Brand Intensive or Traditional Branding Package: Which is the Best Fit for You?

The Brand Intensive is a popular offer in the designer space, but is it right for you?

First of all, if you’ve been researching brand designers for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen some similar offers. For most designers, you’ll find a traditional custom branding package of some kind. But many also include another branding service, often called something like a “Brand Intensive,” a “VIP Day,” a “Brand in a Week,” what have you.

But if you’re scratching your head and wondering what the difference is, or you’re not sure which one is the best fit for your business, keep reading, friend.

Whether you’re ready to move beyond the “DIY logo” phase of your business, or you’ve already had professional branding design done and you’re ready for something new, this post will help you understand if a Brand Intensive or a more traditional branding package might be the perfect option for your rebrand.

First things first: What does branding actually mean?

To fully understand the differences between branding packages, it’s important to understand what a “brand” truly is. When we’re talking about a brand, we’re referencing the business as a whole. A brand is how a business is perceived by the general public, how it speaks, how it presents itself, what message it communicates, etc. Branding is simply the process of building that brand, and it involves several aspects.

A brand is an umbrella, and the brand identity (your logos, colors, fonts, and graphic assets) is just one aspect underneath that umbrella.

Now that we understand that, let’s discuss how it’s translated into design services.

The Traditional Brand Design Package

The traditional brand design process will vary greatly between design studios, but in most cases, you’ll be building out the entire visual foundation of your brand.

Typically with this service, there will be back and forth communication via email, multiple rounds of revisions and edits, and a pre-determined set of deliverables – and there’s a lot of freedom in what the designer can include in those deliverables. Depending on the designer, the process may start with a brand strategy or creative direction phase as well.

The investment for this type of service will vary for each designer. As for timeline, this service typically takes anywhere from 4 weeks to 2+ months depending on the project needs. That longer process provides plenty of time to dig deep into the brand as a whole and work through ideas together, usually resulting in a more robust brand identity.

Again, please note that every designer does things a little differently, so make sure you understand exactly what goes into a designer’s branding package before you sign a contract, so you know what to expect before you begin.

Custom Brand Packages with Homeward Creative Co.

At Homeward, my brand identity design service is the most comprehensive experience we offer. Remember that brand umbrella? This offer helps define what that whole umbrella should look like and how it translates into all areas of your business, so everything is in alignment.

The biggest difference is not only the process, but the thoughtful and collaborative Brand Strategy phase we begin with. Before we start designing, we take an in-depth look at your business – your purpose, core values, competitors, target market, and more – so we can uncover the heart of your brand. This helps you understand your business and ideal clients better, and gives you a solid roadmap to follow as you make business decisions moving forward.

Then through a meticulous design process, we craft a cohesive visual identity and purposeful design assets. We present it all inside a 40+ page Brand Guidelines document that explains everything you need to know to use your brand visuals correctly and cohesively. In most cases, this package also brings everything to life with a website – whether through our Web Intensive process, or a fully custom Showit website.

Inquire about your brand identity project here →

A Traditional Brand Package Might Be For You If…

• You truly value a strategic approach to design
• You’re not certain what you like or how you want to position your brand
• You don’t need your logos right away and have plenty of time to dedicate to a branding project
• You want more than just the basics – you need a robust identity with lots of deliverables and collateral
• You’ve been in business for at least a few years and you have BIG goals for growth

A Traditional Brand Package Might NOT Be For You If…

• You absolutely do not have the budget – these are more extensive, so they are more of an investment
• You’re on a very tight schedule and need something put together ASAP
• You are newer to business and/or just need the basics
• You’ve already done brand strategy with another professional and it will remain the same

Brand Intensive

With a Brand Intensive / VIP Day, you are paying for a full day (or another set amount) of a designer’s dedicated time + their years of expertise. During that time, they are solely focused on you and your project.

However, this is different than paying someone an hourly rate, because there is typically prep work involved (think questionnaires, brainstorming, and researching) that goes into the process before the clock starts on the design day(s). You are getting so much more than just “8 hours of work.”

Additionally, as with any professional, keep in mind that you’re not simply paying them for the “30 minutes” it took them to draw the logo / take the photos / write the paragraph. You are paying them for the years of experience that enabled them to draw that well-balanced logo, take that correctly exposed and edited photo, or write that grammatically correct and persuasive paragraph. 

Some designers only offer Intensives / VIP days to past clients, or they reserve them for collateral projects rather than brand identity development. If brand identity design is the primary goal of an Intensive, that time will be spent designing the key foundational elements, like your logos, color palette, fonts, etc. Depending on the project, you may have time for additional collateral during your design day(s) as well.

As for investment, an Intensive / VIP Day will generally be a designer’s lower-priced offer, usually ranging anywhere from $1 – 4K. With this type of service, you’ll usually have your deliverables in-hand either by the end of your design day(s) or very quickly after.

Brand Intensives with Homeward Creative Co.

At Homeward, Brand Intensives are one of my most popular offers. It’s a streamlined process that delivers the essential elements of your brand identity within a quick, focused timeline. If you’re thinking about the brand umbrella analogy, this process focuses primarily on the visual identity aspect underneath rather than the umbrella as a whole.

That doesn’t mean we don’t think about brand strategy. Every decision is made collaboratively and strategically, even without conducting a formal brand strategy.

My Intensive clients complete the same intake questionnaire as my larger brand identity clients, and I use that information to create two creative concepts for them to choice from (these include mood boards, color palettes, and logo / typography inspiration). I present these to the client on a Prep Call, where they will choose a direction, and we’ll refine it together as needed.

I typically offer 1-day or 3-day Intensive timelines, depending on the client. On the scheduled design day(s), I’m entirely dedicated to their brand. That time is spent designing their logos, jumping on several video calls with them, and sharing my screen to make any edits collaboratively in real time until the timeframe is complete.

The final deliverables include a simplified Brand Guidelines document and all the essentials the client needs to implement their new brand identity right away.

Inquire about your Brand Intensive here →

A Brand Intensive Might Be For You If…

• You’re on a very tight schedule and need your logos ASAP
• Your business is new and you’re still figuring things out, or you need a sub-brand
• You already have an idea of how you want your logos to look
• You’re working with a somewhat limited budget
• You have a somewhat simple brand identity in mind, not a huge amount of files or product packaging needs.

A Brand Intensive Might NOT Be For You If…

• You can be indecisive and need time to think before making creative decisions
• You want a robust brand identity with lots of elements, illustrations, and collateral done all at once
• You need help understanding your position in the market, your ideal clients, what makes you unique, etc.
• You’ve been in business for a while and have BIG goals for growth

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In Conclusion: Brand Intensives vs. Traditional Branding

Which type of design service is right for you? It all comes down to your values and goals.

Where are you at in your business? What are your business goals? What type of package is really going to help you accomplish those goals? Thankfully, whether you have a startup that needs some nice branding to get going, or you’re ready to go all in and invest in a strategic brand identity for your growing business, there’s a service option for you!

As a designer, there is no single offer I always recommend over another. They are both great ways to serve my clients with a brand identity that truly helps them, no matter what stage of business they’re in. When I’m on a discovery call with a potential client, I ask several questions and truly listen, so I can recommend the package that best fits the business owner, their brand, and the season they’re in.

If you’re not sure which type of design package would be best, you absolutely should not have to decide on your own! Send me a note here, and we’ll schedule a no-commitment discovery call to determine the best way to create a beautiful brand identity for your business.