Brand Applications vs Brand Strategy
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — brand applications compared with brand strategy.
Last revised
Both sit under Brand & Identity Design, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
What each one is
- Brand Applications Applying your identity to everything people actually see and hold, from stationery and templates to signs, packaging, vehicles and uniforms.
- Brand Strategy Deciding who the brand is for, what makes it different and how it should sound, before any design work starts.
The numbers
| Brand Applications | Brand Strategy | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $4,200.00 per project | From $4,200.00 per project |
| Services underneath | 4 | 3 |
How to decide
Go with Brand Applications when
- The job is specifically corporate stationery, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically digital templates, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically environmental & physical, which sits under this one
Go with Brand Strategy when
- The job is specifically brand messaging, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically brand naming, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically brand positioning, which sits under this one
When a project wants both
Worth knowing: More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Brand & Identity Design sets that out.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
They start at the same rate, so the choice is about what the job needs rather than about budget. Complexity moves both.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Brand Applications — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- Brand Strategy — the same for the alternative
- Brand & Identity Design pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — a free written review of your current identity, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
