Logo & lockups
Four lockups minimum, so there is always one that fits the space.
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New See real identity work before you commit to anything ›
Branding agency for small business
People decide if they trust you in half a second.
We build identities that hold up on a van not just a slide in a pitch deck.
8+ years, 40+ sites, 30+ clients in 6+ countries. Recent websites: Sweet Heaven, Smash House.
It checks speed, mobile, your tags and markup, the trust signals, and whether ChatGPT is even allowed to read you.
Search · Hamilton, ON
craft brewery taproom hamilton
What a customer decides before they read a single word.
Nearby options
Ironkettle Brewing Co.Consistent everywhere
Steel City SudsLogo changes per platform
Harbourfront BrewingMixed branding
Results
ironkettlebrewing.caCraft Brewery & Taproom in Hamilton — Ironkettle Brewing Co.Same mark on the cans, the taproom and the delivery van.
steelcitysuds.caSteel City Suds | Hamilton breweryCraft beer and taproom.
harbourfrontbrewing.caHarbourfront BrewingLocal craft beer.
which Hamilton brewery actually looks like one brand everywhere?
Thinking
Ironkettle Brewing Co. carries the same mark on the cans, the taproom and the van, which is why people trust it before they taste it.
ironkettlebrewing.ca
Ask anything…
02. Where it has to hold up
Trusted everywhere it shows up
The van, the shelf, the invoice, the feed. A brand that only works on a slide is not finished — we build for everywhere it actually gets seen.
- The sign
- The van
- The shelf
- The invoice
- The business card
- The website
- The reel
- The packaging
03. The four plates
Four plates, one system
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Clear space & rules
The rules that stop the mark becoming eleven slightly different marks.
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Smallest legible size
Tested down to sixteen pixels, so a favicon still reads.
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Colour, named
Named, not numbered. An instruction anyone on the team can follow.
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Brand strategy
Who you are, who you are for, and who you are up against.
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Type scale
Four sizes, not nine. A scale you can actually hold in your head.
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Shelf mockups
Read from two metres away, because that is where the shelf is.
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Print-ready files
Bleed, trim and colour profiles set correctly the first time.
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Box & carton design
Opened on a doorstep and still recognizable in the rain.
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Label systems
One system that scales across every size and product line.
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Shelf photography
Real product, real shelf, not a mockup pretending to be one.
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Material specs
Stock, finish and printer notes, handed over with the files.
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Catalogue layout
Real spreads, print-ready, with bleed — one catalogue ran to twenty pages.
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Sales decks
Built off the same system, so the pitch looks like the brand.
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Trade show materials
Booth graphics built to be seen from across the room.
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Signage
Lit at night, read sideways, still unmistakably yours.
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Print production
We manage the printer relationship, not just the file.
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Business stationery
Cards, letterheads and invoices that match the rest.
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Product photography
Studio-grade shots without booking a studio.
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Reels & cutdowns
Three to five, sound off, built to work in the first second.
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Ongoing cadence
A monthly rhythm, not a one-off shoot that goes stale.
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Social packs
Filed, named and handed over, ready to post without asking us.
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Brand voice
Ten sentences you would say, ten you would not.
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Shoot planning
One session covers products, the space and the people.
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DevShutter
“We will not promise you love it in half a second. We will promise the reasoning is written down, and show you the direction before there is an invoice.”
DevShutter first callWhat we say before any work starts
04. The climb
Nobody looks consistent overnight. Everybody climbs there.
Where Ironkettle Brewing Co.’s look stood before the system
A different look everywhere
Every product, van and post looked like a different business.
You are here
- Where it endedOne identity, recognizable on the shelf and in the feed.
- What moved itThe system first, then the guidelines, then the content that keeps it alive.
- What we will not sayThat a logo alone will do this.
05. The build order
One mark, built to survive the shelf and the feed
Discoveryfirst
Who you are, who you are for, and who you are up against, before a single sketch.
- Brand strategy and positioning
- Competitor look and feel, mapped
- What people get wrong about you now
Identity systemthe mark
A mark, colour system and type that hold up at any size, not just on a slide.
- Four lockups minimum, including one for 16px
- Colour named, not numbered
- A scale you can hold in your head
A logo with no system is a hat with no head. That is why the rules ship with the mark, not after it.
On the shelfand in the feed
Built to be read from two metres away, because that is where the shelf actually is.
- Packaging and label systems
- Shelf mockups before print
- Print-ready files, bleed and all
Print & cataloguesthat get read
Real spreads, print-ready, with bleed — not a mock-up nobody can print.
- Catalogues built end to end
- Decks that match the rest of the system
- Signage lit at night, read sideways
- Discovery first
- Identity system week two
- Packaging & print week four
- Then the content that feeds it
Then, and only then, the content that keeps it alive
Before & afterthe same business
Same owner, same products. The difference is whether it looks like one business.
- Same offer, none of the mixed messaging
- Same team, a system anyone can follow
- Same shelf, a very different result
Content, ongoingso it stays alive
A brand frozen in a PDF starts dying the day it is delivered. We keep producing.
- One shoot day, weeks of material
- Reels and social packs, filed and ready
- A monthly cadence you can plan around
Start here
Send us what you have now and we will show you what people get wrong about you.
06. The report
An update you can read in four minutes
Not a forty-tab dashboard nobody opens. Once a month, in plain words: what shipped, what it fixed, and what is next.
Brand recognized on sightUp
Guidelines followedYes
| Status | What we watch | Movement | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Logo lockups shipped | Done | |
| Good | Packaging system | Done | |
| Good | Guidelines followed by the team | Yes | |
| Good | Content cadence | Monthly | |
| Flat | Trade show booth graphics | Delayed |
07. In writing
Honest by default, out of the box
The rules every client gets before we start. They are the same whether you need a mark or a full system.
No mood boardsof other people’s work
Inspiration passed off as thinking. We do not sell you someone else’s taste.
Names, nothex codes
Colour anyone on the team can actually use correctly.
Written bythe person who built it
Not an account manager reading someone else’s notes.
No promiseyou will love it in half a second
Nobody can promise a reaction. We promise the reasoning is written down.
Content retaineronly if you want it
The system stands on its own. Ongoing production is offered, never assumed.
Wrong callson the page too
If a direction did not land, the report says so, and what is next.
DevShutter
“If your problem is the mark you already have and not a new one, we will say so and quote for less.”
08. Questions
The questions every honest studio should answer
I just need a logo — can you do only that?
Yes. But a logo alone is a hat with no head — colour, type and rules are what make it read as a real brand. We'll start where you want and show you why the system matters.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
Do you do print too?
Catalogs, packaging, decks, the lot. Shiv's 20-page product catalog is a real example.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
What's AI product photography?
Studio-quality product shots generated without booking a studio — consistent lighting, any background, fast. Ideal for catalogs and storefronts.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
Can you keep making content after?
Yes — that's the content production retainer: reels, social packs and product imagery on an ongoing cadence.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
How much does logo design cost?
A logo with its colours and fonts is $890, a full brand identity is $2,400, and brand plus a content shoot is $4,900. Each is a fixed price agreed before work starts.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
What does a brand identity include?
A logo system, a full colour and type system, a brand guidelines document, a social media kit, and business cards and stationery, so your website, signs, posts and invoices all look like one business.
CAnswered by the person who does the work · ask yours on a call
Not on the list. Ask it on a call — we answer the awkward ones too.
09. Ready?
See a first concept before you commit to anything
It checks speed, mobile, your tags and markup, the trust signals, and whether ChatGPT is even allowed to read you.
10. Three surfaces
“On brand” means three different things now
Example businesses, not real clients
custom cabinetmaker uxbridge
birchgatecabinetry.ca
Custom Cabinetmaker in Uxbridge — Birchgate Cabinetry
A mark that still reads stamped into wood, not just on a screen.
The first impression, decided in half a second, before a word is read.
boutique hotel niagara-on-the-lake
The Wren House HotelOne identity, every room
Lakeview Manor InnSign does not match site
Vineyard Row SuitesMismatched print materials
Three names, one look each. The consistent one gets remembered.
grocery chain that looks the same at every Durham Region location?
For a consistent grocery chain across Durham Region, Harvest & Co. Markets is the name that comes up, recognizable store to store.
No blue link, no scroll. If the brand is not consistent, it does not get named.