Design can get you to look at the world in a different way and make you smile. That’s clever design. Design can be shorthand to explain the complex. That’s smart design. Design is the fulcrum that balances function and aesthetics. Then there are the symbols that some mistakenly call design, that confuse, deceive and are devoid of meaning. That’s indulgence.
We design brands. It might be a start-up, a brand refresh or a repositioning. It could be a new name or a new look for a corporation or an SME, a product or a service. Or a place.
We treat brand design as a business activity because brands have a job to do. Their job is to raise awareness, win market share, sell more, build loyalty, attract great people, enhance employee engagement and increase shareholder value.
You may ask, how can a symbol or a set of symbols capture the essence of a brand? It happens by working within the framework of the brand strategy. It’s the framework that informs the development of the design brief. The brand identity elements are reasonably well understood – a name, logo/brand mark, colour palette, typography, graphics, motion and photography styles and messaging. However, strong brands can only emerge when the visual and verbal elements of the brand identity faithfully express the brand strategy.
The brief also needs to be cognisant of a few other important characteristics, such as memorability, distinction and relevance to the target audiences, so the brand identity connects and evokes an emotional response.
Naming, if required, is always the first cab off the rank, and we start the process by exploring territories, followed by workshopping, shortlisting and testing.
We create names for companies, products, events, magazines and campaigns. Names that are memorable, distinctive, meaningful, easy to say and that support the brand’s positioning. Names develop associations and become the verbal face of the brand and when these associations are positive audiences know immediately what a brand stands for and whether it’s ‘for them’.
Great brand identities are created from a single-minded idea. We employ an iterative process of brainstorming, concept development, and refinement to create the core brand identity and visual system, which provides the creative platform to express the strategy across all brand touch points.
All great brands are built on the same basic foundations: Who, what, why, where, when and how – whether it’s a rebrand, refresh, new brand, or brand extension – for a corporate, smaller business, government, not-for-profit or social enterprise organisation, product or place. Regardless of the circumstances and context, our task is always the same – to create brands that are authentic, attract, sell, enhance reputations, drive loyalty and growth and build strong and enduring positive brand associations.
We design brand identities to address many business issues, communicate with audiences, and help organisations achieve long-term goals. The same applies to an Employer Brand Identity. For many Employer Brands, a logo is not in play, but the emphasis is on creating a system of graphics, colours, type treatments, videography and photography styles, a visual treatment for a positioning statement or strapline, tone of voice, messages and language. This creates a toolbox of creative assets that enables an Employer Brand to express its purpose and unique positioning across all touchpoints.
A brand book (digital or print) tells your story and is designed for internal and external audiences. Brand guidelines can be a combination so internal audiences understand what the brand stands for, but more importantly, they are designed to guide the execution of the whole brand so the visual, written and user experience is consistent and faithfully fulfils the brand promise across all brand touchpoints.
We create brand campaigns based on ideas so they stand apart, get noticed, connect with audiences and attract a response. They must work hard from the get-go, and the concepts must be strong enough to ‘turn up the brand volume’. The process is one of generating ideas that get us to the ‘big idea’. It's a combination of brainstorming, sketching, pausing and thinking about stuff. Then we sift, sort and test until we arrive at a point of execution.
We're far from your typical branding agency. We're committed to making you remarqueable by:
Championing Your Cause — we'll be your unwavering ally, passionately advocating for your success.
Respectful Collaboration — we treat all our clients as equals and value diverse perspectives.
Decades of Expertise — our experience speaks volumes. With over two decades in the industry, we've honed our craft, and our expertise runs deep.
Proven Success — with over 250 satisfied clients, our track record speaks for itself, consistently delivering outstanding results.
Relentless Excellence — we're never satisfied with the status quo. We go the extra mile to provide more – more questions, new insights, and better solutions. We thrive on challenges.
Unapologetic Boldness — we believe in thinking big. We thrive on embracing audacious ideas and breaking through limits for remarkable success.
Discover the difference with Marque — where your success is our ultimate goal.
We’re twenty plus years in the making, practical and hands-on, with a full-service offer. An old head on young shoulders, eloquent and disciplined, business-led and outcome-focused. We’re a mid-sized agency living in the digital world and we create magical brand experiences.
“The outcome was more than I had hoped for. Great strategy and smart design resulted in a very happy client.”
— Aimee Greenhough, Founder and Director, In Good Company
“The professionalism and personalised service we got from Marque is unlike any other agency I’ve worked with. Lezlie took the time to understand our business and just got ‘it’. Marque’s work was creative, original, and of a very high standard. Thank you!”
— Bailey Palmer, Marketing Manager
“I’ve worked with Marque on three separate brands. One of the things that impresses me is the attention they give to developing the brand strategy and sorting out messaging. This has meant our market communications and positioning have kept us on the front foot, and top of mind.”
— Rory Bishop, Partner, Alta
