29 May 2024
Simplicity in Complex Branding for Startups
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Back in 2020, I began one of my longest collaborations. I met Mon Hernandez, a business design consultant with a strong vision: “the more complex the branding, the more serious the brand”.
Instead of using brand identity to evoke seriousness, organization and expertise, she aimed for a hyper-structured brand architecture with various extensions, even though she wasn’t ready to support them.
For us designers, a big challenge is helping clients understand the best approach for them. It’s about building their confidence to make decisions, even when they feel they can't take advice from someone outside their field.
We can't expect clients to take leaps of faith based purely on trust. With Monica, it helped to profile possible scenarios thoroughly, showing how even small changes in the brand architecture can impact time, money and resources of a startup.
This approach gave Monica clarity and led to a successful project. She realized that simplicity is key and doesn’t equate to cheapness.
For now, here's the visual identity I designed for her.
Stay tuned for more about this project in the coming weeks.
Back to journal
Simplicity in Complex Branding for Startups
Back to journal

Back in 2020, I began one of my longest collaborations. I met Mon Hernandez, a business design consultant with a strong vision: “the more complex the branding, the more serious the brand”.
Instead of using brand identity to evoke seriousness, organization and expertise, she aimed for a hyper-structured brand architecture with various extensions, even though she wasn’t ready to support them.
For us designers, a big challenge is helping clients understand the best approach for them. It’s about building their confidence to make decisions, even when they feel they can't take advice from someone outside their field.
We can't expect clients to take leaps of faith based purely on trust. With Monica, it helped to profile possible scenarios thoroughly, showing how even small changes in the brand architecture can impact time, money and resources of a startup.
This approach gave Monica clarity and led to a successful project. She realized that simplicity is key and doesn’t equate to cheapness.
For now, here's the visual identity I designed for her.
Stay tuned for more about this project in the coming weeks.
Back to journal