What to Expect from a Brand Identity Project

You have decided to invest in a professional brand identity. You have researched studios, compared portfolios, and chosen someone whose work you admire. Now what?

If you have never worked with a brand design studio, the process can feel opaque. How long does it take? What will you need to provide? What will you receive? How much does it cost? How many revisions do you get?

Here is an honest, detailed walkthrough of what a typical brand identity project looks like, from first conversation to final files. We are basing this on how we work at Studio Klara, but most reputable studios follow a similar structure.

Before the project starts

Most studios begin with a discovery call or introductory meeting. This is usually free and takes 30 to 60 minutes. The purpose is mutual: you are evaluating the studio, and the studio is evaluating whether the project is a good fit.

Come prepared to discuss:

• What your company does, in plain language
• Who your customers are
• What prompted you to invest in branding now (new company, rebrand, funding round, product launch)
• Any existing brand elements you want to keep or discard
• Your rough timeline and budget range

After this conversation, the studio will send you a proposal or scope document. This should clearly describe what is included, what is excluded, the timeline, the fee, and the payment schedule. Read it carefully. Ask questions about anything that is unclear. This document is the foundation of the entire project.

Phase 1: Research and strategy (1 to 2 weeks)

The first working phase is about understanding. The studio will dig into your business, your market, your competitors, and your audience. This might involve:

• A brand questionnaire or workshop (you fill out a detailed set of questions about your company, values, audience, and aspirations)
• Competitive analysis (the studio maps out what your competitors look like, identifying patterns and gaps)
• Audience research (understanding who you are trying to reach and what matters to them)
• Positioning work (defining your unique value proposition and how it differs from competitors)

At the end of this phase, you will typically receive a strategy document or positioning brief. This is the foundation that all visual work will be built on. It should articulate who you are, who you are for, what makes you different, and the personality the brand should convey.

This phase requires the most input from you. You will need to answer questions honestly and provide information about your business. The quality of the strategy directly depends on the quality of the input.

Phase 2: Visual exploration (2 to 3 weeks)

With the strategy locked, the studio begins exploring visual directions. This typically includes:

• Two to three distinct visual concepts, each interpreting the strategy differently
• Each concept shown applied to real touchpoints (not just a logo on a white background, but the logo on a website, a business card, a social media post)
• A presentation or walkthrough explaining the thinking behind each direction

This is the most exciting phase, and also the most important decision point. You are not choosing between pretty and ugly. You are choosing between different interpretations of your brand strategy. The studio should help you evaluate each option against the strategy, not just personal taste.

What to expect from yourself during this phase:

• Give feedback based on the strategy, not just aesthetics. "I do not like the color" is less useful than "this feels too playful for our audience."
• Involve the right people. If your co-founder or a key stakeholder needs to approve, include them now, not at the end.
• Be decisive. Studios build momentum through clear, timely feedback. Delayed decisions delay the entire project.
• Trust the process. It is normal for early concepts to feel unfamiliar. Living with them for a day or two before responding often leads to better feedback.

Phase 3: Refinement (1 to 2 weeks)

Once you choose a direction, the studio refines it into a final system. This phase includes:

• Logo finalization: perfecting proportions, testing at all sizes, creating variations (horizontal, stacked, icon-only, monochrome, reversed)
• Color system: defining exact color values (hex, RGB, CMYK, Pantone), creating usage guidelines
• Typography: selecting and licensing typefaces, defining the type scale and hierarchy rules
• Visual language: defining graphic elements, patterns, illustration style, photography direction
• Brand applications: designing key touchpoints (website, business card, social media templates, email signature)

This phase usually involves one to two rounds of revision. A round of revision means the studio presents the refined work, you give consolidated feedback, and the studio incorporates it. "Unlimited revisions" is a red flag. It usually means the studio will make superficial changes until you give up, not that they will do unlimited work.

Good studios set clear expectations: two rounds of revision within the project scope, with additional rounds available at an hourly rate. This incentivizes focused, actionable feedback from you and prevents scope creep.

Phase 4: Delivery and handoff (3 to 5 days)

The final phase is packaging everything into usable files and documentation. You should receive:

• Logo files: SVG (vector), PNG (transparent background), JPG (white background), in all color variations. At minimum: full color, monochrome black, monochrome white.
• Brand guidelines document: a PDF or web document that explains how to use the brand correctly. Color codes, typography rules, spacing requirements, dos and don'ts.
• Source files: the original design files (Figma, Illustrator, or whatever the studio uses). These are yours. Make sure the contract specifies this.
• Font files or license information: if custom fonts were selected, you need the files and/or the license to use them.
• Application templates: editable templates for the touchpoints designed during the project (business card, social media, presentation).

A good handoff includes a walkthrough session where the studio explains the guidelines, answers questions, and ensures your team knows how to use everything correctly.

Timeline and cost

A typical brand identity project takes 6 to 10 weeks from kickoff to final delivery. Faster is possible but usually means either a reduced scope or a compressed feedback cycle. Slower usually means the client is slow to provide feedback or decisions.

Cost varies significantly by studio, scope, and market. As a rough guide for a small to mid-size studio working with startups and small businesses:

• Logo only: 15,000 to 40,000 SEK
• Brand identity (logo + color + typography + guidelines): 40,000 to 100,000 SEK
• Full brand identity with applications (website design, packaging, templates): 80,000 to 200,000 SEK

These are rough ranges. The exact number depends on the studio's experience, the complexity of your business, and the number of applications included. Always get a detailed scope document before signing.

What makes a project succeed

After dozens of brand identity projects, we can predict early which ones will go well and which will struggle. The projects that succeed share these traits:

• The client has one decision maker (or at most two) who can approve work without committee review
• Feedback is specific, timely, and rooted in the strategy, not personal preference
• The client trusts the studio's expertise and is open to being surprised
• Both sides communicate openly about concerns, constraints, and expectations

And the projects that struggle:

• Design by committee, where every stakeholder gets a vote and no one has final say
• Feedback cycles that take weeks instead of days
• Clients who know exactly what they want (which means they do not actually need a designer, they need a production artist)
• Unclear scope that expands with every meeting

The investment you are making

A brand identity is not a one-time expense. It is an investment in every future interaction your company has. Every website page, every email, every social post, every pitch deck, every product screen will be built on the foundation you create now.

A strong identity makes every subsequent design decision faster, cheaper, and more consistent. A weak identity (or no identity at all) means every new touchpoint starts from scratch, costs more, and looks different from the last.

Choose your studio carefully. Invest in the process. Trust the work. The return is compounding.