Brand Story & Positioning
Firm identity
Define the firm as an integrated design partner across brand, product and experience.
Use a core line such as “We design brands, products and experiences that work together.”
Ensure website, social and case studies repeat this integrated positioning.
Avoid language that suggests the firm is “just” a studio or single-discipline agency.
Integrated value proposition
Explain why integration across disciplines matters to clients.
Emphasise how aligned brand, product and experience reduce friction and increase impact.
Use examples where cross-disciplinary work solved messy, multi-touchpoint problems.
Contrast integrated work with fragmented, multi-vendor approaches.
Global positioning
Highlight international reach and cross-market relevance.
Show work across regions with consistent strategic principles.
Use client stories from different markets to demonstrate adaptability.
Avoid implying that the firm only understands one cultural context.
Pillar clarity
Define brand, product and experience in the firm’s own terms.
Brand: identity, messaging, systems.
Product: digital and physical interfaces or services.
Experience: journeys, environments, service moments.
Use these definitions consistently in all content.
Client outcome framing
Describe outcomes in business and human terms.
Show measurable impact (conversion, engagement, retention) tied to design.
Also frame outcomes as clearer stories, smoother flows and better touchpoints.
Avoid vague “we make things beautiful” claims without substance.
Differentiation
Clarify how the firm stands out among design providers.
Emphasise integrated capability vs siloed specialist vendors.
Highlight strategic depth and implementation know-how.
Show long-term partnerships, not just one-off executions.
Pillar Standards
Brand pillar
Set standards for brand-focused content.
Always connect brand projects to strategy, not just visuals.
Show identity systems in context (packaging, interfaces, environments).
Tie brand outcomes to clarity, recognition and cohesion.
Product pillar
Set standards for product design content.
Highlight usability, usefulness and viability, not only aesthetics.
Show product work across screens, services or physical forms.
Connect product outcomes to adoption, satisfaction and repeat use.
Experience pillar
Set standards for experience design content.
Emphasise flows, journeys and orchestrated moments.
Show how experience work spans digital, physical and human interfaces.
Tie outcomes to ease, delight and reduced friction.
Cross-pillar storytelling
Ensure content shows how pillars interact.
Case studies highlight the path from brand → product → experience.
Diagrams or narratives map how disciplines collaborate on one problem.
Posts mention cross-disciplinary teams and handoffs.
Portfolio balance
Maintain visible balance across the three pillars.
Plan content so each pillar appears regularly.
Avoid long stretches where only one discipline dominates feeds.
Use “integrated project” stories to cover multiple pillars at once.
Discipline recognition
Keep individual disciplines visible within integration.
Give each pillar clear language and visual treatment.
Show specialist craft (e.g., UX flows, identity grids, service maps).
Avoid flattening all work into generic “design” without nuance.
Client & Market Standards
Use-case clarity
Explain what kinds of problems the firm solves.
Describe typical engagements (rebrands, product launches, service overhaul).
Use concrete scenarios (e.g., scaling a digital product cross-market).
Avoid abstract descriptions without examples.
Sector breadth
Show adaptability across industries.
Highlight projects across sectors (tech, retail, hospitality, etc.).
Emphasise common design principles applied in different contexts.
Avoid implying expertise in only one niche unless it’s strategic.
Engagement models
Describe how clients can work with the firm.
Outline typical project shapes (end-to-end, pillar-first, audits).
Show pathways from one-discipline engagements into integrated work.
Clarify collaboration styles (embedded teams, sprints, retainers).
Thought leadership standards
Keep public thinking aligned with integrated positioning.
Publish articles or talks connecting brand, product and experience.
Avoid siloed thought leadership that never references other pillars.
Use frameworks that demonstrate multi-disciplinary thinking.
Global collaboration
Set expectations for working with international clients.
Highlight remote collaboration capabilities and tools.
Show awareness of local market nuances and research approaches.
Avoid suggesting one-size-fits-all solutions.
Measurement and case study rigour
Standardise how impact is shown in case studies.
Include problem, approach and outcome in every story.
Tie outcomes to both business and user metrics.
Avoid purely aesthetic case studies with no impact narrative.
Tone of Voice
Unified and confident
Sound like one coherent firm, not separate teams.
Use “we” and “our team” across disciplines.
Keep confidence grounded in clear examples, not hype.
Avoid internal-sounding jargon that signals silos.
Strategic and clear
Explain design decisions with accessible reasoning.
Connect choices to business goals and user needs.
Use frameworks and language that non-designers can understand.
Avoid over-the-top conceptual language without clarity.
Human and collaborative
Present the firm as a partner, not a distant expert.
Use language about co-creating with clients and stakeholders.
Highlight workshops, interviews and collaborative activities.
Avoid “we know best” tones that feel closed.
International and precise
Make language work across cultures.
Avoid idioms and region-specific phrases.
Use precise terms for deliverables and outcomes.
Keep tone respectful and professional across markets.
Non-hype, non-apologetic
Balance confidence with humility.
Avoid “disruption” clichés and buzzword stacking.
Share what worked and what was learned, not just wins.
Don’t underplay achievements; be direct about impact.
Consistent across pillars
Maintain one voice when talking about brand, product and experience.
Use similar sentence rhythm, structure and vocabulary for each discipline.
Allow technical detail to vary, but keep core tone stable.
Audit content periodically to catch voice drift.
Visual Style
Integrated visual system
Use a shared visual language across pillars.
Maintain a common colour palette and type system.
Use consistent grid and layout patterns for case material.
Let sub-styles, not entire visual swaps, distinguish disciplines.
Case study structure visuals
Present projects in a recognisable format.
Use layouts showing problem → process → outcome.
Include diagrams mapping brand, product and experience interfaces.
Use annotated screenshots or photos rather than only “hero shots.”
Brand pillar visuals
Show brand work in context.
Include identity applied across multiple touchpoints.
Show guidelines, systems and example applications.
Avoid isolated logos without surrounding system.
Product pillar visuals
Highlight interfaces and interactions clearly.
Use clean, zoomed-in views of key product flows.
Show evolution or variations when relevant.
Include user context around interfaces (devices, environments).
Experience pillar visuals
Depict journeys and environments.
Use journey maps, service blueprints and space photography.
Show interactions between people, digital tools and physical spaces.
Avoid generic stock photos of people without clear experience framing.
Motion and prototype standards
Use motion and prototypes thoughtfully.
Show key interactions via short clips or animations.
Keep motion consistent in style (easing, timing, transitions).
Use prototypes to illustrate integrated experiences, not just single screens.
Copy & Structural Style
British English spelling and grammar
Align all firm communications to British English standards.
Use British spellings (“colour”, “behaviour”, “favourite”, “modelled”) in case studies, decks, and thought leadership.
Maintain professional grammar: avoid run-on sentences, ensure parallel structure in lists, and use consistent punctuation for bullets and headings.
Include a language pass in every content workflow to check spelling, grammar and consistent terminology across brand, product and experience narratives.
Headline conventions
Use clear, pattern-based headlines.
Problem-led (“Aligning global brand and product”).
Outcome-led (“Increasing engagement through integrated experience design”).
Process-led (“From strategy to launch across three disciplines”).
Case study narration
Follow a consistent storytelling arc.
Start with context and challenge.
Explain the integrated approach (brand, product, experience contributions).
Close with outcomes and learnings.
Discipline explainers
Describe each discipline plainly.
Short blurbs clarifying what “brand design”, “product design” and “experience design” mean.
Use examples for each that clients can relate to.
Link discipline explainers to integrated case stories.
Service pages and profiles
Keep copy aligned across different parts of the site.
Use similar sentence structures and tone in services overview pages.
Align biographies with the firm’s integrated story, not just craft lists.
Avoid contradictory descriptions of the same service across pages.
Thought leadership formats
Structure articles and talks to show integrated thinking.
Cite examples from multiple disciplines in each piece.
Use frameworks that connect brand, product and experience.
End with practical implications for cross-disciplinary work.
Planning & Calendar
Integrated content calendar
Plan content across brand, product and experience together.
Map out weeks or months where each pillar is spotlighted.
Rotate between single-pillar and cross-pillar stories.
Align major releases with case study or thought leadership drops.
Campaign themes
Design campaigns that highlight integration.
Themes like “From brand to product”, “Designing end-to-end journeys.”
Each campaign includes content from all three disciplines.
Use campaigns to introduce new integrated frameworks or case series.
Regional and sector planning
Balance work across markets and industries.
Schedule features from different regions periodically.
Rotate sectors to avoid over-focusing on one industry.
Ensure integrated messaging appears regardless of sector.
Event and launch alignment
Sync content with talks, conferences and project launches.
Promote speaking engagements as integrated design viewpoints.
Launch case studies alongside major public announcements.
Use events as anchors for focused, multi-week narrative arcs.
Resource allocation
Plan contributor time for integrated stories.
Allocate writers and designers to multi-disciplinary content projects.
Ensure each pillar lead contributes to integrated narratives.
Reserve time for content review and refinement.
Review cycles
Build in regular content and strategy reviews.
Quarterly review of content mix across pillars and markets.
Annual refresh of positioning and examples.
Adjust calendar themes based on strategic priorities.
Production & Workflow
Cross-pillar briefing
Start projects with integrated content briefs.
Briefs include brand, product and experience angles by default.
Identify which disciplines contributed to each client engagement.
Clarify desired cross-selling messages in each story.
Case study development workflow
Define steps for building integrated case material.
Gather inputs from all relevant discipline leads.
Draft shared narrative, then fill in discipline-specific detail.
Review as a group to ensure coherence and balance.
Content tagging and repositories
Organise assets for reuse and discovery.
Tag content by pillar, industry, region and engagement type.
Maintain libraries for brand, product, experience and integrated projects.
Use tags to assemble cross-disciplinary narratives quickly.
Approval processes
Ensure quality and consistency before publishing.
Discipline leads review technical accuracy.
Brand or content lead reviews voice and structure.
Leadership approves high-profile or strategic pieces.
Collaboration rituals
Embed regular cross-disciplinary touchpoints.
Monthly internal show-and-tell sessions across teams.
Shared channels for work-in-progress feedback on integrated stories.
Short debriefs after major content campaigns.
Template use
Standardise structures while allowing creative flexibility.
Templates for case studies, service pages and thought leadership.
Shared slide or deck templates for presentations and showcases.
Flexible sections for discipline-specific nuance within templates.
Measurement & Optimisation
Pillar visibility tracking
Measure how often each pillar appears and in what context.
Track content volume and engagement per pillar.
Monitor integrated stories vs single-pillar posts.
Adjust focus if one discipline dominates or fades.
Cross-selling indicators
Observe cross-discipline interest and leads.
Track inquiries that mention more than one service line.
Monitor progression from single-discipline to multi-discipline engagements.
Tie cross-selling improvements to integrated content campaigns.
Recognition of integrated offering
Assess whether audiences see the firm as integrated.
Survey or ask clients how they perceive the firm’s capabilities.
Monitor language in inbound inquiries and referrals.
Refine messaging based on perception gaps.
Content performance analysis
Evaluate which stories resonate most.
Compare engagement on brand-only, product-only, experience-only and integrated content.
Identify elements of high-performing integrated case studies.
Use findings to update examples and structures in the guideline.
Market and sector feedback
Gather qualitative input from clients and partners.
Ask clients which content helped them understand the firm best.
Note sector-specific preferences (more product detail vs more experience).
Adjust content emphasis by sector while keeping integration core.
Guideline evolution
Keep the guideline living and strategic.
Update sections annually or after major positioning shifts.
Add pillar-specific or integrated examples as new work emerges.
Retire outdated formats or approaches that no longer serve the brand.
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Design Firm Strategy
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