Services

Identity

Distill the core of your company down to its essentials and express it in a distinct way.

 

  • Positioning Strategy
  • Logo Systems
  • Style Guides

Onboarding

Ask lots of questions

Getting insights and opinions from key stakeholders is an essential first step. The discovery questionnaire asks about the business, customers, and competition. The goal is to get everyone’s independent perspective and avoid groupthink.

Kickoff with discovery

Armed with the responses to the questionnaire, we kick off the project with the discovery workshop – a deep-dive session in which we explore the near/long-term goals, industry trends, customer needs, and driving-intent.

Record and transcribe

To ensure retention, the discovery session is fully recorded and then painstakingly transcribed into bullet points. This process guarantees all important thoughts are captured and taken into consideration.

Positioning strategy

The soul of your business

The positioning strategy frames up the essence of your business in the most distilled way possible. It’s a temperature check to ensure we’re all conceptually aligned. The goal is to avoid generic promises and find a unique angle. Part of this exercise is the development of key statements that articulate your mission, vision for the future, and reason for existence. To ensure a customer-centric approach, we work together to create target personas – real-world examples of people you serve.

Testimonial

“...I really liked the position strategy deck (...) I wasn't sure how valuable it would be, but was willing to just let it unfold (...) I was quite surprised. It was really great to see the business put that way...”
Brad Dunn
Head of Product and Customer Experience
Blumer CPAs
A brand identity for an accounting firm focused on helping creative entrepreneurs grow.

Blumer CPAs

Blumer CPAs help creative entrepreneurs know their accounting and tax numbers. The custom-designed wordmark celebrates the firm’s sophisticated yet creative personality.
  • Year: 2021
  • Agency: Chris Vogel Design
  • Sector: Professional Services
Estuary Applications
A software development company for companies that want to affect positive change in the world.

Estuary Applications

Estuary Applications builds long-lasting, web-based software for companies that want to affect positive change in the world. They require all of their clients have a meaningful mission that isn't exclusively profit-driven. To capture this unique aspect of the business, we designed an identity with an artisan feel. We really wanted the balance the sophistication of their products with the human focus of their guiding principals. At a glance, it should be very clear: Estuary makes “handmade” software by real, skilled craftsmen.
  • Year: 2013
  • Agency: Dotvita
  • Sector: Tech
Happy Cows Group Share
A coop in which buyers form groups to bulk purchase locally raised meat.

Happy Cows Group Share

Happy Cows Group Share is a cooperative in which buyers form groups to bulk purchase locally raised meat. I designed the identity to look refined yet approachable. A grazing cow has cutlines to convey the company’s purpose at a glance.
  • Year: 2015
  • Agency: Chris Vogel Design
  • Sector: Food & Drink
Brock, Schechter + Polakoff
A Buffalo-based CPA firm – solving unique challenges in a personable way.

Brock, Schechter + Polakoff

Cypress North, a digital marketing and development agency I work with from time to time, needed help relaunching their client's web presence. Acting as the design lead, I developed the positioning strategy and visual identity Brock, Schechter + Polakoff, a Buffalo-based CPA firm. Our goal was to project the feeling of balance and capture the personality of the team: a diverse group of experts who take a step back to find out what headwinds their clients are facing – working closely with them, side-by-side, to solve unique challenges in a personable way.
  • Year: 2017
  • Agency: Cypress North
  • Sector: Professional Services

Logo System

Your brand ambassador

An effective logo will anchor your company in the hearts and minds of customers, partners, and employees. The logo is your company’s envoy – representing everything you stand for in the most simple, elegant way.



Assembling a design toolkit

Balancing design components in a strategic way is critical. Color, typography, photography, iconography and data visualization are each tasked to accomplish a specific goal. Together, these components create a tailored look that embodies the positioning strategy and brings your brand to life.

Logo Catalog

Anchoring companies in the hearts and minds of customers, partners, and employees.

  • Year: 2019
  • Agency: Chris Vogel Design
  • Sector: Mixed

Thriveal RE

A promotional campaign for Thriveal – a community of entrepreneurial CPAs.

  • Year: 2018
  • Agency: Chris Vogel Design
  • Sector: Professional Services

Carver Pump

A centrifugal pump manufacturer with an eighty-year history – made in the USA.

  • Year: 2017
  • Agency: Chris Vogel Design
  • Sector: Commercial & Industrial

Danny Shane

An Austin-based cycling apparel brand with a retrospective appeal and progressive ambitions.

  • Year: 2013
  • Agency: Dotvita
  • Sector: Consumer Goods
Explore Service
Interface
Empathize with your user to create an interactive experience that captivates and converts.
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Illustration
Visualize your message and transform abstract ideas into tangible truths.
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