Brand Design Services
— Sydney, Australia
Brand strategy, identity systems, naming, packaging, environments, print and digital brand experiences for ambitious businesses.
What is Founded by Design®?
Founded by Design® is an independent and agile brand design studio based in Sydney, Australia. We help ambitious brands thrive by transforming their vision into brand-defining experiences that resonate and earn trust.
Founded by Design® uses design-led thinking to define, create and implement brand systems across brand strategy, brand identity, naming, packaging, environments, print and digital communications.
Led by Chris Thomas, Founder and Creative Director, Founded by Design® works directly with business owners, brand managers, entrepreneurs and creative partners who need senior brand thinking, impactful design and practical implementation without unnecessary agency layers.
Founded by Design® at a glance
STUDIOLOCATIONSydney, Australia
LED BYChris Thomas,
Founder & Creative Director
EXPERIENCEOver 25 years of brand and design experience in the UK and Australia
BEST FOR— Ambitious leaders
— Business owners
— Brand managers
— Entrepreneurs
— Creative partners
CORE SERVICES— Brand strategy
— Brand identity
— Naming
— Packaging
— Tone of voice
— Design systems
— Guidelines
— Digital & print design
— Environmental design
RECOGNITIONAwarded locally and internationally, including Good Design Awards, AGDA, Graphis Design Awards, ReBrand 100 and Brand New Awards.
WAYS OF WORKINGFounded by Design® provides bespoke brand and design programs, ongoing brand support and fixed-fee creative solutions for clients in Sydney, across Australia and internationally.
Gone are the days of the rigid client-agency relationships. These are the days of agility and flexibility, collaboration and partnerships.
Business Owners
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Brand Managers & Marketing Teams
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Entrepreneurs & Founders
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Business Owners — Brand Managers & Marketing Teams — Entrepreneurs & Founders —
Who we help
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Founded by Design® help business owners turn ambition, experience and instinct into a brand that customers, staff and partners can clearly understand.
This can mean creating a new brand, refreshing an existing one, repositioning the business, or building the tools needed to communicate with more confidence and consistency.
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Founded by Design® supports brand managers and marketing teams who need experienced external brand thinking, design direction and implementation support.
This can include brand alignment, guidelines, campaign assets, product launches, packaging, events, digital content and ongoing brand consultation.
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Founded by Design® helps entrepreneurs and founders shape new ventures, products and ideas into credible brands.
This includes defining the brand strategy, developing a name, creating the identity, and building the first set of tools needed to launch with clarity.
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Founded by Design® collaborates with creative businesses, industrial designers, digital teams, copywriters, photographers, filmmakers and internal teams where specialist brand design experience is needed.
Founded by Design® can lead the brand component or plug into a wider project team.
What we help with
Founded by Design® works across brand strategy, identity, naming, packaging, environments, print and digital design to help brands become clearer, more distinctive and easier to manage.
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Brand strategy defines what a brand stands for, who it is for, why it matters and how it should behave.
Founded by Design® uses strategy to create a clear foundation for identity, messaging, design systems and implementation.
Services can include:
Brand positioning
Brand architecture
Brand books and narratives
Brand guidelines
Brand strategy workshops
Product branding
Tone of voice
Naming
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Brand identity is how strategy becomes visible, memorable and usable.
Founded by Design® create identity systems that give brands a distinctive visual language and the practical tools needed to show up consistently across different touchpoints.
Services can include:
Logo and marque design
Visual identity systems
Colour, typography and graphic language
Image direction
Identity kits
Brand guidelines
Internal and external brand assets
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A strong name helps people understand what a brand is, what it stands for and where it is headed.
Founded by Design® help create and assess names for businesses, products, services and campaigns, then connect them to the wider brand system.
Services can include:
Brand naming
Product naming
Naming territories
Messaging principles
Tone of voice
Brand narratives
Launch language
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Packaging is often where a customer first meets the brand in the real world. Founded by Design® help brands create packaging systems that are distinctive, practical and connected to the wider brand strategy.
Services can include:
Packaging strategy
Product branding
Naming systems
Packaging design
Range architecture
Point of sale
Retail communication
Launch materials
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Brand experience does not stop at a logo or website.
Founded by Design® help brands translate their identity into physical environments, signage, wayfinding, interiors, retail spaces, events and branded experiences.
Services can include:
Environmental graphics
Signage and wayfinding
Branded interiors
Event and exhibition design
Retail graphics
Point of sale
Office and workplace brand expression
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Digital is often the first place people experience a brand.
Founded by Design® help create digital brand assets that feel consistent, useful and engaging across websites, motion, social content and video.
Services can include:
Website design
Brand videos
Animation and motion graphics
Digital design systems
Branded social content
Campaign assets
Digital launch materials
When to work with
Founded by Design®
You should consider working with Founded by Design® when your brand needs more clarity, consistency, distinctiveness or momentum.
Common reasons clients come to Founded by Design® include:
You are launching a new brand, product or service
Your current brand no longer reflects where the business is heading
Your business has grown, but your brand system has not
Your identity is inconsistent across different teams, markets or channels
Your packaging, website, signage or communications feel fragmented
You need to reposition in a competitive market
Your internal team needs senior external brand support
You need a practical brand system that people can actually use
A brand project should not be change for the sake of change — the right work should help people understand your business more clearly, make better decisions, and create a more consistent experience for customers, staff and partners.
Founded by Design® uses a simple but rigorous approach: Think, Test and Make.
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Think: strategy
In the Think stage, Founded by Design® starts by understanding the brand problem to solve.
This can include research, conversations, workshops, audits, stakeholder interviews and strategic exploration.
The aim is to define the brand challenge clearly before jumping to design.
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Test: design
In the Test stage, Founded by Design® uses design to pressure-test the strategy.
Concepts are explored, challenged and refined so the brand idea can be seen, felt and assessed in context.
This stage helps reveal whether the thinking is strong enough to carry through into real-world applications.
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Make: implement
In the Make stage, Founded by Design® builds the brand system and applies it across the touchpoints that matter.
This can include guidelines, packaging, websites, signage, campaigns, templates, videos, printed collateral, environmental graphics and launch materials.
The goal is to make the work real, usable and effective — not just attractive in a presentation.
Selected work
Selected Founded by Design® work includes brand strategy, identity systems, packaging, environments and digital design for organisations including Blundstone, Multigate Medical Products and ANZ.
PROJECTBlundstone
— global brand alignment
OVERVIEWFounded by Design® worked with Blundstone to help align the brand globally across strategy, identity, guidelines and implementation. The work involved stakeholder discussions, brand strategy, design guidance and rollout support across international markets.
The project was implemented across Australia, the US, Europe and Asia, and received Gold at the Good Design Awards in Australia and Gold in the Graphis Design Awards in the US.
SERVICES— Strategy & Messaging
— Design Systems
— Brand Manual
— Photography Briefs
— Stationery
— Literature & Presentations
— Point of Sale
— Website
— Videos
— Environments
— Packaging
— Uniforms & Clothing
— Ongoing Brand Direction
PROJECT Multigate Medical Products — brand repositioning and brand system design
OVERVIEWFounded by Design® worked with Multigate Medical Products to align the brand with a revised business strategy and equip the internal team with clearer tools for future communication.
SERVICES— Strategy & Naming
— Systems & Guidelines
— Photography
— Brochures & Stationery
— Exhibitions
— Environments
— Internal Branding
— Website
— Product Branding
— Brand & Product Videos
— Packaging
— Uniforms & Livery
— Ongoing Brand Consultation
PROJECT Redefining the retail banking customer experience — a dynamic brand evolution for ANZ
OVERVIEWA flagship branch, a series of local branches, an ambitious brand transformation — the next generation of retail banking experience was underway.
Founded by Design® supported this program of work which was assembled to explore, design and implement a brand design system reflective of the ANZ brand DNA.
SERVICES— Wayfinding
— Signage
— Iconography
— Environment Design
— Design Standards
— Artwork
Common questions about brand design services
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A brand design studio helps a business define and express who it is, what it stands for and how it should be experienced. Founded by Design does this through brand strategy, identity systems, naming, packaging, digital design, guidelines and rollout.
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Founded by Design is independent, agile and senior-led. Clients work directly with experienced brand specialists rather than moving through layers of account management or large agency teams, which makes the process more focused, collaborative and practical.
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Yes. Founded by Design is based in Sydney and works with Australian businesses that need experienced brand strategy and design support for launches, growth, repositioning, rebrands and brand management.
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Brand strategy defines the thinking behind a brand: who it is for, what it stands for, how it is positioned and what should make it distinctive. Brand identity turns that strategy into a visual and verbal system. Founded by Design works across both so strategy and identity reinforce each other.
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A brand refresh updates how the brand is expressed while keeping the core strategy mostly intact. A full rebrand usually involves deeper strategic change, such as repositioning, renaming, restructuring the offer or redefining the audience. Founded by Design can help assess the right level of change before committing to a larger program of work.
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A rebrand usually involves reviewing the current brand, understanding what needs to change, defining a new strategy, creating or refining the identity, and applying the new system across key touchpoints. Founded by Design grounds rebrands in business goals so the work is strategic, not just cosmetic.
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Yes. Founded by Design helps create and assess names for brands, products, services and campaigns. Naming work can include naming territories, name options, strategic fit, practical use across touchpoints and supporting launch language.
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Yes. Founded by Design creates packaging and product branding systems for new and existing brands. Packaging work can include product naming, range architecture, visual identity, illustration, photography direction, messaging, point of sale, launch materials and guidelines.
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Yes. Founded by Design works with internal marketing teams and brand managers who need senior external brand support across strategy, design direction, identity systems, campaign assets, product launches, packaging, websites, branded environments, templates and ongoing consultation.
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Branding budgets vary depending on complexity, responsibility and implementation. As a guide, smaller focused projects may start from around $10k, while larger and more comprehensive brand programs can reach $100k or more. Founded by Design recommends a short consultation to understand the right level of investment.
What clients say
Is Founded by Design® the right brand design partner for you?
Founded by Design® may be the right fit if you want a senior-led brand design partner who can help you think clearly, test ideas properly and make the work real across the touchpoints that matter.
Founded by Design® is best suited to ambitious businesses, brand managers, entrepreneurs and creative partners who value strategic thinking, design craft and practical implementation.
If you are launching, repositioning, refreshing or trying to make your brand easier to manage, we would be happy to start with a conversation.