Not all the projects I work on are exciting and glamorous.
Some of them are.
Branding yachts for billionaires in Monte Carlo. Launching brands in St. Petersburg with Hot Chip headlining. Flying to Mexico for presentations and encountering Robbie Williams in the hotel bar. Living in Detroit for a month to complete the Ford Logo guidelines.
Sometimes projects are a little more straightforward. A little less exciting. But just as important.
Templates.
Do they set your world on fire?
Rules and restrictions. Grids. Guides. Stylesheets. Fixed formats. Limited scope.
But here's the thing about templates.
Done right, they liberate your brand. Free you from the endless decisions. What goes where, which typeface, which colour, where the logo sits.
Strip all that away and you're left with one simple task.
What is the message I'm trying to communicate?
The template has freed you to think.
Enjoy your Quick PINT
Nigel
"Before Nigel untangled my brand, I didn't have brand guidelines. Every time I created an asset I was back at square one, choosing fonts, colours, layout, and design from scratch. Using the Brand Doughnut process, he helped me figure out the elements needed to create a consistent and unique brand. Six years on, I'm still using it."
Deborah Ager, Owner, Radiant Media Labs
What do other business owners think about templates?
Read the comments here → Or add your own.
- Not starting from scratch every time is the real value, the template removes the decision fatigue before you even begin
- Structure isn't the enemy of creativity; it's what makes creativity possible. As one reader put it, quoting Pippin: "Unless you're tied down to anything, you will never be free"
- Templates built well have longevity; six years isn't unusual, it's the point
- The guardrails free up brain space for the only question that matters: what am I actually trying to say?
Nigel Davies
