Non-profits and charities often talk about not wanting to look “too corporate” whilst more corporate briefs, by contrast, can focus on “future vision”. If there is time and budget, mood boards can be a useful way of exploring this difference and are a great kick off point for exploring things like the built environment.

In practice, much of our initial work outside the corporate sector has a very practical focus. From very early concepts, we will be exploring what brand templates might look like, a variety of output, use of real life photography, building signage etc.

In style terms, it’s important designs don’t “look too expensive”, and so we will be constantly checking our approaches are appropriate. This is a linked to another big question – “is it deliverable?” As an agency, it’s important that we understand and accept that a big chunk of final output may well be produced in-house. So simple grids, consistent messaging and clear styling cues are vital if an approach is to succeed.

But while producing creative work in-house can have cost benefits, it can also lessen impact. Thinking just in terms of headlines, for example, there’s often a shift to “if” rather than “when”.

As we’re all risk averse compromises and caveats can start to creep in and what started out as clear and ambitious propositions is easily diluted.

This is one of reason we like to include promotional give aways in our early concepts. They can hold harder hitting and sometimes cheekier messaging. Clients often talk about them adding “personality”.

So, what you might not say on your homepage can be just right on a drinks coaster. This is helpful in a much broader sense because it provides another brand benchmark – as part of a set of early standards that future output can be judged against.