July 30, 2025
Classic branding mistakes
Here’s a list of 10 mistakes to avoid to increase your chances of success when it comes to building your brand.
The stages of a brand identity project
by Orkestra
Everyone approaches the identity creation process in their own way. Some mistakenly believe it can be done in a few hours. Others go a bit overboard and embark on a spiritual quest. Let’s say we’re somewhere in between. Nothing is superfluous, but everything is carefully thought out. And since it has worked for at least a hundred brands, we like to think that it can surely work for you.
1. Initial contact
Nice to meet you! We don’t know each other very well, and we will soon be tasked with creating something that could represent you for at least 20 years. So yes, we have a few questions, and we really want to hear from you. In all humility, we want to know if we are the right team for your mandate.
2. Assessment
With a better understanding of your needs, we can provide you with a budget estimate and a timeline for completing the project. All budgets are reasonable, as long as expectations are realistic. So let’s start the conversation. We’ll be happy to explain what’s possible and why.
3. Interview
The first meeting helped us understand what we needed to do. This one will help us understand how to do it. We will have questions about your competitors, your customers, your team, your preferences, your goals, etc. All answers are welcome, and they often make all the difference.
4. Positioning
We don’t really like the word “strategy” because no one agrees on what it means. So if you don’t mind, we’ll call it “positioning.” No long, useless documents full of Greek words and adverbs. We just want to clearly define what your brand needs to communicate. A few words at most. Simple, but so important.
5. Identity creation
If we need to come up with a name, we’ll start with that. Otherwise, the design team will work on concepts. We may have a few questions for you along the way, but don’t panic if you hear less from us during this time. It usually takes us 3 to 4 weeks to complete the work.
If you’d like to be involved earlier in the creative process, that’s possible! But let’s be honest: it won’t take any less time. In fact, it’s often the opposite. However, we completely understand the desire to follow us step by step. In that case, we’ll suggest a few additional meetings to present our mock-ups as they develop.
6. Presentations
We usually present two distinct concepts at this stage. You will see logos, colors, fonts, and a few examples of applications for each proposed direction. The presentations will then be made available to you online so that you can gather all necessary feedback before we make any corrections.
7. Revisions
Normally, a project involves two rounds of revisions. That’s why it’s important to have all feedback consolidated before getting started. If you ever need additional revisions, we’ll adjust the budget. But that rarely happens when the steps are clear to everyone.
8. Finalization
You have chosen a concept. You have approved the adjustments. Now it’s up to us to finish the job. The mock-ups presented earlier must now be completed. The workload here depends mainly on the applications chosen at the start of the project.
9. Delivery
That’s it. You will receive all the assets developed by our team in the formats you need. If you have also chosen to develop a brand guide (excellent idea), it will be created by the team at this time. The final invoice will be sent with all the material and your new brand.
10. Implementation
If you have opted for a brand guide, or if you have an in-house creative team, you should be able to proceed independently at this stage. However, if you require our assistance in supporting your team and/or external suppliers, we are happy to help. We will have a pool of creative direction hours available to assist you in successfully launching your new brand, whether online, in print, or in any other context.
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Does it work? You’ll have to let our portfolio convince you. And if the process appeals to you, just reach out!
