Brand Strategy & Identity Design for UK Startups | Bob Patten, Surrey
Most design agencies
design to a brief.
I write the brief first.
Over 20 years, I’ve helped founders and growing businesses build brands that raise investment, win clients, and scale. Not just a logo — the thinking behind it, the language around it, and the design that brings it to life.
Based in Surrey.
Working across the UK.
What I do
I work across seven areas of brand and design. Brand strategy is the starting point for most projects — the other services follow from it. Every project is different, and most involve more than one of the areas below.
Brand Strategy
The thinking your business needs before any design begins.
A brand strategy defines who you are, what you stand for, and how you’re different from everyone else in your market. It’s the foundation that every piece of communication — your name, your logo, your website, your pitch — should be built on.
Without it, you’re making design decisions in the dark. With it, every decision becomes easier and more defensible.
I work with founders and leadership teams to develop brand positioning, messaging frameworks, and competitive differentiation. The output is a strategy document that the rest of the project builds on — and that your team can use long after the project ends.
Logo & Identity Design
A visual identity built from your brand strategy, not despite it.
Your logo is the most visible expression of your brand. It needs to work across every surface — digital, print, signage, pitch decks — and it needs to still make sense in five years. Getting it right means understanding the brand before picking up a pencil.
Whether you’re launching a new business or rethinking an identity that’s stopped working, I’ll lead you through a structured process: from defining what makes you distinctive to expressing that through a visual identity that’s both original and built to last.
Tone of Voice
How your brand speaks — and why it matters as much as how it looks.
Most brands spend months on their visual identity and an afternoon on their language. The result is design that looks right but copy that sounds like everyone else.
A tone of voice framework gives your business a consistent, recognisable way of communicating — across your website, proposals, social posts, email, and everything in between. I work with specialist copywriters and brand language consultants to develop verbal identities that are as distinctive as the visual work.
Website & Digital Design
Your brand translated accurately across every digital surface.
A strong visual identity loses its value the moment it’s implemented inconsistently online. I design digital assets — UI components, social templates, presentation decks, email systems, and web page designs — that carry the brand accurately into every digital context.
I’m fluent in Figma and the major design systems, and I work closely with developers to ensure that what’s designed is what gets built.
Marketing Design
Campaign design that connects your brand to the right people.
A brand is only as effective as the campaigns it runs. I work with marketing teams and business owners to design campaigns across digital and physical channels — from social media and email to events and print.
I collaborate with specialist strategists, media buyers, and copywriters where the brief demands it. The goal is always the same: the right message, in the right format, to the right audience.
Print & Packaging
Physical materials that make your brand tangible.
Digital-first doesn’t mean print is dead. In many sectors — particularly professional services, luxury, and events — a well-designed physical piece creates an impression that no screen can match.
I design and produce brochures, packaging, exhibition materials, and print campaigns, working with trusted production partners to ensure quality from file to finished article. Every print project is treated as an extension of the brand, not an afterthought.
Video & Motion
Brand animation and video that keeps your identity moving.
Motion design is where brand identity comes to life. Whether it’s an animated logo, a brand film, a social content series, or web-based animation, motion adds dimension to visual identities that static assets alone can’t deliver.
I produce short-form brand films, animated explainer content, motion graphics, and web animations — working with videographers and motion specialists where the brief demands specialist production skills.
- Brand Strategy
- Logo & Identity Design
- Tone of Voice
- Website Design
- Marketing & Campaigns
- Print & Production
- Brand Strategy
- Logo & Identity Design
- Tone of Voice
- Website Design
- Marketing & Campaigns
- Print & Production
- Brand Strategy
- Logo & Identity Design
- Tone of Voice
- Website Design
- Marketing & Campaigns
- Print & Production
Process
How we work together
Every project follows the same four-phase structure — adapted to the specific brief, the budget, and the pace of the business.
01 - Discover
01 - Discover
02 - Define
02 - Define
03 - Develop
03 - Develop
04 - Deliver
04 - Deliver
Pricing
Investment
Every project is scoped before we begin. That means a fixed fee, a clear brief, and no surprises on the invoice. The tiers below give you a starting point — most projects involve elements from more than one tier, and the scope is always agreed in advance.
-
ESSENTIAL
GROW
PRO
Best for
Early-stage startups and new businesses launching for the first time.
Growing businesses needing a full identity or a professional rebrand.
Scaling businesses, investment-stage companies, and organisations with multiple teams.
What's included
- Brand strategy session and written positioning document
- Logo design (primary mark + 2 variations)
- Colour palette and typography selection
- Brand guide (core rules document)
- Full brand strategy and positioning
- Logo design + complete visual identity system
- Brand guidelines (comprehensive)
- Key application design (stationary, social media, presentions)
- Brand strategy, competitor audit, and full positioning
- Complete identity system with extended applications
- Brand guidelines built for team and agency use
- Tone of voice and messaging framework included
- Asset and template creation
Investment
From £2,500
From £4,200
From £9,500
Timeline
4 weeks from project start
6 weeks from project start
12+ weeks from project start
ADD ON
Website Build
Overview
A lean, high-performance WordPress site built to launch your brand and start generating enquiries from day one.
A 5–6 page custom WordPress site that carries your full brand identity and works as a primary marketing and sales asset.
A complete website redesign from the ground up — architecture, content strategy, custom WordPress build, and a site your team can run independently for years.
What's included
Custom WordPress design and build — no templates, no page builders
2 pages: Landing page (Home) + Contact page
Homepage structure: hero section, brand introduction, services summary, social proof (1–2 testimonials), contact CTA
Contact page: short enquiry form (name, email, message, optional budget range), phone and email, Google Maps embed if relevant
Clear CTAs throughout — design and copy matched to a single conversion goal
Mobile-responsive build, tested across major devices and browsers
Basic on-page SEO: title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, clean URL structure
Google Analytics 4 integration
SSL certificate and basic security setup
1 hour of post-launch CMS training — how to update text, images, and basic content without breaking the site
Custom WordPress design and build — fully bespoke layouts for each page, no templates
5–6 pages: Home, About, Services (single page or per-service), Work/Portfolio, Contact — page count agreed at scoping stage
Full brand identity applied throughout: colour, typography, imagery style, tone
Homepage: strategic layout with hero, services overview, case study highlights, social proof section, and primary CTA
About page: founder story, process overview, credentials, and a secondary CTA
Services page: full service descriptions with conversion-focused layout (brief and CTAs per service)
Work/Portfolio: case study grid with filtering by sector or service type
Contact page: enquiry form with budget range selector, Calendly integration (if used), process description, and FAQ
Lead capture integration: one lead magnet or email opt-in mechanism connected to a Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or equivalent list
On-page SEO across all pages: title tags, meta descriptions, H-tag hierarchy, internal linking, image optimisation
Google Analytics 4 + Search Console setup and verification
Mobile-responsive build, performance-optimised (Core Web Vitals pass on build)
Full CMS training session (2 hours) — client can update all content, add portfolio items, and publish blog posts independently
Discovery and strategy phase: audience mapping, competitor site audit, content audit (if redesign), site goals and conversion mapping
Information architecture: full site map, URL structure, page hierarchy, internal linking strategy
Content strategy: page-by-page messaging framework, content brief per page, SEO keyword mapping per page
Custom WordPress design: bespoke designs for all page types (template system designed for consistency and scale)
Custom WordPress build: 10–50 pages depending on agreed scope, clean custom theme (no heavy page builders), built for speed
Advanced on-page SEO: keyword-led title tags, meta descriptions, schema markup, structured data where relevant, XML sitemap, robots.txt
Conversion architecture: lead magnets, CTAs, and contact mechanisms positioned based on user journey mapping, not guesswork
Integrations: Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, CRM or email marketing platform (Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign — agreed at scoping stage)
Portfolio and case studies section: custom case study template, category filtering, linkable from service pages
Blog/news section: full setup, category structure, author system, RSS, social sharing
Performance optimisation: image compression, caching setup, Core Web Vitals pass on launch, CDN recommendation
Team CMS training (half-day session): content editors can add pages, publish posts, update all content, and manage the portfolio independently
Post-launch support: 2 weeks of bug fixes and minor amends included post-launch
Investment
From £1,500
in addition to Brand Foundation brand tier
From £4,800
in addition to Brand Identity brand tier
From £9,000
in addition to Brand System brand tier
Website Hosting & Maintenance
Overview
Managed WordPress hosting for your Essential website — secure, maintained, and handled by Patten Design.
Active managed hosting for your Grow website — updated more frequently as your business and content evolve.
High-frequency managed hosting for your Pro website — maintained every two months so a complex site stays fast, secure, and up to date.
What's included
GoDaddy WordPress Deluxe hosting — managed through Patten Design
Free SSL certificate — included and renewed for the duration of the contract
Site health check every 6 months — full review of performance, uptime, and security
WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates every 6 months (aligned with health check)
Malware scan and security audit — included with each health check
Uptime monitoring — site downtime flagged and resolved by Patten Design
Direct contact with Patten Design for hosting queries and technical issues
GoDaddy WordPress Deluxe hosting — managed through Patten Design
Free SSL certificate — included and renewed for the duration of the contract
Site health check every 4 months (3 × per year) — performance, uptime, security, and plugin compatibility
WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates every 4 months (aligned with health check)
Malware scan and security audit — included with each health check
Uptime monitoring — downtime flagged and resolved by Patten Design
Priority response for hosting queries and technical issues
Annual performance review — speed, Core Web Vitals, and SEO health report
GoDaddy WordPress Deluxe hosting — managed through Patten Design
Free SSL certificate — included and renewed for the duration of the contract
Site health check every 2 months (6 × per year) — full performance, security, uptime, and plugin audit each time
WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates every 2 months (aligned with health check)
Malware scan and detailed security report — included with each health check
Uptime monitoring with priority response — downtime escalated and resolved as a priority
Bi-annual performance and SEO health report — Core Web Vitals, page speed, crawl errors, and search visibility overview
Plugin compatibility testing before updates — reduces risk of breaking changes on a complex multi-plugin site
Direct line to Patten Design for hosting and technical queries — no ticketing system, no queue
Investment
£475
Billed annually.
Minimum 3-year contract.
£575
Billed annually.
Minimum 3-year contract.
£875
Billed annually.
Minimum 3-year contract.
What clients say
“Bob has incredible creative talent; he’s also brilliantly strategic, meaning that everything he creates will work hard for you.”
Hannah Campana-Frost,
Founder, Campana Marketing
“Bob’s designs have been the cornerstones of several successful businesses. He is methodical, creative, and a great person to work with.”
Andy Clayton,
CEO & Co-Founder, FermTech
“He helped us create something that will really help us communicate going forward. Great advice, and willing to challenge assumptions.”
Rory Grumley,
MD, Promote Consulting
“I highly recommend Bob to founders and leadership teams looking for end-to-end support across strategy, branding, design, and website development.”
Christel Jansen,
Founder, The Access Embassy
Common questions
You can get just a logo — and plenty of agencies will sell you one. But a logo without strategy is a visual style choice, not a brand decision. If you’re building a business that needs to be remembered, win clients, or attract investment, the strategy is what makes the design worth the investment. Most clients who start with “just a logo” end up needing the strategy six months later. Better to build it in from the start.
See the pricing section above. Most projects fall within one of the three tiers depending on scope and complexity. If your brief doesn’t fit a tier, book a discovery call and we’ll scope it properly.
A brand foundation project typically takes 4 weeks from project start. A full identity project takes 6-8 weeks. A brand system engagement takes 12+ weeks, depending on the scale and complexity of the brief. Timelines are agreed at the scoping stage and built around your deadline, not a standard agency calendar.
Yes. I’m based in Surrey but work with businesses across the UK and internationally. Most projects run well remotely — discovery calls, presentations, and reviews are all conducted via video. Where an in-person session adds genuine value, I’ll flag it and we’ll find a way to make it work.
You own everything — the files, the strategy document, the guidelines. Nothing is held hostage. Most clients take the brand in-house or hand it to their developer or agency after delivery. Some come back for ongoing campaign design, digital design, or extensions to the identity system. There’s no retainer obligation. You decide what comes next.
Ready to discuss the future of your brand, digital product or service?
BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL!
Clients
