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Branding
7
min read

Visual Identity & Web Design Process

Written by
Joseph Wheatley
Published on
May 26, 2025

Before we dive into all things Visual Identity & Web Design, let's get one thing straight:

Branding is not the same as visual identity.

Branding Covers Everything

  • Discovery
  • Messaging
  • Visual identity (logo, color palette, typography, design elements)
  • Brand guidelines

At the end of a full branding project, the deliverables are usually:

  • Logo files
  • Brand guidelines (includes messaging, visuals, usage)

Who Needs Branding?

Branding is useful for three types of companies:

  • New brand for early-stage: You’re starting from scratch. No messaging. No logo. No brand. You need the whole thing.
  • Brand refresh for growth-stage: You’ve grown and evolved. Your messaging and identity feel outdated. You need a refresh that reflects where you are now and where you want to go.
  • Rebrand for late-stage: You’re making a bold move. A new category. A big vision. You need a full rebrand to realign your company and send a message to your market.

Three-Scenarios, One Process

Across all three, the process stays the same. They all need logos. They all need moodboards. They all need guidelines.

What changes are the constraints. A refresh works within tighter boundaries than a new brand. So each step stays the same, but the templates and approach adjust slightly.

One process. Different constraints.

Why We Bundle Branding & Web Design Together

What comes after branding? The website. Always.

We don’t believe in standalone branding. Here’s why:

  • All traffic leads to your site: Ads, social, email, all marketing roads lead to your website. It’s the foundation everything else is built around. And as we know by now, you can’t build a skyscraper on shaky foundations.
  • It covers the full buyer journey: Your site maps to every stage i.e. awareness, consideration, decision. Marketing only covers parts.
  • Branding has to work online: Looks good in a deck? Doesn’t mean it works on a homepage. Branding often needs tweaking during website development. If it works on your website, it works across your marketing. The reverse isn’t always true.
  • Copy and design feed everything else: The site gives you the base for decks, banners, ads, and socials. It’s the source of truth for marketing (bridges the gap between messaging and copywriting).
  • Updates flow top-down: Messaging changes? Update the brand, then the site, then your marketing. That’s the correct order.

That’s why we deliver brand and website together. Not separate. Not outsourced. One build. Fully aligned.

What If You Don't Need Messaging?

Some companies already have messaging sorted. They just need visuals that align with their direction.

In that case, you don’t need a full branding project. You need Visual Identity (branding process, without the messaging).

Here’s what changes:

  • Discovery workshops are removed (we use a deep questionnaire instead)
  • Brand guidelines are replaced by a Visual Identity Guide (visuals only)
  • Messaging is skipped entirely

That’s why our Visual Identity & Web Design process takes 6 weeks, compared to 8 weeks for a full Branding & Web Design project.

👉 Watch the quick walkthrough to see how it works, step by step:

Visual Identity & Web Design Process (6 Weeks)

Week 0: Onboarding
  • Set up Notion project
  • Invite client to Slack
  • Send welcome Loom and questionnaire
  • Client completes the questionnaire

Example: RP1 Build Ltd Questionnaire

rp1 questionnaire
Week 1: Visual Direction
  • Create 2–3 moodboards
  • Loom walkthrough
  • Collect feedback and update
  • Optional review call
  • Client signs off on one direction

‍Example: RP1 Chosen Moodboard

RP1 moodboard
Week 2 : Visual Identity
  • Logo design (concepts → develop → finalize)
  • Loom at each key stage
  • 3 rounds of revisions
  • Deliver one-pager with logo, color palette, and typography
  • Final sign-off

Example: RP1 Logo Process & Core Visual Identity

rp1 logo process
rp1 brand board
Week 3: Visual Identity Guide
  • Build the guide (visuals only)
  • One round of revisions
  • Final sign-off

Example: RP1 Visual Identity Guide

visual-identity-guide
Week 4: Copy & Wireframes
  • Write copy and create low-fidelity wireframes
  • Loom walkthrough
  • Feedback and updates
  • Optional review call
  • Final sign-off

Example: RP1 Copy & Wireframes

rp1 copy and wireframes
Week 5: High-Fidelity Design
  • Design 3–5 key pages
  • Loom walkthrough
  • Feedback and updates
  • Final sign-off

Example: RP1 High-Fidelity Designs

rp1 high-fidelity designs
Week 6: Webflow Development
  • Build the site in Webflow
  • One round of feedback
  • Final walkthrough and sign-off
Final Steps: Handover
  • Export and deliver all files (logos, guide, assets)
  • Send wrap-up Loom and folder access
  • Ask for feedback or testimonial
  • Close Slack (unless moving to design subscription)

Visual Identity Process Resource

We’ve shared our Visual Identity & Web Design Portal. You can use it internally or share it with clients. It's up to you.

We prefer to keep comms in Slack and use the portal for internal tracking, but the setup works either way.

Final Takeaways

  • Branding includes both messaging and visuals.
  • Visual identity is visuals only, for teams that already have clear messaging.
  • We always deliver branding (or visual identity) and website together to keep everything aligned.
  • Your website brings the brand to life and anchors all your marketing.
  • The right order is always brand first, then website, then marketing.