There is a specific moment many AEC firms reach, somewhere between ten and thirty people, when the original brand starts to feel like it belongs to a different firm. The work is stronger. The team is larger. The projects are more complex. But the identity, the website, and the messaging are all still telling the story of the firm you used to be.
Getting your brand right at the ten-to-thirty-person stage is about building the infrastructure for the next decade of growth.
A clear positioning and a strong brand strategy at this stage means better clients reach out, not just more clients, but the ones that are the right fit. It means your proposals look as capable as you are. It means strong candidates choose you because you look like a firm worth growing with, not just a firm that has work available. It means referral partners can describe you precisely and confidently to the people they send your way.
The firms that do this work at the right time don't have to redo it five years later when the stakes are higher and the cost of a confused brand is greater. They build once, build right, and grow into it.
Before any design work begins, we get clear on where your firm is, where it is headed, and how its brand needs to evolve to support that trajectory. This means understanding your best clients and what they value, how you are differentiated in your market, and what the brand needs to say to the people you most want to attract clients, candidates, and collaborators alike. The strategy becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
We translate that strategy into a complete visual and verbal identity system. A logo that reflects the firm you are now. A color system, typography, and visual language that feels intentional and holds up at every scale. A brand guide that equips every person on your team to represent the firm consistently — whether they are putting together a proposal, updating a LinkedIn profile, or managing project signage.
A new site that positions your firm clearly, showcases your portfolio with the context and depth it deserves, and functions as a business development tool rather than a digital brochure. Built to grow with the firm, not something you will need to rebuild again in three years.
An established architecture firm was ready to evolve beyond a generic identity and position itself around a distinctive design philosophy. Through Brand Strategy, Architecture Firm Branding, and a refined visual identity, we helped Andrew L. Scheidt establish a brand that attracts higher-value residential clients and supports the firm's long-term growth.
Services: Brand Strategy, Brand Positioning, Brand Identity
Two established Portland, Oregon architecture firms. Eight stakeholders with eight points of view. One generational transition and a brand that had to honor the history of both firms while making room for where the merged practice was headed.
Services: Naming, Brand Strategy, Brand Identity
A brand engagement at this stage is not about making your firm look bigger than it is. Clients and candidates can tell when a brand is overreaching, and it creates a trust problem rather than solving one.
What we are doing is closing the gap between who your firm actually is and how it is presenting itself. The goal is not to look like a hundred-person firm. It is to look exactly like the thirty-person firm you are. One that does exceptional work, has a clear point of view, and is clearly going somewhere.
That authenticity is what attracts the right clients and the right people. It is also what builds the kind of reputation that compounds over time.
.webp)
The firms that wait until they feel established enough to invest in brand often find that they needed it three years earlier. Doing this work at the growth stage — when the firm is adding people, pursuing new project types, and building its reputation — means every new hire, every proposal, and every new client relationship starts from a stronger foundation. Waiting means carrying a brand that undersells you through the most important growth period of the firm's life.
By building the brand around the culture and direction of the firm rather than around individuals. That includes involving key staff in the discovery process — understanding what draws people to the firm and what they are proud of — so the brand reflects something real about the organization, not just a leadership-down story.
This is one of the most important questions a growing firm can ask, and it is exactly what brand strategy is designed to address. A firm-level brand that is grounded in values, positioning, and a clear story about what the firm does and for whom is something that grows with the team — it does not depend on any one person's relationships or reputation. We build that explicitly into the strategy work.
Significantly. Strong candidates evaluate firms before they apply. They look at the website, the projects, the leadership, and how the firm presents itself before they decide whether it is worth their time to pursue. A firm that looks like a place worth growing with — one that takes its work and its brand seriously — attracts candidates who feel the same way. We have seen this shift happen clearly after a well-executed rebrand.
Brand strategy first, always. The strategy engagement is typically the smallest investment and it informs everything else. It clarifies your positioning, gives you a messaging framework your team can use immediately, and tells you exactly what design and digital work will have the most impact. If budget requires sequencing the rest of the work, strategy gives you the foundation to do that thoughtfully.