Usually it's called something fancy, comes with a flowchart, and involves enough workshops to make you question your life choices.
That's not really our thing.
We're a small brand design and packaging design agency. That means we don't hide behind account managers, endless meetings or twenty-page strategy documents that nobody ever reads again.
We like to keep it simple.
We get to know your business, figure out what's actually stopping it from growing, and create a cohesive brand design that solves the right problem, not just the obvious one.
Turns out, that works pretty well for us. And most importantly, it works for our clients too.
Did you know that businesses without a clear brand strategy waste nearly twice as much marketing budget? On top of that, 81% of organisations still end up producing off-brand content, despite having brand guidelines in place. Turns out, skipping straight to the fun bit (the visuals) without putting the groundwork in first is a pretty expensive mistake.
Before we even think about logos, colours, typography or packaging, we want to understand what's going on behind the scenes.
Because sometimes a business thinks it needs a new logo when actually the brand positioning is all over the place.
Sometimes the product's unreal but the packaging's making it look like it belongs in the sales aisle, quietly impacting sales before anyone has even tried it.
Sometimes what looks like a design problem is actually a brand strategy problem.
Until we understand where the real problem lies, there's not much point in going all in on the design process. Things have to be collaborative. Essentially, we need to know your brand inside and out before the real work begins and that starts with a conversation.
One of the perks of being a small brand design and packaging design agency?
The people you meet are the people doing the work. So there’s no Chinese whispers between account managers, creative directors and designers. No waiting three days for someone to "circle back." You just get honest conversations with the people building your brand.
That means quicker decisions, clearer feedback and a lot less faffing about.
And because branding works best when it's collaborative, you'll be involved throughout the project without feeling like you've accidentally signed up for a second full-time job.
We've worked with start-ups, established businesses and everything in between.
One thing we've learnt?
The brands that last aren't the ones chasing whatever's trending on socials this week. No, its brands that are designed for longevity.
They're the ones with a clear idea of who they are, why they matter and how they want people to remember them.
Having a good brand strategy never goes out of fashion ✌️.
Some clients love workshops. Others would rather hand us the brief, disappear for a fortnight and let us crack on. Both are completely fine and we’re open to whatever works best for our client.
Our process at Noramble flexes around the people we're working with, not the other way round. Because despite what some agencies might tell you, there isn't one magical formula for building a brilliant brand.
Ever noticed how every brand in some industries looks exactly the same?
It's like everyone's copying each other's homework 🫣. We’re not in high school anymore and building a brand isn’t something you can DIY. The competition out there is WILD. So in order to give yourself the best shot at making it, your best bet is to partner with the right branding agency for you.
We’re all about rebelling from category clichés. It’s how we work. So that's why we like to start asking awkward questions.
The funny thing is, most businesses think standing out means shouting louder. Bigger logo. Brighter colours. More exclamation marks. In reality, it's usually about having a clearer point of view and a more distinctive set of brand assets. That's what people remember long after they've forgotten what your latest offer was.
It's about finding opportunities within your category that your competitors have completely ignored.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is businesses jumping straight into design because they're fed up with how things look. Fair enough. But if the underlying problem is poor positioning, inconsistent messaging or a lack of clarity, a new logo won't magically fix it. You'll just end up with a prettier version of the same problem.
Brand strategy isn’t exactly the sexy part of branding, but it is the most important. Despite what people think, design choices need to be made rationally and those decisions are shaped by who you are, what you stand for and who you're trying to connect with. Otherwise, you're just making things look nice and hoping for the best. But no one connects with pretty if it just doesn’t make logical sense.
Every design decision we make starts with questions like:
Once those answers are clear, designing becomes a whole lot easier.
Good branding is all about communication. You’re communicating who you are through brand design.
Here's something that happened recently.
We were halfway through a client's project when everything changed. Manufacturing issues meant they had to rethink the business.
Which meant all the branding and packaging work we'd done suddenly wasn't right anymore. Technically, we'd done nothing wrong. We could've quoted to start again. Plenty of agencies would. But instead, we pressed reset. With no extra charge. Not because that's our policy (it isn't). And we're definitely not suggesting we'll do that on every project. But sometimes running a business throws a massive spanner in the works, especially when you're a start-up trying to build a brand from day one.
We've been there ourselves.
Sometimes helping someone get back on their feet is worth more than squeezing another invoice out of the situation. Did it cost us money? Short term, yes. Did it build trust? Also, yes.
And we're happy to take that trade. This is something you wouldn’t see across large branding agencies because it’s not exactly ‘good for business’. But sometimes these things happen, and we like to give a bit of grace. We’re all human at the end of the day.
People sometimes ask if being a small branding agency limits what we can do.
Honestly, we think it's one of our biggest advantages.
👉 We're selective about who we work with.
👉 Every project gets our full attention.
👉You'll always know who's designing your brand.
And because there aren't layers of management slowing everything down, we can move quickly, make decisions faster and build proper relationships with our clients.
We're not trying to be the biggest agency. What we always want to be is a top branding agency that people can rely on and actually enjoy working with.
We're not interested in creating something that looks cool for twelve months before needing another rebrand. The goal is to build brands that still make sense five, ten or twenty years from now.
Brands with enough personality to be remembered and enough strategy to grow.
We like to give brands the confidence to stand out without shouting. That's what gets us out of bed in the morning.
(Well... that and a lot of tea and coffee ☕️)
Whether you're starting from scratch or wondering if your current branding has simply run its course, the first step is being honest about where your brand is today. Sometimes a brand refresh is all you need. Sometimes it's time for something much bigger.
If you're after an agency that'll tell you the truth, challenge your thinking when it needs challenging, and create branding that's built to last, we'd love to have a chat.
Whether that be online or over a coffee somewhere in MCR … that’s entirely up to you. Give us a shout.
