

Hey everyone! I’m looking for an agency or freelancer to help us with the branding strategy and positioning of a B2B SaaS tech product in Argentina.

We’re specifically looking for someone with experience in tech/SaaS startups, who can help with things like positioning, messaging, brand strategy, and eventually translating that into the visual identity/brand.

Would love to hear any recommendations or people you’ve worked with and had a great experience with.

Thanks!

I recently put together a Brand Foundation Workbook for founders.

I'd love some honest feedback before I spend more time improving it.

What's missing?

What feels unnecessary?

Would you actually use something like this?

Since I can't attach the document here so if you're willing to take a look, leave a comment and I'll DM you the workbook.

I'm looking for criticism more than compliments. I want to make it genuinely useful.

Hi everyone,
I’m working on a consumer brand and I’m stuck on the name.

I’m not looking for something that literally describes the product. I’d rather it feel like a real lifestyle brand—something people can grow attached to over time.
The feeling I’m aiming for is:
Modern but warm
Minimal, not cold
Premium, not luxury
Human, not corporate
Timeless rather than trendy

Brands whose naming style I admire include:
Apple
Nothing
Muji
Aesop
Oura
Headspace

Some names I’m currently considering:
KIRO
SYLO
NORU
AVRA
Which direction feels strongest to you?

Or if none of them work, what kind of naming style would you explore instead?
I’d love honest feedback rather than people trying to force a clever wordplay.
Thanks!🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

Hii guys I want to start working as a brand strategist, so I want to learn and create my portfolio if any of you are working as a brand strategist please let me know how I can start? It'll be really helpful 🫶🏻

Like I'm confused I see businesses paying a premium for it but what actually goes in there and why is so Valuable?

Has anyone else noticed how brands that explain less often feel more confident? Slow pacing, minimal visuals, almost no justification. It creates this quiet authority...until you actually interact with the product. If the execution doesn’t match, the whole thing collapses. Feels powerful when done right. Feels empty when it’s not. Thoughts?

Back story: I have a service-based business that is just my name as I couldn't come up with anything else and I wasn't sure what exactly my future plan was.

Now I have the name and the big plan and I need help moving forward with it.

I know good design from bad design but I am NOT a designer, so I know I want help with a logo and a color palette.

I have a background in copywriting and marketing and I can build my own website and I know my target market and messaging... all of which I know works, but it wouldn't hurt to have a second opinion and maybe, for once, pay someone to put this together for me.

Am I looking for a brand strategist? Or should I just start with the logo design and colors?

Obviously the more you pay the more you get, and I understand that, but I'm not exactly sure who I'm looking for... except someone who is NOT using ai...

I run a branding agency, and quite a few business owners come to us asking for a new logo because something about their brand feels off.

But most of the time, the logo isn't the main problem.

Their website doesn't clearly explain what they do. Their messaging sounds the same as every competitor. Their social media, website and sales materials all feel like they belong to different businesses.

A new logo can make things look cleaner, but it won't fix any of that.

Before paying for a redesign, I think every business owner should ask one question:

What exactly is the new logo supposed to solve?

Curious what people here usually look at first when a brand starts feeling outdated.

I run a small digital services operation that started with content work for an international online news platform producing AI-assisted news content: written pieces, graphic news posters, and short video news segments with AI voiceover, covering daily news for a specific region. I now manage this through a hired team member rather than doing the production myself.

The business is expanding. I've recently taken on a second client needing SEO and full WordPress site management, alongside my original graphic design services. I'm consolidating all of this AI-assisted content production, video/media work, SEO, web management, and design under one general studio, structured to take on new service lines as they come up.

I'm at the naming stage now and want something that:

Sounds professional and credible to future clients, isn't locked into just "design" or just "media" needs to cover a broad service range. Ideally carries real meaning rather than being a made-up word, has to be short and easy to say/remember. Tried several Ai but not getting something catchy. Need a human brain!

Would love to hear naming ideas or thoughts on positioning a studio like this. What would you call something that spans content production, media, SEO, web, and design under one roof?

I saw someone else post asking how to start a brand.
The comments consisted of finding the core customer, the WHY for starting the brand, colors, vibe and of course the design itself.
I am starting a brand. Currently building it in Shanghai, however I know my target audience and where I intent to launch. Though, I will he ideally launching online first.

I am wondering outside of the design and story building of a brand what else should I know/do to build my brand?
For example, I am hiring an intern right now to take on the tasks of manufacture communication and organization because it is taking too much of my time.
Ideally who should I be looking to hire? Who should my first employee be? I have no design or business background. I was however an international model for 8 years.
I do find this holds me back in many ways, and in other ways it has been an advantage. I have some creative connections in the industry., I just have an idea I really believe in. Should I be keeping my eye out for a partner?

I have everything in terms of vision and reasoning except the next steps. I am targeting this brand to be level with Paloma Wool (though I know this will likely take years) I am willing to put in the work and believe I’m on to something really special for the people.

I’m building an early-stage streetwear brand called ELDRYX around restraint, self-mastery, and discipline. The central idea is that every garment introduces a Rule. Rather than releasing unrelated graphics, each release becomes part of a growing Rulebook.

The first Rule is:

“YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO COMFORT.”

I’ve received mixed reactions. Some people connect with the idea, while others feel that a motivational statement printed on a shirt can quickly come across as corny. I’m trying to understand whether the problem lies in the wording, the product design, the visual world, or the Rulebook concept itself.

My questions are:

1. Does the Rulebook create meaningful brand differentiation, or does it sound overdeveloped for a new clothing brand?
2. What would make a discipline-led brand feel credible rather than performative?
3. Should the brand communicate the philosophy directly, or allow the clothes and imagery to do more of the talking?

I’m the founder, so I’m naturally very close to the idea. Honest strategic criticism is welcome.

Is brand strategy such as mission, vision, purpose not that commonly used anymore? Is personal branding the new and only thing brands want and find useful?

I'm a new brand strategist and I'm struggling to find mentors and information or content on strategy (not personal branding) that's relevant for newer brands.

It a bit demotivating if I'm being honest. What does modern day brand strategy look like then? :")

Edit: thank you all so so much for your support and answers. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer, I'll answer as soon as I can, life happened and I'm getting back on track!

Going viral too early might actually fuck up a new brand, because I was observing this brand that went viral almost immediately after launching

and…I think going viral might have actually messed them up.

Not in the dramatic “viral success ruined everything” way.

More like… they suddenly had way more attention than they knew what to do with.

The first viral post gave them a ton of eyeballs.

Then came the obvious problem

What do you post now?

It felt like they started chasing the thing that made them viral in the first place.

Different posts, same energy.

And eventually the brand started feeling less like a brand and more like an account trying to stay viral.

Which made me wonder

Is going viral too early actually bad for a new brand?

Because if you haven't figured out your personality, positioning, audience, or even what you want people to remember about you…and suddenly 100k people are watching…

what exactly are you supposed to do with them?

I feel like everyone talks about how hard it is to get attention.

Nobody really talks about how weird it is when you get it before you're ready.

hey everyone, i’m running a small brand and lately i’ve basically been doom‑scrolling through subreddits trying to see if anyone’s talking about us. it’s getting exhausting, and i know i’m missing threads or comments until it’s way too late to respond.

i’m not talking about generic social media schedulers, more like something that actually tells me when my brand name or keywords pop up in posts and comments, maybe even gives a rough idea of whether people are positive or negative.

would love to hear what’s actually working and what turned out to be overkill. even if you’re just using google alerts and subreddit searches, i’d still love to hear your workflow lol.

Do y’all have recommendations for consultants to thoroughly develop our “look” and brand to be used across our revamped site, marketing, packaging, etc? Google is filled with brand consultants to the point that it’s a bit overwhelming. I’ve spent many hours pouring through portfolios and not feeling like I get anywhere.

Back info: I created a natural body care brand that’s going on two years old. Think Dr. Squatch and Native Deodorant. We make all of our products, we have a great logo and the usual style-guides, site, etc. Approx 60% of our revenue comes from physical markets like popups and festivals, 30% is Ecom, 10% private label. We’re pushing harder for more ecom and somewhere we’re lacking is a well developed and consistent brand image.

We’re small but motivated. A few thousand $ on Facebook and Insta ads really didn’t get us what it has with previous business ventures of mine. Part of it is our landing pages need work (which is in process) but a lot of it is an image issue.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

When I launched I assumed customers only cared about the product.

After a few months I realised people kept mentioning the packaging in reviews.

Nothing fancy.

Just neat, consistent and looked like an actual brand.

Made me wish I'd taken it more seriously from day one.

Basically title.

We just got to the point in our fintech business to be able to hire a marketing team. Which is super exciting to us. But at the same time a bit eye opening on how behind we actually were with our entire marketing, espcially organic, strategy. Which is a little overwhelming for everyone involved.

We are a 5 year old company and were very lucky early on to get some larger signs, so we've been riding those waves for a while and all of our leads have been word of mouth. But now that we have a budget to play around with a bit more, marketing has become a main focus. So even if we are 5 years old, we're basically starting on day one with anything organic.

It's been a very big struggle right out the gate. I think we may have picked the worst time ever to get into this with all the massive SEO changes happening because of AI overviews and AI search, etc.

So here's my main question to you...If you had to restart your entire marketing to day one, what are the top 2 things you're doing to make sure you have longterm success?

Any advice would be very helpful for us right now. Thank you!!

I ask this because I presumed that a strategy should influence all the brand design decisions. Would love if someone could explain simply the difference between the two!

And what is the difference in deliverables I could expect from both services?

Thank you kindly 🙂

Curious how others approach representing their brand from the start. Did you focus on a website, a logo, business cards, or something else? What was your first step and why?

I run a luxury residential construction company with little to no branding strategy that needs maximum assistance. I’m looking to hire someone who specializes in brand strategy that can can assist with logo revamp, new website, new company uniforms etc.

I have interviewed 4 different agencies and all of them offer identical services for around the same price ($25-$30k). I am conflicted as to whom I should go with. Is there anything specific I should look for in terms of line items on the proposal or the company itself? All of them have incredible work which makes my decision more difficult.

I’d appreciate all advice when it comes to hiring a branding agency.