The Hearthstone Method: Our Brand Identity Design Process
An in-depth look at our process, the Hearthstone Method
Most brand designers start by looking for your aesthetic preferences. My branding process is built to find the deeper themes and personal truths that make a brand truly aligned with who you are, who you're trying to reach, and why they should trust you over anyone else"
With a background in marketing and advertising, I know which questions actually move the needle: the ones about your audience, your positioning, and where your brand needs to show up in the world. But I'm also listening for the personal stuff underneath your answers: the details about who you are, why you started this, and what you're really trying to build. That combination is what grounds a brand in something real and lasting, instead of something that just looks good right now. Here's a detailed look at every phase of The Hearthstone Method, from the moment you sign to the moment your Brand Kit lands in your inbox.
Phase 01: The Clarity Build
After you sign your contract and pay your initial deposit, you'll receive your project Rundown:
Your projected timeline
Links to your initial homework activities
A clear outline of what to expect from me at each stage and what I'll need from you.
It's your reference document for the whole project, and I recommend saving it somewhere easy to find so you always know when each deadline is and when you can expect the next deliverable from my end.
The Rundown also includes a font licensing info sheet and an opportunity to share how much you’re comfortable spending on font licenses. What you feel comfortable spending (or not spending) on fonts shapes some of the creative decisions I make later, so you aren’t caught by surprise by additional licensing fees or costs.
From there, you'll complete two client activities:
The Hearth Check is the most involved thing I'll ask you to do in this entire project. Our signature in-depth reflection helps you analyze your positioning, your values, your goals, your audience, and where you think you fall in your market. Past clients have told me it's one of the most valuable things they've done for their business, because the clarity you get from it applies to every part of your marketing strategy, not just your visuals.
The Vision Board is your chance to curate and share the overall vibe and aesthetic that speaks to you. You don't need to know what you want your logo to look like: just save what feels inspiring and aligned with your future aspirations for your brand. When I’m building the final visual direction for your approval, I’ll use your Vision Board as a starting point and curate from there.
After your initial activities are completed, we get on a Sit-Down call, where I dig in deeper and ask more specific questions about the themes that came out from your Hearth Check. The Sit-down is the only required live call in the whole process, and it usually runs for about 45 minutes.
Everything past that is on me.
I’ll take some time to conduct my own research, analyze your competitors in depth, and identify their strengths, weaknesses, and niche so I can figure out what you can capitalize on to stand out in your market. Then I put together your Strategy Deck, a strategy and creative direction presentation for your review, before I ever start designing.
Depending on your package, this deck will vary in terms of contents: it can include an in-depth look at your target audience personas, deep market analysis, brand personality indicators, and up to two mood-board directions. At minimum, we’ll make sure you understand your stance in the market, what your Unique Selling Point is, and finalize a single visual direction.
You know where things are going before I make a single visual decision. That's intentional. It's how we make sure nothing I present in the next phase feels like a surprise or unaligned with the strategy we’ve developed together.
Phase 02: The Crafting Stage
The Crafting Stage is where I explore and design many concept iterations before presenting you the best solution. I look at logo concepts, color combinations, and typeface pairings that align with the direction we've already agreed on together.
You’ll receive one fully developed concept, the one I believe best achieves your goals, with all your logos, your color and typeface palettes, icons, patterns, and real-life mockups showing you how your brand actually looks in use. This is not just your logo on a white background. You’ll see your brand on sample packaging, a website layout, business cards, in real world applications that apply to your specific industry.
My process is front-loaded and strategy-heavy for a reason. By the time we get to the presented visual concept, every design decision has a clear connection to the approved visual direction and strategy established in phase 1.
Besides The Sit-Down and any revision calls if you need them, everything runs asynchronously.
What does that look like?
You’ll receive all presentations in a PDF with a link to a video walk-through, so you review on your own time. Want to look it over with your spouse on a weekend? In the evening with a glass of wine? Be my guest. You'll have access to the recorded presentation and deck to watch and re-watch whenever and however works best for you.
This approach has been proven to be efficient and effective: the majority of past clients have been able to get their brand concept to a place they love in no more than one to two rounds of revisions. For that reason, our Nook (starter) package includes one round, and our Alcove (standard) package includes two rounds. Of course, if more revisions are necessary, we’ll work together to figure out how to tackle edits efficiently.
Phase 03: The Debut
Once your concept is approved, I build your Debut Kit. This part matters a lot, because a brand you don't know how to use is a brand you won't use well.
Here's what's included:
Every logo file you or any vendor could possibly need, organized so you can actually find things. No digging around a folder of mystery files wondering which one to send to the printer.
The Brand Sheet is a one-page reference with your color values, fonts, logo usage guidelines, and approved combinations. Something you can keep on your desktop and pull up in ten seconds whenever you're using your branding.
The Alcove package includes full Brand Guidelines, a 20+ page document covering every detail of how your brand was intended to be used, including specific instructions on logo usage, color usage, and supporting elements, as well as your brand values, persona, and positioning statement. If you have a team, work with outside partners, or just want the in-depth version, this is what makes sure everyone stays consistent.
The Branding Field Guide walks you through exactly how to apply your brand to your website and social media, breaks down which file types are used where and why, and includes educational resources for continued reference.
Tutorial videos covering how to build a brand kit in Canva, how to upload your fonts to Google, and how to prep your own business card files for print correctly. Plus a promo code for $25 off your first order if you're reordering business cards through Moo.
The Font Sheet with your specific brand fonts, where to download them, what licenses you actually need for your specific needs.
Business card files, if included in your package or purchased separately, with template (Adobe Illustrator) files and print-ready PDFs
Not all of your brand kit will be relevant on day one. This kit, especially the Field Guide, is built to be the thing you come back to when you have questions in the future, not the thing you open once and forget about.
Ready to get started?
Request an investment guide or book a free consultation call to begin your project today.
Aliya Mooney is a brand identity designer and strategist based in Boise, Idaho, and the founder of Hearthstone Creative. With a B.A. in Advertising and a background in in-house design, boutique agency work, and brand strategy, she works with established small business owners and values-driven founders to build brand identities that are strategic, intentional, and built to last. Learn more about Aliya here.
