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Strategy-based design has the power to engage, transform and promote action. It connects companies and customers.

Discover

Our Approach to Branding

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Our Capabilities

Our Approach

Our work is provocative, meaningful, communicative and connecting. It is the result of our rigorous application of strategic and creative thinking at all points in our process that evolves your brand.

Analytic Thinking

Fact-based thinking about your business, goals, desired outcomes, competitive landscape, current positioning and message, and what’s possible.

Yields: The Foundation

Strategic Thinking

Insight-directed thinking about what your brand needs to become in order to meet objectives, connect with customers, inspire action.

Yields: The Vision

Creative Thinking

With no preconceived notions, guided by strategic thinking and clearly defined goals, we transform strategy into unmatched brand experience.

Yields: The Brand

Sustained Thinking

Ongoing management, refinement and informed thinking on behalf of your brand to ensure it remains relevant in changing conditions.

Yields: The Result

research

Analytic Thinking

Fact-based thinking about your business, goals, desired outcomes, competitive landscape, current positioning and message, and what’s possible.

Yields: The Foundation

strategy

Strategic Thinking

Insight-directed thinking about what your brand needs to become in order to meet objectives, connect with customers, inspire action.

Yields: The Vision

creative

Creative Thinking

With no preconceived notions, guided by strategic thinking and clearly defined goals, we transform strategy into unmatched brand experience.

Yields: The Brand

marketing

Sustained Thinking

Ongoing management, refinement and informed thinking on behalf of your brand to ensure it remains relevant in changing conditions.

Yields: The Result

Our Capabilities

We help brands evolve to meet today’s challenges, cement their position and grow their strength in the marketplace and attract ideal clients and top talent.

Brand Strategy and Insights

  • Brand and Audience Research, Analysis and Insights
  • Buyer and Customer Personas
  • Brand and Communications Audit
  • Brand Architecture
  • Brand Platform
  • Brand/Culture Alignment
  • Brand Launch

Brand Experience Design

  • Creative Strategy
  • Brand Voice and Message
  • Brand Identity and Visual Design Systems
  • Brand Books and Guidelines
  • Print and Environmental Design
  • Internal Communications
  • Brand Activation and Management

Marketing

  • Marketing Strategy and Planning
  • Integrated Marketing Campaigns
  • Sustainability/CSR Marketing
  • Content Marketing and PR
  • Marketing Operations Consulting
  • Ongoing Marketing Support

Customer and Employee Experience

  • CX/EX Research and Insights
  • Brand, CX and EX Alignment
  • CX/EX Strategy and Design
  • CX/EX Journey and Empathy Mapping
  • CX/EX Implementation Plan
  • CX/EX Execution
  • CX/EX Training and Education

Web and Digital

  • Digital Strategy
  • Information Architecture and UX Design
  • Website Design and Development
  • Social and Digital Marketing

Industry Focus

  • Professional Services
  • A/E/C
  • Technology
  • Nonprofits and Associations

Brand Strategy and Insightsarrow

  • Brand and Audience Research, Analysis and Insights
  • Buyer and Customer Personas
  • Brand and Communications Audit
  • Brand Architecture
  • Brand Platform
  • Brand/Culture Alignment
  • Brand Launch

Brand Experience Designarrow

  • Creative Strategy
  • Brand Voice and Message
  • Brand Identity and Visual Design Systems
  • Brand Books and Guidelines
  • Print and Environmental Design
  • Internal Communications
  • Brand Activation and Management

Marketingarrow

  • Marketing Strategy and Planning
  • Integrated Marketing Campaigns
  • Sustainability/CSR Marketing
  • Content Marketing and PR
  • Marketing Operations Consulting
  • Ongoing Marketing Support

Customer and Employee Experiencearrow

  • CX/EX Research and Insights
  • Brand, CX and EX Alignment
  • CX/EX Strategy and Design
  • CX/EX Journey and Empathy Mapping
  • CX/EX Implementation Plan
  • CX/EX Execution
  • CX/EX Training and Education

Web and Digitalarrow

  • Digital Strategy
  • Information Architecture and UX Design
  • Website Design and Development
  • Social and Digital Marketing

Industry Focusarrow

  • Professional Services
  • A/E/C
  • Technology
  • Nonprofits and Associations
  • The Firm You Want on Your Team
    Substance151 is the strategy and design firm you want on your team! They are excellent at what they do and extremely responsive. Substance151 created a unified voice for our company, translating that into a sales-focused website, product campaigns, tradeshow materials and more. We now have the marketing foundation to effectively and powerfully communicate Altum’s brand to our target audiences.
    Steve Pinchotti, CEO, Altum, Inc.
  • Extraordinary Passion and Value
    Substance151 has a unique and extraordinary touch and passion for the work that they do. The company helped HR Anew revitalize its brand and ensure it builds relevance and value in the government and business marketplace. The new brand also inspired our internal teams to make positive changes. The result is truly a customer value proposition.
    Deborah Stallings, President and Chief Executive Officer, HR Anew, Inc.
  • A Firm that “Knows What Matters”
    If I could take just one design firm with me to a desert island, Substance151 would be my only choice. Never before have I found a company that truly understands "strategic creativity" the way Substance151 does. They always come through with flying colors – on time and on budget. I highly recommend them if you need a top-notch professional firm that really “gets it.”
    Nelson Duffle, Managing Director of Marketing, Online Resources Corporation
  • An Unparalleled Grasp of Aesthetic and Strategic Considerations
    When AlphaTech changed its name to AlphaInsight and launched its rebranding campaign, it retained Substance151 as creative consultant. The team was singularly impressive in this assignment. They combined creativity with a rare understanding of the business drivers and showed a unique grasp of aesthetic as well as strategic considerations. As a result, the AlphaInsight brand became both noted and valued.
    Vish Varma, Vice President, CACI
  • Exceeded Expectations Throughout the Design Process
    We worked with Substance151 on the design of our new website, and I have been very pleased with how well the design team has met our needs and requirements throughout the design process. They have exhibited a strong understanding of the comprehensive nature of marketing and provided creative solutions that have met and exceeded our expectations.
    Adeniyi A. Paul, AIA, Principal, BWH Architects
  • A Team of Visionaries
    This is the second time I’ve worked with Substance151 on a major redesign project, and both times the firm has clearly demonstrated why it’s the top choice for any company looking for outstanding creative and a responsive, collaborative partner. The Substance151 team is a group of visionaries, who took our pain points and turned them into powerful design concepts and effective marketing tools.
    Ree Miskimon, CPSM, Senior Director of Business Development & Marketing, PRIME AE
  • Strategic Creativity That Raises the Bar
    This is the second time I’ve had the opportunity to work with Substance151. The team has proven why they were the best choice to help Century navigate its rebrand and website redesign. Despite our arduous approval process, Substance151 was able to engage our leadership team, get everyone’s buy-in and keep the project moving. Their strategic creativity led to a new differentiated brand, a revamped collateral system and a website that raises the bar high for other firms in our industry.
    Rachel Collier, CPSM, Senior Marketing Associate, Century Engineering
  • Tremendous Experience
    Our experience working with Substance151 has been tremendous. Ida and her team guided us through a 10-month process of learning about ourselves, determined what our clients and the market needed, and developed an effective platform that leads our firm toward the future. Substance151 knows the AEC market and their experience was critical to developing our new brand. The messaging and visual identity are clean and modern and are a perfect reflection of who we are!
    Brian Stanley, PE, Principal, Dunbar