Effective by design

Brand design is about more than just your logo. It’s about resonating with your audience and connecting with them in unforgettable ways. Because of this, Maya takes the time to learn about your business story and branding goals before working with you to evolve your brand.

Partnering with Maya means you can be confident in your branding. Every design decision is based on research and direct insights from your team, positioning your brand for long-term success.

A collaborative, research-based process

1. Intro
Evaluate fit.
In a 100% free, no-commitment meeting, we learn more about each other, timelines, budget, and your branding dreams. If there’s a fit, Maya prepares a work proposal, which contains a project schedule and outline of deliverables. With your approval, work begins.

2. Discover
Identify your goals and audiences.
We discuss your branding pain points and goals. Maya audits your existing branding and conducts market and audience research, returning with a visual summary of findings. (No dense docs of text.) Together, we review the findings and define an overall brand design strategy. Maya creates a brand moodboard reflecting that definition to ensure we are on the same page.

3. Explore
Explore visual directions and concepts.
Informed by the brand design strategy, Maya drafts possible visual directions for your brand. Maya presents her recommendations to your team for discussion and feedback. One direction is identified for design.

4. Design
Building your brand ecosystem.
Based on the identified visual direction, Maya designs the brand ecosystem. Check-ins and opportunities for your feedback are included so you’ll always feel comfortable about where things are heading.

5. Deliver
Guiding your brand to success.
Maya finalizes all designs and delivers files to you. Unlike many brand designers, Maya also creates a custom guidebook about best practices for implementing your new branding. This document is key to your company’s branding efficacy—especially useful if you have collaborators who create branded media.
This is an example of a typical process. Projects are tailored to each client’s needs.

FAQ

How much does a brand refresh with Maya cost?
This is like asking how much building a house costs—it depends on scope and timing. Maya has worked on logo-only projects, lighter brand refreshes, and comprehensive brand designs to serve a range of budgets and priorities.

How long does a brand refresh with Maya take?
A comprehensive rebrand can take 3-6 months, depending on deliverables and timeframes. Logo-only and lighter brand refreshes can take 1-2 months. Maya outlines a potential schedule after an intro call if a fit seems likely, accounting for any critical dates on your end.

What am I going to get?
Maya tailors deliverables to be most useful to your priorities.
A comprehensive brand design project often includes:
✳︎ A visual summary of market and audience research insights
✳︎ 100% copyright transfer (no royalties or renewal fees—ever)
✳︎ Logo design (and all versions of logo files)
✳︎ Color palette selection and color codes for digital and print usage
✳︎ Accessibility testing results based on current WCAG standards
✳︎ Typeface selection
✳︎ Ownable icon/illustration suites (custom-drawn)
✳︎ Photography or imagery style identification
✳︎ Brand voice strategy and voice examples
✳︎ Mockups of material with your branding for inspiration
✳︎ Guidebook detailing best practices for implementing your brand
✳︎ Other items requested, such as podcast icons, business card templates, etc.

Can we skip the Discover phase?
Sure, if you just want Maya to make random art for you! (That’s a joke…kind of.) The Discover phase is essential to effective brand design because of the insights uncovered in this phase. Your brand will be strategically designed to resonate with targeted audiences while standing out from your competition.

Where did Maya learn branding and marketing?
Maya learned her branding and marketing skills by working directly with top experts. She developed her brand design and strategy chops over years of working with Landor & Fitch, the renowned branding agency, and her marketing knowledge grew exponentially when she helped Seth Godin launch his Marketing Seminar course. Maya also has a certificate in Strategies to Building Winning Brands from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

What if I don’t want a brand refresh but I want Maya to design something?
Email Maya to discuss!
“We called Maya in to build our brand from the ground up. We’ve been in business for over 8 years and are a multi-seven figure company, but never felt comfortable trusting our flagship brand with anyone before her. […] There’s no brand strategist or designer I would recommend more highly for anyone looking to create a world-class brand identity.”


Tiago Forte, Founder of Building A Second Brain and Forte Labs
“Maya is the type of design leader you want in your organization. She doesn’t just design things to make them look good. She asks hard questions and thinks about how elements work in a larger system. […] Paired with her ability to think critically about any problem, this combination of skills is exactly what sets Maya apart as a top-notch design leader and a professional.”
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Wes Kao, Executive Director of Seth Godin’s altMBA

Is Maya right for you? Let’s find out!

Just as you want to select a brand designer with care, Maya only takes on projects she believes are a strong fit. After all, your branding is one of the most important aspects of your business. The right brand designer can supercharge your growth and launch your business into new realms.

A free, 30-minute intro call is the first step to figuring out if there’s a mutual fit. No commitment.

Email: hello [at] mayaplim.com

© 2023 Maya P. Lim