When Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, gas companies believed that it would never catch on as a mainstream source of lighting. Some people even worried that it would be too bright and cause blindness. Since 1879 (and long before that), one thing hasn’t changed: people are skeptical of new things.

 

The newest guest on the hot seat: Design Intensives.

Loved by one half of the design community, ridiculed by the other.

 

COUNTER ARGUMENT 1 
 

Our opinion: (Partially) disagree. We’ve definitely seen many copy and paste identities being built but the problem isn’t the project structure, it’s the designer. That’s why you need to do your research and consider carefully whose help you’re investing in. 

Results from our 3 latest Brand Intensives, no templates used.

COUNTER ARGUMENT 2
 

Even if the design looks good, it’s a waste of money for the client because having nice visuals isn’t the same as an effective brand.
 

Our opinion: What they’re trying to say is that “a brand is more than a logo and colours”. Fair point. But that’s like saying that spending money on a new kitchen is pointless unless you renovate the whole house. 

 

In an ideal world, every business would invest in full-scale branding including fundamental brand strategy, messaging, tone of voice, copy, etc. but what if you can’t churn out a couple grand right now? Wait? DIY? Use Canva? We say: do the preliminary work, then, if you can, book an Intensive.

 

If you have a good idea of how you want to be perceived, who you serve, and what makes you different, we’re in a position to create a potent brand identity. And feeling confident, legit, differentiated, and inspired to show up for your business, that’s a big part of what it takes to boost sales and grow. Aside, we also create a whole lot more than just a logo and a colour palette during an 8-hour Intensive, even more than pictured in the results preview ↑

Safe to say our clients are happy.

COUNTER ARGUMENT 3
 

Intensives make other designers and their services look bad.
 

Our opinion: The creative community has been continuously taken advantage of. So undercharging is a genuine concern. But the matter of the fact is: Intensives are a win-win. 

 

They are an accessible option for the business owner who needs thoughtful branding on a tight budget and timeline, without exploiting the designer. And we’re still working with big budget clients, just in a different capacity.

CLOSING THOUGHTS  

Kind of like the light bulb, we think that Intensives are revolutionary and nothing to be scared of. They are what’s been missing in the design industry for a long time: the middle ground between DIY/Canva/just a logo and the going-all-out extreme on the other end of the spectrum. We can’t keep preaching the importance of branding without offering viable solutions to those just starting out. We need to do better. And Intensives allow us to do so.

 

If now you're itching to give your brand an upgrade with big results without the wait… we have limited Intensive spots available for April and beyond.

PS we've decided to push back the launch of our website template shop by a bit to make sure it's tip-top when it goes live but we'll keep you updated.

 

Martha and team 🪲