Brand guidelines for an AI tech startup

It's thrilling when your client's technology amazes you. However, as a bustling startup with numerous ideas, limited time, and significant pitches approaching, Atria AI were having difficulty establishing and managing their brand identity.

I was particularly thrilled to be invited to work on this by a wonderful colleague from a former organisation. When a connection transitions to a new company and includes me in their journey. It truly feels like the biggest compliment.

After a couple of frantic Teams calls (in which my mind was blown by the epic cleverness of their offering), we set to work on Google slides, producing a set of brand guidelines and workable templates that can be easily adapted by anyone across the organisation.

This company is going places. You heard it here first!

Product guide for a global insurer

CLIENT: Argo (via Argo's US creative agency, Pace Communications)

Brand: ArgoGlobal

Sector: Insurance, Financial Services

Objective: To create an International Products Guide, summarising speciality insurance services provided by Argo's international business, ArgoGlobal.

Deliverables: A 16-page publication in print-ready and digital PDF format.

Approach: The client supplied copy in Word, which was imported into InDesign and formatted to fit with Argo's other publications and their recently updated brand style. As the client had no images of their new London City offices, I also photographed the image for the front cover and several internal shots.

Tools: Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop. Also worked within Pace's Workfront/Box spaces for the review and version control process.

Comment: For this client, I was contracted by Argo's created agency (Pace) in the US and embedded within Argo's International marketing team in their City of London offices from Nov 2018 - Dec 2021.

In 2021, Argo reduced their international marketing activity and laid off the team. They also recruited a new US creative agency (Johnnie Studio), but specifically requested that I was retained by them to work on an ad-hoc basis, which is ongoing.

Establishing a tone of voice

CLIENT: Sanderson Design Group

Brand: Harlequin, Sanderson, Morris & Co, Scion, Anthology & Zoffany

Sector: Luxury interiors

Objective: To develop and establish tone of voice guidelines for one of the UK's largest home furnishing groups, with variations to reflect the individual personalities of their six well-known brands.

Deliverables: Workshops and training sessions with Walker Greenbank's marketing teams, PDF guidelines and Powerpoint training presentation.

Approach: Created a fun, interactive workshop with marketing teams, to really get them thinking about the personality and identity of each brand. Once established, each brand's personality was then summarised into written tone of voice guidelines and embedded across the group using a series of training sessions and presentations.

Tools: Indesign, PowerPoint, Word

Comment: Engaging stakeholders in this process is key — and works well via the use of workshops. Giving people input and agency means they are far more likely to implement the brand writing style, rather than reverting to 'old habits'.