CVG Now Offers Branding Services for Small Firm Architects
The CVG “Brand Audit and Beyond”
As an award-winning team that has helped dozens of architectural firms rebrand and/or refresh their brands, CVG understands the importance of methodically approaching this process with a thorough audit phase that helps define the problem being solved. During the audit, we’ll examine the strength and consistency of your current brand to understand how well it authentically represents your small architecture firm. We’ll also analyze it through the lens of positioning to see if it represents where you want your firm to be in the future.
CVG has structured this offering to lay the groundwork for your graphic designer. We have identified, through experience, that framing the correct problem to solve is critical to the effectiveness of the final product. Brand Audit and Beyond is offered in three sequential phases:
Phase 1: The Brand Audit - $2,000
The purpose of this phase is to understand if your firm’s brand is aligned or misaligned with your goals. By analyzing your brand presence from multiple perspectives, CVG can make a professional recommendation about if you should consider rebranding, to what extent, and why. It includes:
Discovery meeting with CVG’s VP of Marketing to understand context (mission/vision/value proposition, firm goals, potential leadership transitions, etc.)
An analysis of all representations of your brand in marketing collateral and digital media
Asking key (or all) firm members to fill-out a short questionnaire about their thoughts on your current branding and firm values
Virtual meeting with your staff to clarify questionnaire findings
Deliverable: Presentation by CVG to your firm leaders covering:
Branding observations about “if your brand fits” you now or will in the future
Recommendations about if you should do a full rebrand, rename your firm, do a brand refresh, or leave it as is.
Document consolidating responses to the “brand questionnaires”
Phase 2: The Creative Brief - $2,000*
If you decide to rebrand or refresh your brand, the graphic designer you choose (or one that we recommend) can strongly benefit from a document that clearly states your objectives and explains your current market position. The benefit of CVG performing this exercise is that we understand the nuances of branding and positioning small architecture firms. This phase includes:
Summarizing recommendations from the Brand Audit for your graphic designer, including goals, brand values, mission/vision/value proposition, existing perceptions, as well as aesthetic preferences
Definition of target audience(s)
Competitor research (competitors’ brands and tag lines) and competitive brand analysis
Meeting with firm principals to review final brief document
*Requires completion of the Brand Audit phase first
Phase 3: Renaming - $1,000*
If you decide to rename your firm, and you need help with ideas, CVG can brainstorm recommendations and present them as an add-on to the creative brief. CVG will offer five naming recommendations. These will be cross-checked through the USPTO database and by a basic google search for availability. Please note: this does not constitute an approved trademark. These are well-vetted ideas. If you wish to hire a trademark attorney that is outside of CVG’s scope.
Five recommendations for a new firm name
*Requires completion of the Brand Audit and Creative Brief phases first
Email Emily Hall to discuss your needs, or schedule a call to learn more: