What you actually need
• Strategic branding agency: positioning, architecture, branding strategies in marketing, messaging, corporate identity.
• Graphic design agency: identity rollout, print, packaging design, collateral.
• Web design agency: UX, UI kits, components, handoff.
• Brand marketing firm: campaigns, toolkits, lifecycle assets.
Most teams need a lead branding company plus specialist support.
Shortlist checklist
Pick 3 to 5 partners that show:
• Clear brand development process from insight to design to results
• Systems thinking, not only logo design
• Experience in your sector or an adjacent with similar constraints
• Ability to plug into product and web workflows
• Ownership clarity on files, rights and QA
• A point of view on brand positioning and rollout
The 100-point scorecard
• Strategy and positioning, 30
• Identity craft and typography, 20
• Digital depth with product and web, 15
• Packaging design capability, 10
• Process, communication, QA, 10
• Team fit and availability, 10
• Budget clarity and value, 5
Set a pass mark. Anything under 70 needs a strong reason.
Your RFP outline
• Company, market and goals
• Problems to solve and success metrics
• Scope and deliverables
- Strategy, corporate branding, naming if needed
- Brand design logo design, type, colour, imagery
- Templates for social, sales decks, print
- Product and site assets for your web design agency
- Packaging design specs if relevant
• Timeline and review cadence
• Budget range
• Decision criteria and stakeholders
Ask for a concise response, two relevant case studies, and a sample handoff pack.
Price talk made plain
You are buying a system that supports brand marketing, not a single file. Push for stages, handover lists, and concrete examples of how guidelines become day-to-day tools.
Red flags
• Proposals leaning on free logo design templates
• No research or audience language
• Twenty-option noise
• Vague ownership on fonts, photos, or code
Working across time zones
Global teams thrive with clear rhythms. Agree on a weekly standup window, tracked decisions and a shared board. Many clients work with lead brand agencies and design studios in India for craft, speed and value. The model works when ownership, QA and delivery formats are defined.
Special cases
• Luxury brands: craft, restraint and long-horizon consistency over novelty.
• B2B and corporate: corporate identity must read in product UI and sales decks.
• D2C: a strong brand marketing toolkit with lifecycle assets and packaging ops.
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