Branding
BrandingA branding agency for brands ready to be taken seriously
We build brand identities, naming, and visual systems for consumer, lifestyle, health, and financial companies. Strategy first, then design that actually means something.
Trusted by founders and teams at
Sound familiar?
It looks fine and says nothing.
People can't tell what makes you different, so they compare you on price. A nice logo hasn't changed that.
You've outgrown it.
The brand was made for the company you were a few years ago. Your clients, your offer, and your ambitions have moved on. The brand hasn't.
Every new piece starts from zero.
There's no system, so every deck, ad, and page gets reinvented by whoever is making it, and none of them match.
A big moment is coming.
A launch, a raise, a new market, a new name. The brand has to be ready before the spotlight is, not after.
Our view
Our viewMost branding work today is logo design with a moodboard taped to it. A mark, three colors, a font pairing, and a PDF nobody opens again. That's not branding, that's decoration. Nobody falls in love with a logo. They fall in love with the world you build around it.
What we do instead
We treat branding as a strategic decision before it's a visual one. We figure out who you are, who you're for, and what you actually stand against. Then we design an identity system that holds up everywhere your brand shows up, from a product page to a piece of packaging to a pitch deck. Anyone can generate a logo now, including AI. The work is deciding how that logo lives on your store, your merchandise, your emails, and your website.
Where we've done it
We named Betterness and built its identity from a blank page, and gave MetaboliK Health a visual identity that finally matched how rigorous its medical program is. Pressed Miami got a loud, chunky identity that carries onto its packaging and signage. Marco International and Oak Funding came to us with serious businesses and brands that weren't telling that story yet.
Featured project
BioNurture
A specialist cancer and blood care practice that had to explain itself to people who are well. We built the identity, the language, and the website as one piece of work.
- The challenge
- How do you introduce specialist cancer and blood care to people who are healthy, in a way that feels reassuring and clear?
- What changed
- BioNurture launched with one identity across its website and physical spaces, and a site that takes a new visitor from understanding the practice to applying for membership.
More branding work
All work
“We've loved the logo and branding David created for Ready to Pedal. It's been a wonderful foundation for us and exactly the starting point I needed to keep building and growing the business. As we've expanded, the branding has worked so well for us and reflects who we are and what we do.”
Everything a real brand identity needs
- 01
Brand strategy and positioning
Before we design anything, we figure out what your brand is actually about: audience, market position, voice, and the gap between what you say and what you mean. We test every position against what you can actually prove. If a competitor could claim it too, it's not a position.
- 02
Logo and identity design
Primary marks, secondary marks, monograms, wordmarks. We design logos that work at every size and in every context, not just the one slide they look good on. Every mark gets tested as a favicon, a social avatar, and in one color before we refine a single curve.
- 03
Visual identity system
Color, typography, photography direction, illustration style, layout principles. A full system you can actually use, not three swatches and a hope. Colors are specified for screens, coated and uncoated paper, and signage, because a palette that only works on a monitor isn't finished.
- 04
Naming and verbal identity
Company names, product names, taglines, voice and tone guidelines. The words your brand uses are as much a part of the identity as the logo. If your homepage headline could belong to any company in your category, it isn't doing its job.
- 05
Brand guidelines
Documentation that your team and your future agencies can actually use. Clear rules, the reasoning behind them, real examples, edge cases handled, no fluff. Plus working templates, so the next sales deck doesn't start from a blank file.
- 06
Brand application and rollout
Website, packaging, social, email, pitch decks, business cards, signage. We design the identity on these while it can still change, because problems found on a real product page are cheap to fix before launch and expensive after.
How we work, for free
Five tests every brand we make has to pass.
Before anything ships, it goes through the same checks. They're simple, and most brands fail at least one. Use them on yours.
- 1
The favicon test
Shrink the mark to 16 pixels and a round social avatar. If it turns to mud, it isn't finished. Most logos are only ever approved at slide size.
- 2
The cover-up test
Hide the logo on your homepage, your packaging, and your deck. If people can still tell it's you from the type, color, and tone, you have a system. If not, you have a logo.
- 3
The competitor test
Paste your positioning line onto your closest competitor's homepage. If it still fits, it isn't a position. It's a description of your category.
- 4
The real-world test
One color, cheap paper, a dark background, a phone screen in the sun. Brands live in bad conditions. We specify color and type for each one so it survives them.
- 5
The new-hire test
Hand the guidelines to someone who has never met us. If they can make a correct social post in an hour, the guidelines work. If they need to call someone, they don't.
How a branding project with us works
- 01
Discovery
We start with real conversations with you, your team, and sometimes your customers. We want to understand the business, the audience, the competitive set, and the gap your brand is trying to fill.
- 02
Strategy
We define positioning, audience, voice, and the strategic foundation the identity will sit on. You sign off on the thinking before we touch the visuals.
- 03
Identity design
Logo, color, typography, and the core visual system, shown on real applications instead of blank mockups. Multiple directions, honest conversations, and a final identity that's been pressure-tested, not just polished.
- 04
Guidelines and system
We document the brand so your team and any future partners can use it without breaking it. You get the rules, the working files, and templates for the things you make most.
- 05
Application and rollout
We help apply the identity across every touchpoint (web, packaging, social, email, print) so the brand actually feels consistent in the wild. David Herskowitz stays on the project from the first call through launch.
Why not a freelancer, a big agency, or an AI logo tool?
They all make logos. The difference is what comes with it, and who actually does the work.
Splash Creative
- Who does the work
- A senior team, with David leading creative direction from the first call to launch
- Strategy first
- Always. You sign off on the thinking before any design
- What you get
- Strategy, identity, language, guidelines, and working templates
- Tested in real use
- On your website, packaging, deck, and signage before sign-off
- After launch
- The same team stays for rollout and ongoing work
Freelancer
- Who does the work
- One person and one set of skills
- Strategy first
- Rarely part of the scope
- What you get
- A logo and a palette
- Tested in real use
- On mockups, if at all
- After launch
- Depends on their availability
Large agency
- Who does the work
- Senior people in the pitch, a wider team on the work
- Strategy first
- Usually, often as a long separate phase
- What you get
- A full system, with a heavier process
- Tested in real use
- Yes
- After launch
- Often a new contract or a new team
AI logo tool
- Who does the work
- You, with a prompt
- Strategy first
- No
- What you get
- A mark with nothing holding it together
- Tested in real use
- No
- After launch
- Nothing
We're a good fit if...
- You're launching a new company and want to get the brand right from day one.
- You've outgrown the brand you started with and need a real identity system.
- You're rebranding after a pivot, an acquisition, or a leadership change.
- Your current brand looks fine but doesn't actually mean anything.
- You want the brand and the website built by the same team, so nothing gets lost in a handoff.
- You want a partner who pushes back, not an agency that just executes your Pinterest board.
Not a fit
We're probably not the right fit if you want a logo for a few hundred dollars, or if you've already finalized the brand and just need someone to clean it up. We do our best work when we're brought in to think, not just to draw.
In short
Splash Creative is a branding agency that builds brand strategy, naming, logo and visual identity, and brand guidelines as one piece of work, led by founder David Herskowitz. We settle your positioning first and get your sign-off on it, then design the identity and test it on real applications like your website, packaging, and pitch deck. A focused brand identity project usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. Full brand strategy and identity usually takes 8 to 12 weeks.
- Who it is for
- New companies that need a clear introduction, and established brands going through a change
- What it covers
- Strategy, identity, language, guidelines, and real applications
- Who does the work
- A senior team led by David Herskowitz, Founder and Creative Director
- How it is priced
- Brand identity from $15,000; brand and website from $30,000. Scope and fee confirmed in a written proposal
Questions, answered.
How much does a branding project cost?
A brand identity starts at $15,000. Brand and website together start at $30,000. Within that, it depends on what the brand needs. The biggest drivers are how deep the strategy work goes, whether you need naming, how many applications we design, and whether a website is part of it. Scope, timing, and fee are agreed in a written proposal before kickoff, and if you share your budget up front we'll tell you honestly what it can cover.
How long does a branding project take?
A focused brand identity usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. Full brand strategy and identity (strategy, logo, visual system, and guidelines) usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. Add a website and it's usually 12 to 16 weeks. The schedule is set in the proposal, and the strategy sign-off is the step that keeps it on track.
What's the difference between a logo and a brand identity?
A logo is a mark. A brand identity is the full visual and verbal system around it: color, typography, photography direction, voice and tone, and the guidelines for using all of it. Your logo is the signature at the bottom of the letter. The identity is everything written above it.
Do I need branding before I build my website?
Yes, or at the same time. Building a website without brand strategy means making design decisions without a foundation. The most efficient approach is brand and web together, staggered by a few weeks, from the same team.
Can you work from a brand strategy we already have?
Yes. We read what you have, find the gaps, and agree on what still needs work. If your positioning is solid, we won't sell you a new one.
Do you keep working with us after the brand launches?
Yes. We offer ongoing design support for new materials, campaign assets, and website updates. Keeping the team that built the brand on it is usually more consistent than re-briefing a new agency every time you need something.
Let's build a brand people remember.
Tell us where the business is going and what the current brand isn't saying. We'll come back with honest thoughts on what it needs, and a written proposal if we're the right fit.
- 01
You tell us what needs to change
An unfinished brief is welcome. The business situation matters more than a list of deliverables.
- 02
We talk it through
A first conversation about the business, what's already in place, and what should happen next.
- 03
You get a written proposal
Scope, responsibilities, timing, and fee, agreed before any work begins.
Rather talk first?
Book a call with DavidTell us about the project