Behind the Brand - by Disarming Designs

Why Your Branding Isn’t Working (And It’s Not Your Logo)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:55:12 GMT

Why Your Branding Isn’t Working (And It’s Not Your Logo)

Most people think their branding problem is their logo.

So they redesign it.

Tweak it.

Change the colours.

Maybe even run to Canva or some AI tool hoping it’ll magically fix everything.

It doesn’t.

Because the problem was never the logo to begin with.

It’s consistency.

And it’s the one thing quietly killing more brands than bad design ever will.

The Real Problem

When I look at most small business brands, I don’t see a lack of effort.

I see this:

• A clean, modern website

• A chaotic Instagram feed

• A minimalist logo

• A loud, messy brand voice

Individually? Some of it looks good.

Together?

It feels like four different brands fighting each other .

And that’s where things start to break.

Why Consistency Actually Matters

Branding isn’t just about looking good.

It’s about being recognisable .

Your audience should be able to:

• recognise your content instantly

• understand your tone without thinking

• feel the same energy across every touchpoint

Even if your logo isn’t there.

Because in reality?

Your logo is one of the least seen parts of your brand.

Your content, your tone, your visuals, that’s what people experience daily.

Where Most Businesses Go Wrong

Here’s the pattern I see over and over:

They design for themselves.

Not their audience.

They pick:

• colours they like

• fonts they like

• styles they like

Instead of asking:

“What actually resonates with the people I’m trying to attract?”

And that’s where branding quietly stops working.

The Strategy Most People Skip

Before I design anything, I go deep into:

• the business

• the competitors

• the audience

• what makes that brand different

Because without that?

Design is just decoration.

With it?

Design becomes direction .

Real World Example

The first time I saw this fully click was working on IGNITE.

They came in with a generic AI-generated logo.

The real issue wasn’t how bad it looked.

It was that the brand had no clear identity.

Once we stepped back and looked at the business as a whole:

• petrol + electric

• multiple services under one brand

• a need for both power and approachability

Everything changed.

The logo wasn’t the starting point anymore.

It was the result of the strategy.

And for the first time, everything aligned.

Jamie signed off the entire brand with zero changes.

Not because it “looked cool”

But because it made sense .

The Takeaway

If your branding isn’t working, ask yourself this:

• Does everything feel like it belongs together?

• Does it speak to your audience, not just you?

• Is it consistent across every touchpoint?

Because if the answer is no…

Changing your logo won’t fix it.

That’s the difference between having a logo…

and having a brand that actually works.

Behind the Brand - Unpacked Brand Identity Case Study | Packaging & Strategy Design

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:47:20 GMT

Unpacked Brand Identity Case Study

Turning confusion into clarity through strategic branding
+ packaging design.

The Problem: When “Healthy” Becomes Confusing

The health and nutrition space is crowded, not just with products, but with noise.

Brands overload their packaging with claims, buzzwords and complicated ingredient lists, all fighting for attention.

Instead of building trust, it creates confusion.

Unpacked came in with a clear mission - simplify nutrition and make ingredients easy to understand but their brand didn’t yet reflect that clarity.

They needed more than a logo.

They needed a visual system that could cut through the chaos and instantly communicate honesty, simplicity, and trust.

The Goal: Make Simple Feel Powerful

The objective wasn’t to compete by being louder.

It was to stand out by being clearer .

We needed to create a brand that:

Simplifies complex information
Builds trust at first glance
Feels modern, clean, and approachable
Works seamlessly across packaging and digital

Strategy: Designing for Clarity, N ot Clutter

Instead of adding more, the approach focused on removing what wasn’t necessary.

Every design decision came back to one question:

“Does this make it easier to understand?”

If it made things harder to understand, it was gone. No exceptions.

This meant:

Clear information hierarchy
Intentional spacing and layout
Letting the product and ingredients lead the design

Strategy: Designing for Clarity, Not Clutter

The visual direction was built around clarity and transparency.

Clean typography, structured layouts, and a restrained colour palette work together to create a system that feels calm, confident, and easy to navigate.

Each flavour is differentiated without overwhelming the design proving that simple doesn’t have to mean boring.

Packaging Design: Where Strategy Meets Reality

Packaging was the most important touchpoint.

This is where decisions had to be on point!

The system was designed to communicate key information instantly, while still feeling clean and approachable.

Instead of shouting for attention, it earns it through clarity.

The Solution: A Brand That Builds Trust at a Glance

The final identity transforms Unpacked into a brand that feels clear, honest, and easy to trust.

It removes the overwhelm and replaces it with confidence allowing customers to understand the product at a glance.

This isn’t just a visual upgrade.

It’s a shift in how the brand communicates.

The Outcome: Clarity That Cuts Through

Unpacked now shows up with a cohesive identity that works across every touchpoint from packaging to social media and marketing.

More importantly.....
it delivers on its promise:

making nutrition feel simple, accessible and easy to understand.

Behind the Brand - IGNITE Powersports - A Future-Proof Visual Identity Designed to Scale

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 03:27:55 GMT

IGNITE Powersports

A Future-Proof Visual Identity Designed to Scale

IGNITE Powersports is a pre-launch Australian powersports brand built around a bold idea: the future of riding shouldn’t force you to choose between petrol heritage and electric innovation.

Brought on as the brand and visual identity designer , I was tasked with creating IGNITE’s entire brand system from the ground up - not just a logo but a complete visual identity designed to grow from startup launch to large-scale expansion.

From strategy through to execution, for this project I focused on building a brand that feels premium, modern + inclusive, while remaining flexible enough to support motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, electric bikes, scooters, and future product categories.

This case study explores the thinking, strategy + design decisions behind creating a scalable brand identity built for long-term success.

THE CHALLENGE

IGNITE Powersports is in a pre-launch phase , with no existing branding in place. Everything needed to be built from scratch.

The challenge wasn’t just visual, it was strategic.

IGNITE needed a brand that:

Bridged petrol heritage and electric innovation
Felt community-first , not intimidating or old-school
Avoided tired motorcycle clichés (skulls, flames, hyper-masculinity)
Worked across multiple vehicle categories — motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, electric bikes, scooters, and future products
Could scale seamlessly from a small startup to a large, recognisable brand

Most importantly, the identity needed to feel modern, premium and original , without alienating new or female customers.

MY ROLE

I was brought on to design IGNITE’s entire visual identity system end to end.

This included:

Brand strategy and positioning
Initial logo concept exploration and presentation
A complete logo system (primary, secondary, brandmark + signature graphic)
Typography and font pairing selection
Full colour palette development
Custom brand patterns and background assets
Custom vehicle illustrations
A full suite of 20+ website and social icons
Apparel, sticker, lapel pin and merchandise mockups
Website and social media direction mockups
A 44-page brand guidelines document
Final asset packaging for web, print, signage and future growth

I was given full creative control to take IGNITE from nothing to a fully realised, launch-ready brand.

Strategy First, Always

Before a single line was drawn, a significant amount of time was spent on research and strategy .
Rather than designing for launch alone, every decision was made with long-term growth in mind ensuring the identity would remain relevant as IGNITE expands its product offering, physical presence, and digital footprint.

Every decision was grounded in:

Industry analysis (both traditional motorsports and EV brands)
Colour psychology
Audience behaviour and perception
Scalability across physical and digital touchpoints
Long-term brand longevity

The core strategic insight was simple but powerful:

IGNITE doesn’t force riders to choose between petrol or electric - it connects them.

That idea became the foundation for everything that followed.

Colour Exploration & Decision Making

Colour played a critical role in shaping the brand’s perception.

Rather than forcing a single direction, I presented two fully developed colour palettes , allowing the client to feel involved in a meaningful, non-overwhelming way.

This approach wasn’t about indecision — it was about collaboration and confidence.

Ultimately, IGNITE selected the Electric Blue & Grey palette , a proven and trusted combination in the powersports and EV space, reinforced through bold imagery and strong visual systems.

Typography & Font Pairing

Typography played a critical role in shaping how IGNITE feels as a brand — not just how it looks.

The goal was to strike a balance between confidence, clarity and personality , ensuring the type system could work across everything from large-scale signage and apparel to website UI and social media content.

Custom Illustrations & Brand Assets

To elevate IGNITE above typical dealerships, I created a suite of entirely custom vehicle illustrations - including motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, electric bikes, scooters + more.

These illustrations:

Are completely original and brand-owned
Add a premium, high-end feel
Future-proof the brand as new vehicles are introduced

Supporting assets such as tyre treads, mechanical line art, and lightning-based background graphics further reinforce the brand’s energy and identity without overwhelming the design.

Icons + Brand Patterns

IGNITE’s identity extends beyond big hero moments.

A full set of 22 custom icons was designed for website navigation + social media use, alongside repeatable patterns and background assets to ensure the brand feels cohesive at every touchpoint even in the smallest details.

This level of detail ensures the brand feels intentional, professional, and considered , not pieced together.

Final Thoughts

IGNITE Powersports is a clear example of what happens when branding is approached as a system , not a single deliverable. Every element from the logo and typography through to illustrations, icons and supporting assets was designed to work together, scale seamlessly + support the business well beyond launch.

This project wasn’t about following trends or fitting into what a powersports brand is “supposed” to look like. It was about creating a visual identity that reflects where the industry is heading, while still respecting the heritage that built it.

The result is a brand that feels confident, modern, and ready for growth, one that can evolve alongside IGNITE as it expands into new products, platforms, and markets.

If you’re a founder or business owner looking for more than just a logo and want a brand built with clarity, intention + long-term strategy in mind
- I’d love to work with you.

The Visual Identity

The Logo System

The primary logo was designed to visually represent the bridge between tradition and innovation . A chain element symbolises mechanical heritage and connection while the lightning bolt represents electric power, energy and the future.

Rather than creating multiple disconnected logos, the system was designed to be modular and flexible , with:

A primary logo
Secondary and horizontal options
A simplified brandmark
A bold signature graphic (Zeus) designed specifically for apparel and merchandise

This allows IGNITE to maintain consistency while still having variety across different applications.

Behind the Brand - Based Origins

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 02:19:13 GMT

Behind the Brand - BASED ORIGINS

A brand built to break the rules .

Disarming Designs for Based Origins - Based Origins isn’t just another supplement brand — and that was the entire point. Built on nose-to-tail philosophy and bold AF attitude, they wanted to stand apart from the sea of clinical, lookalike supplement packaging. Their core message? Whole-animal nutrients, real ingredients, and zero f*cks given.

This brand identity was created to pack a punch: visually, verbally, and strategically. Let’s dive into how we brought it to life.

The Brief
Based Origins needed branding that reflected their mission: nutrient-dense supplements made from grass-fed liver, heart, collagen, colostrum, and cacao. Their “Base Shake” was positioned as the world’s most nutrient-packed powder blend — no fillers, no fluff.

They wanted something bold, modern, and impossible to ignore. Not sterile, not stock-standard — something worthy of building a community around.

Core Goals:
- Stand out from other supplement brands
- Appeal to bold, health-conscious customers
- Balance clean, confident visuals with scientific credibility
- Reflect their unapologetic, "be you" ethos

Project Snapshot

Client: Based Origins

Industry: Supplements for the Fitness Industry

Services Delivered: Brand strategy, brand identity design, logo suite, social media assets, packaging mockups, brand guidelines, brand collateral.
Target Audience: All genders | Ages 20–40
Health-conscious, curious, self-improvers with a “mind/body/spirit” lifestyle. Often entrepreneurial, wellness-focused, and down to spend money on quality. This is a crowd that’s done the research — they want results without fluff.

The Challenge

The fitness supplement space is cluttered. Think: endless white tubs, all-caps typography, generic labels. Based Origins wanted none of it.
But how do you:
- Make something visually loud and still feel premium?
- Communicate high-quality ingredients while keeping it fun?
- Appeal to a wide range of customers without losing edge?
That was my job to figure out.

research + Brand strategy

I focused on:
- The nose-to-tail philosophy — using the whole animal as nature intended.
- Red vs. purple hues to create gender-distinct sublines while keeping the brand cohesive.
- Bull symbolism to channel power, energy, and primal strength.
- Fonts and layouts that balance science-backed messaging with badass personality.

Creative Direction
Visual Concept: "Unleash the Bull Within"
The brand leans into the primal energy of its ingredients, using a modern bull as the key visual. Everything flows from that — typography, taglines, packaging, and merch.
Typography:
- Bold, punchy sans-serif fonts
- Clean and legible, but packed with power
Colours:
- Red-based tones for masculine-coded products
- Purple hues for feminine-coded products
- Monochrome accents for balance and versatility

Design Solutions

Logo suite

The bull icon is designed to feel modern and fierce, avoiding typical fitness clichés. It pairs with stacked type lockups and a brandmark “B-O” monogram for smaller uses.

Colour Palette

The colour palette was designed to be unapologetically bold just like the brand’s voice. Strong reds anchor the men’s range, while rich purples power the women’s, each extended with tonal variations to create a cohesive yet flexible system. These colours scream premium, stand-out-on-the-shelf energy without falling into the trap of overdone neon or sterile medical tones.

Typography

For typography, I went with bold, modern sans-serifs that command attention and deliver the brand’s message with clarity and power. The stacked weight and no-nonsense forms of the fonts mirror the strength and simplicity of the ingredients inside. This type setup helps the brand feel fresh, direct, and confidently ‘based’.ins

Mockups & Brand Assets

To show the brand in context, I designed:

- Protein powder pouch
- Supplement tablet packaging
- Branded clothing and hats
- Apple Watch interface mockups
- Instagram post concepts
- Taglines like “Unleash the Bull Within” and “Not Another Supplement Brand”

design deliverables

- Logo suite
- Colour palette
- Typography system
- Branded illustrations (Bull icon + monogram)
- Product packaging mockups
- Merch + social media concepts

What I Loved About This Project
I loved building out a bold, layered colour system and working through the challenge of making something that looks great and educates customers.
The real flex? Marrying visuals that scream "look at me" with a product that actually delivers.

Key Takeaways

- Don’t be afraid of bold visuals as long as they align with your client's target market and message.
- If your product’s different, your branding has to show it.
- Building a community vibe means building a brand world, not just a label.

Want to get your Brand looking Right?

Behind the Brand - Spiritual AF

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 12:08:22 GMT

Behind the Brand - Spiritual AF

Let's build a spiritual brand identity that slaps with meaning, edge and style. Tap into rebel energy + strategy.

A bold brand for bold souls.

Disarming Designs for Spiritual AF - Spiritual AF is the unapologetic spiritual brand run by Leah — a powerhouse woman blending numerology and Pleiadian lightwork to help clients unpack trauma, break soul contracts, and unlock their best selves. She’s not your typical crystal-hugging tarot reader. Leah wanted bold, high-end celestial vibes with none of the cliché woo-woo fluff and her branding had to reflect that One that spoke to modern mystics without falling into the cliché trap. And that’s exactly what we gave her.

In this case study, I’ll break down the strategy, creative direction and design decisions that brought Spiritual AF’s rebellious yet high-end branding to life.

The Brief
Leah came to me needing a brand identity as bold as her business name. It had to feel spiritual without falling into the stereotypical tarot card aesthetic. No hippy fonts, no pastel mandalas, no dime-store crystal shop vibes. She wanted something high-end, grounded in nature, tied to sacred geometry and the stars — a look that felt as powerful and direct as her work.

Project Snapshot

Client: Leah - Spiritual AF

Industry: Numerology & Pleiadian Lightwork

Services Delivered: Brand strategy, brand identity design, custom illustrations, social media, packaging mockups, brand guidelines, brand collateral.
Target Audience: Women aged 20–40 prioritising mental wellness, open to alternative healing, spiritually curious but craving modern, elevated brand experiences.

The Challenge

Leah’s brand needed to be:

As bold as the name
Different from stereotypical spiritual brands
High-end, polished and aligned with nature and the cosmos
Visually balancing grounded, earthy forest energy with celestial gold accents

The biggest hurdle? Navigating the fine line between sacred, spiritual symbolism and cheeky, rebellious energy without losing authenticity or attracting the wrong kind of ‘woo-woo’ vibe.

research

I started where every good brand identity should — strategy. I came up with the Brand Concept - Modern celestial meets forest grounding.

Key research areas:

• The differences between numerology, lightwork, and tarot

• Sacred geometry as a visual representation of energetic alignment

• Modern interpretations of celestial symbolism

• Colour psychology and nature’s calming influences

Creative Direction
Nature + Galaxy

Drawing inspiration from Strickland Forest where Leah grounds herself and the celestial glow of Pleiadian star systems, I anchored the palette in lush greens and luxe golds.

Sacred Geometry

To steer clear of tarot tropes, I leaned into numerology’s visual cousin: sacred geometry. These precise, beautiful patterns added spiritual symbolism in a modern, minimal way.

Design Solutions

Logo Suite

A clean, modern wordmark balanced connected subtly to show Leah's use of energy work + sacred geometry-based brandmark anchoring the brand in both ancient wisdom and contemporary design.

Colour Palette

Inspired by the greens of Strickland Forest (where Leah grounds herself) and the golden glow of Pleiadian light. Deep greens paired with rich gold and dusky neutrals reflect both earthy wisdom and cosmic connection.

Typography

Primary Font: The main font flows like the energy Leah works with — organic, fluid, connected - Tan - Mon Cheri from Creative Market

Secondary Font: The secondary typeface resembles handwritten notes, a nod to Leah’s practice of jotting down intuitive messages during client sessions - Manhattan Cocktails from Creative Market

Body : Clean, minimalist sans-serif, easy to read font - Poppins

Mockups & Brand Assets

To show the brand in context, I designed:

Instagram post layouts
Website home page concept
Product mockups: candle, essential oil bottles, tissue paper, tote bag
Custom numerology card deck
Clothing merch
Branded business cards & thank you cards

Results

Leah was thrilled with the final brand — bold, modern, spiritually connected and like nothing else in the space. The branding now speaks directly to her dream clients while reflecting the depth and confidence of her work.

What I Loved About This Project
Blending spiritual energy with rebellious attitude. Balancing grounding greens with cosmic golds. Designing bold brands for bold souls is what Disarming Designs is built for.

Key Takeaways

Whilst I dabble a little in spirituality myself it was never going to be enough knowledge to design a brand so research was key in order to be able to come up with a strong strategy and from that I could build visuals. I immersed myself in numerology, Pleiadian lightwork and sacred geometry to build a brand that was symbolically accurate, modern and true to Leah’s personality.

It reinforced how powerful a bold, authentic brand can be when it connects both strategically and emotionally with its audience.

Modern spiritual brands don’t need to look cliché.
Research is everything - learn your client’s world, and then push it.
Your visuals should reflect your voice. Leah’s brand was always going to be bold AF, and now it looks it.

Behind the Brand - by Disarming Designs

Why Your Branding Isn’t Working (And It’s Not Your Logo)

Why Your Branding Isn’t Working (And It’s Not Your Logo)

Most people think their branding problem is their logo.

So they redesign it.

Tweak it.

Change the colours.

Maybe even run to Canva or some AI tool hoping it’ll magically fix everything.

It doesn’t.

Because the problem was never the logo to begin with.

It’s consistency.

And it’s the one thing quietly killing more brands than bad design ever will.

Behind the Brand - Unpacked Brand Identity Case Study | Packaging & Strategy Design

Unpacked Brand Identity Case Study

Turning confusion into clarity through strategic branding + packaging design.

The Problem: When “Healthy” Becomes Confusing

The Goal: Make Simple Feel Powerful

Strategy: Designing for Clarity, N ot Clutter ﻿

Strategy: Designing for Clarity, Not Clutter

Packaging Design: Where Strategy Meets Reality

The Solution: A Brand That Builds Trust at a Glance

The Outcome: Clarity That Cuts Through

Behind the Brand - IGNITE Powersports - A Future-Proof Visual Identity Designed to Scale

IGNITE Powersports

A Future-Proof Visual Identity Designed to Scale

THE CHALLENGE

MY ROLE

Strategy First, Always

Typography & Font Pairing

Custom Illustrations & Brand Assets

Icons + Brand Patterns

Final Thoughts

The Visual Identity

The Logo System

Behind the Brand - Based Origins

Behind the Brand - BASED ORIGINS

A brand built to break the rules .

Project Snapshot

The Challenge

Logo suite

Colour Palette

Typography

Mockups & Brand Assets

design deliverables

Key Takeaways

Want to get your Brand looking Right?

Behind the Brand - Spiritual AF

Behind the Brand - Spiritual AF

A bold brand for bold souls.

Project Snapshot

The Challenge

Creative Direction Nature + Galaxy

Logo Suite

Colour Palette

Typography

Mockups & Brand Assets

Results

What I Loved About This Project Blending spiritual energy with rebellious attitude. Balancing grounding greens with cosmic golds. Designing bold brands for bold souls is what Disarming Designs is built for.

Key Takeaways

Let get your brand looking Sharp!

Turning confusion into clarity through strategic branding
+ packaging design.

Strategy: Designing for Clarity, N ot Clutter

Creative Direction
Nature + Galaxy

What I Loved About This Project
Blending spiritual energy with rebellious attitude. Balancing grounding greens with cosmic golds. Designing bold brands for bold souls is what Disarming Designs is built for.