Six practical constraints we apply on every packaging project, from category audits to hand tests at the shelf.
A brand strategy is only useful if a team can use it on a Wednesday afternoon: inside a hiring decision, a packaging revision, a pitch deck. That means it has to be short, specific, and written in the client's language.
Long PDFs. Bland positioning statements. A dozen brand pillars nobody remembers. Strategies that describe the client to themselves instead of resolving the decisions they will face next quarter.
We interview the founder, the team and, where it matters, customers and competitors. We write a strategy that fits on one screen, tests against the next twelve months of decisions, and is easy to argue with.
A one-line positioning statement. A short paragraph on who we serve and why we exist. A tone-of-voice fingerprint. Three to five decisions the brand will help make faster over the next year.
A strategy is working when a marketing manager, a PM and a founder can all use it in the same week, for different decisions, without asking us.
How long should a brand strategy document be?
Short. A page or two of prose is usually enough. If a strategy needs 40 pages, it usually hasn't decided anything.
Who writes a brand strategy?
A senior designer or strategist, together with the founder and the leadership team. Strategy in isolation from operators rarely holds.
How often should a strategy be revisited?
Once a year, or when the business enters a new market, category or funding stage.