What turns a logo project into a professional branding process—and when does that process become too much?

In this episode, Steph and Ben trace the different paths shaping how they approach branding today. Ben’s first branding project involved endless logo options—and by the time he reached something close, the team had disbanded. Steph entered branding with contracts, client systems, discovery experience, and a one-logo solution that some clients still use today.

From $50 logos and four-hour discovery calls to mood boards, strategy, revision boundaries, and presentations, they unpack the lessons that transformed their work.

The central takeaway? A branding process should never be one-size-fits-all. Discovery needs to match the client, project, and budget. Strategy should support the creative execution. And presenting your work is often just as important as designing it.

They also explore what AI could change about branding—from research and production to entry-level design opportunities—and why human taste, perspective, and point of view may become more valuable than ever.

If this episode has you rethinking how you run branding projects, Project Branding was built for you. It’s our workshop on building, presenting, and selling brand identity projects—from discovery through the final presentation.

Join The Dispatch for the upcoming Project Branding announcement:

https://www.makerdivision.com/the-dispatch

CHAPTERS

00:00 Going deep into the branding process

01:49 Ben’s first branding project was a disaster

03:03 How Steph entered branding with systems in place

05:43 The one-logo solution

10:02 Learning to work directly with clients

13:49 The $50 logo years

19:58 Discovering proposals and a better sales process

21:06 The creative brief that changed Ben’s work

26:39 Learning from other designers’ processes

27:12 Build a process that fits your studio

29:03 Discovering strategic facilitation

32:34 When discovery becomes overkill

34:22 Scale discovery to the client and budget

37:01 Your clients aren’t obsessed with your process

39:23 Treat discovery like a toolbox

41:29 Can a client questionnaire actually work?

43:53 Matching the experience to the price

49:59 How long should a branding project take?

55:12 The free strategy session that went nowhere

56:27 Why strategy alone isn’t enough

58:36 Discovery should serve the creative execution

1:02:05 The most impactful process improvements

1:03:37 Translate your client’s words into visuals

1:05:37 Mood boards, concept suites, and brand worlds

1:07:37 Finding the insight nobody else noticed

1:10:23 Can you skip the mood board?

1:13:53 Contracts and revision boundaries

1:14:26 Why you need to present the work

1:18:20 AI and the future of branding

1:19:50 Where AI can improve the process

1:21:59 Why AI still has terrible taste

1:24:39 Let AI handle the work you hate

1:26:00 Using AI as a brainstorming partner

1:28:07 What happens to entry-level design work?

1:29:59 Taste may be your greatest advantage

Ready to dial in your branding process? Check out Project Branding - Maker Division’s workshop for building, presenting, and selling brand identity projects with a repeatable process from discovery through the final presentation:

https://www.makerdivision.com/birthday

#BrandingProcess #BrandIdentity #CreativeBusiness