Branding & Identity
Make your business unmistakable.
From refreshing an existing brand to building a complete corporate identity, we create cohesive visual identities that help businesses look professional, distinctive and memorable.
Why it matters
People judge a business by how it looks.
Your logo, colours and typography are often the first thing a customer sees. On your website, your card, your quote and your social media.
When they all match, you look established and trustworthy. When they don't, even good work can look improvised.
A cohesive identity makes every touchpoint feel like the same business.
Portfolio Concept brand identity
Vesper House
A complete identity for an imagined boutique hotel, shaped by the hours of an evening.
Vesper House is a concept we created to show how we approach a Complete Corporate Identity, from the first idea through to the logo, colour, typography and the pieces a guest would actually hold.
A concept, not a client. Vesper House is an original fictional hospitality brand concept developed by CVO Atlas to demonstrate its brand identity design approach. It is not a real hotel or client.
A small hotel that feels like somewhere you've discovered.
The brief we set ourselves was an intimate boutique retreat for travellers who would rather stay in a beautifully designed house than a large hotel. It needed to feel warm and unhurried, quietly luxurious rather than showy, and distinctive enough to be remembered: a boutique hotel with the comfort of a home away from home.
We ruled out the usual hotel shortcuts from the start: no crowns, crests, roofs or keys.
Five hours, one evening.
Vesper is Latin for evening. We built the identity around the hours a guest actually spends there, from arriving in the late afternoon to the lamps going down at night: arrival at 17:00, unpacking at 18:00, supper at 19:00, lingering at 20:00 and rest at 21:00.
Each hour takes its colour from the changing sky.
- 17:00 Arrival
- 18:00 Unpacking
- 19:00 Supper
- 20:00 Lingering
- 21:00 Rest
A window onto the evening.
The logo is a tall window. Night sits at the top and the last warm light rests on the sill, and the panes narrow towards the horizon just as the light does. Below it, the name is set in Bellefair capitals, with the tagline in Newsreader italic: Where time lingers.
Newsreader carries the brand's editorial voice, and Tenor Sans handles signs, labels and times. Limewash, travertine, oak and ink keep the palette calm, so the hour colours can be used one at a time.
One hour at a time.
We carried the system into the things a guest would actually hold: a business card with sample contact details, a letter waiting on arrival, a welcome card on the bed, the supper menu, a turndown note and a key card for each room. The time of day sits quietly on each piece, and the key cards take the colour of their hour.
At the door, a blackened steel plaque carries the window and the name.
Warm light, real materials.
The photography sets the mood the identity is designed for: low evening light, linen, oak and plaster. It is licensed atmosphere imagery rather than a real property.
A complete identity, from idea to doorway.
The result is a small, complete system: a logo that works from building signage to a browser tab, a colour palette with a story behind it, and a set of applications that feel like one place. It's the same process we follow for every Complete Corporate Identity.
Photography credits and licences
Photography is licensed from Unsplash and used as atmosphere and as surfaces for the mockups. It does not show a Vesper House property. Printed pieces and signage are illustrative mockups. Photographs by Josh Sorenson, grey wight, Lisha Riabinina, Joseph Bobadilla, Grace Anne Bobadilla, Ameer Albahouth, Mediamodifier, Adrienne Andersen, Andrzej Gdula, Kelly Sikkema, used under the Unsplash License. The pictured places are real but unnamed and are not presented as Vesper House premises. The name Vesper House is used for this concept only; no trade mark clearance or exclusive rights are claimed.
Refresh or start fresh?
Two different jobs.
Refresh what you have
Your logo already works, but it looks dated or inconsistent. We refine it, tidy your colours and typography, and give you a short guide so it's used the same way everywhere. Brand Refresh, R3,999.
Build something new
You're starting out, or your current identity no longer fits. We start with a discovery conversation and create an original identity, with stationery, templates and full guidelines. Complete Corporate Identity, R12,999.
Package one
Brand Refresh
R3,999 once-off
For businesses that already have a logo or visual identity but want a more polished, consistent and professional appearance.
We keep what's recognisable about your brand and make it sharper, more consistent and easier to use.
What you receive
- Refinement of your existing logo
- An updated colour palette
- Coordinated typography
- Appropriate primary and secondary logo variations
- A social media profile image and a social media cover design
- A concise brand style guide of 4 to 6 pages
- The agreed final digital files
- Two consolidated revision rounds
Not included
- Full original identity development or a complete redesign from scratch
- Deep or extensive brand strategy
- Business naming
- An extensive stationery package
- Unlimited concepts or unlimited revisions
Package two
Complete Corporate Identity
R12,999 once-off
For businesses that need a cohesive, professionally designed visual identity developed from the ground up.
A complete, original visual identity, ready to use on screen and in print from day one.
Discovery and design
- A brand discovery consultation
- Basic brand positioning and personality
- Two initial creative directions
- One final original logo
Logo and brand system
- Appropriate logo variations (primary, secondary and simplified)
- Complete colour specifications with HEX, RGB and CMYK values
- Coordinated typography
- A supporting graphic system
- Editable vector logo files
Everyday materials
- Business card design
- Letterhead design
- An email signature
- A quotation template
- An invoice template
Social media
- A social media profile image and a social media cover image
- Three editable social media post templates
Guidelines and delivery
- Comprehensive brand guidelines of 10 to 15 pages
- The agreed digital and print-ready files
- Two consolidated revision rounds
Not included
- Trade mark registration
- Legal trade mark clearance
- Unlimited concepts
- Unlimited revisions
- Extensive strategic rebranding
- Ongoing social media management
Side by side
Compare the packages.
| Brand RefreshR3,999 | Complete Corporate IdentityR12,999 | |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | Your existing logo, refined | A new, original logo |
| Brand discovery consultation | Not included | Included |
| Basic brand positioning and personality | Not included | Included |
| Creative directions | Refinement of your existing look | Two initial directions |
| Logo variations | Primary and secondary, where appropriate | Primary, secondary and simplified |
| Colour palette | Updated | Complete, with HEX, RGB and CMYK |
| Typography | Coordinated | A coordinated system |
| Supporting graphic system | Not included | Included |
| Social media profile image and cover | Included | Included |
| Editable social media post templates | Not included | Three |
| Business card, letterhead and email signature | Not included | Included |
| Quotation and invoice templates | Not included | Included |
| Guidelines | Style guide, 4 to 6 pages | Brand guidelines, 10 to 15 pages |
| Files | The agreed final digital files | Digital and print-ready files, editable vector logos |
| Revision rounds | Two consolidated rounds | Two consolidated rounds |
Printing, signage, photography, copywriting, business naming and trade mark registration aren't included in either package.
How it works
A clear, focused process.
- 01
Talk
We learn about your business, your customers and what you need your identity to do. For a Complete Corporate Identity, this is a full discovery consultation.
- 02
Design
For a Refresh, we refine your existing logo and palette. For a Complete Corporate Identity, we present two initial creative directions.
- 03
Refine
You give feedback in two consolidated revision rounds. Collecting comments together keeps the work focused.
- 04
Apply
We apply the final identity to the agreed materials: social media graphics, and for a Complete Corporate Identity, your stationery and templates.
- 05
Deliver
You receive your final files and guidelines, with clear notes on how to use them.
Timeframes depend on the package and how quickly feedback comes back. We agree them with you before work starts.
Your files
Ready to use, on screen and in print.
You receive your final files in the formats you need. A Complete Corporate Identity also includes editable vector logo files and print-ready artwork.
Your guidelines show how to use everything correctly, so a printer, signwriter or future designer can work with your brand.
Once the package fee is paid in full, copyright in the original artwork we create for you is assigned to you. Fonts and stock assets are licensed under their own terms, which we list when we deliver.
Building a website?
Already happy with your brand? It's included.
Every website we build includes Brand Styling. We apply your existing logo, colours, typography and visual identity to your new website.
You don't need a branding package to get a website. And you don't need a website to buy a branding package.
Questions
Good to know.
Can I buy branding without a website?
Yes. Brand Refresh and Complete Corporate Identity are separate services. Choose the package on the Start a Project form.
Is branding included in the website price?
Brand Styling is: we build your website around your existing brand. Brand Refresh and Complete Corporate Identity are optional and priced separately.
How many logo ideas will I see?
For a Complete Corporate Identity, two initial creative directions, leading to one final logo. A Brand Refresh refines your existing logo rather than starting from scratch. Both include two consolidated revision rounds.
Do you register trade marks?
No. We don't register trade marks or check whether a name or logo is available to register. If that matters to you, speak to a trade mark attorney before investing in a new identity.
Can you rename my business?
Business naming isn't part of either package.
Who can use the final artwork?
Once the package fee is paid in full, copyright in the original artwork we create for you is assigned to you. Fonts and stock assets are licensed under their own terms, which we list when we deliver.
Let's make your business unmistakable.
Tell us about your business and which package interests you. We'll reply with clear next steps.