Aether Labs2025Brand identity, webBe the obvious choice for the right people
Strategy, identity and websites for companies that would rather be loved by some than tolerated by everyone.
A brand that tries to appeal to everyone ends up meaning nothing to anyone. We would rather make you the obvious choice for the right people, and an easy no for the rest.
Six problems, and what we did about them
All work- Brand strategy and positioningWe find the sharp truth your competitors are too careful to say, then build the story, naming and messaging around it.Research, positioning, naming01
- Visual identity systemsLogo, type, colour, grid and the rules that hold them together, delivered as a system your team can actually run.Marks, type, guidelines02
- Web design and developmentFront-ends with real motion craft that still score green. Designed and built under one direction, so nothing is lost between the file and the browser.Design systems, build, performance03
- Motion and art directionHow a brand moves is part of how it sounds. We set the motion principles, then produce the launch films, loops and interface choreography.Principles, film, photography04
- Launch and growthA brand that never ships is not a brand. We plan the rollout, arm your team, and stay on through the first months of iteration.Rollout, enablement, retainer05
Ten weeks, nothing hidden
The same four stages every time, so you always know what is happening and what you are approving next.
- 01
Discover
Two weeks of interviews, audits and honest questions. We map the market, the audience and the gap nobody is standing in.
Weeks 1 to 2 - 02
Define
Positioning, narrative and creative territory. One direction chosen deliberately, not three safe options to average out.
Weeks 3 to 4 - 03
Forge
Identity and interface designed in parallel, in the browser early. You see it move before it is signed off.
Weeks 5 to 9 - 04
Launch
Rollout, handover and the first round of real-world iteration. We stay close while the market reacts.
Week 10 onward
The person you meet is the person who does it
BrandForge is me, plus the specialists I bring in when a project needs them. Either way you deal with the same person from the first call to launch: no middle-man, no account manager, nobody to hand you off to.
- Strategy before pixels
- We do not open a design tool until we can say, in one sentence, why the brand deserves attention.
- One direction, defended
- You get a single recommended route with the reasoning behind it, not a menu that pushes the decision back to you.
- No handover
- Design and build stay under the same direction, so what you approve is what goes live.