#brand strategy
12 pieces filed under “brand strategy”.
The trademark reality check your naming process needs
The thousand-name funnel from brainstorm to survivor: linguistic screens, trademark classes, domain compromise positions, app-store collisions, graceful exits.
Naming a company: our process from blank page to trademark
One naming engagement, told end to end: the brief that framed it, the 340 candidates, the screening gauntlet, and how 'Meridian' survived to become the name.
Testing brand voice on people, not vibes
Vibes aren't evidence. Test brand voice on real people with comprehension checks, cloze deletion and the 'could a competitor say this' filter.
Brand strategy on one page (or it isn't strategy)
Our one-page brand strategy format: audience tension, position, proof, personality and the 'we will not' column — with an annotated example and facilitation notes.
The minimum viable brand: what pre-seed founders actually need
Pre-seed founders don't need a rebrand budget; they need three artefacts and the discipline to use them. What to buy now, what to fake, and when to invest.
Brand colour beyond default blue
How to choose brand colour with intent: category colour maps, distinctiveness vs convention, accessibility as a brief, and testing colour in the wild.
Naming across borders: the checks that save you later
A name that sings in Sydney can stink in Singapore. Linguistic screens, trademark classes, domain realities and the false friends that kill product names.
The 90-minute brand audit: our scoring sheet, free to steal
A structured 90-minute brand audit any team can run this afternoon — consistency sweep, voice sampling, asset inventory — with our actual scoring sheet.
Naming products and features inside a masterbrand
Not every feature deserves a name. The descriptive–invented spectrum, a naming budget against sprawl, and renaming features mid-life without confusing everyone.
Naming: our field guide from brainstorm to trademark check
Naming is a funnel, not a lightning strike. Our studio workflow: brief axes, generation volumes, screening and pronunciation tests, and committee-proof presentations.
Refresh or rebrand? A decision tree for tired identities
Is it the logo or the product? Diagnostics that route a tired identity to refresh, evolution or full rebrand — with the cost and risk curves for each path.
Brand architecture decisions: house, endorsed, or let go
Branded house, endorsed brands or house of brands — how to choose, what migration costs, the sub-brand rules that prevent chaos, and how acquisitions change the answer.