Peter Costello is an independent strategic brand identity and web designer. He helps businesses turn good ideas into brands people remember. By combining strategy, creativity and thoughtful design, he creates distinctive identities and websites that feel right for the business, connect with the audience and are built to make an impact.
Based in South London, UK.
Available Worldwide.
Peter Costello is an independent strategic brand identity and web designer. He helps businesses turn good ideas into brands people remember. By combining strategy, creativity and thoughtful design, he creates distinctive identities and websites that feel right for the business, connect with the audience and are built to make an impact.
Based in South London, UK.
Available Worldwide.
Every project starts with getting under the skin of the business and understanding what makes it tick. This means looking at the audience, competitors, market, existing brand and wider industry, as well as talking to the people behind the business. The aim is to uncover useful insights, opportunities and challenges that can shape the direction of the brand.
The process begins with research to uncover the insights that will shape the brand. This includes brand workshops, customer and audience research, competitor analysis, market trends, and an audit of the current brand. The goal is to identify opportunities, challenges, customer needs, and competitive advantages that will inform a strong strategic direction.
[+] Discovery workshop summary
[+] Stakeholder interview findings
[+] Brand audit
[+] Competitor analysis
[+] Audience research & personas
[+] Market insights report
[+] SWOT or opportunity analysis
[+] Project brief
With the research in place, we can start defining the foundations of the brand. This includes its purpose, vision, values, audience, positioning and what makes it different. We’ll also look at the brand’s personality, messaging and tone of voice, creating a clear strategic direction that can guide everything that follows.
Using the insights gathered, the strategic foundation of the brand is developed. This includes defining the brand purpose, vision, mission, values, target audience, positioning, and unique value proposition. The brand's personality, messaging, tone of voice, and core narrative are also established to create a clear and consistent identity that differentiates the brand and guides all future communications.
[+] Brand purpose, vision & mission
[+] Core values
[+] Brand positioning statement
[+] Value proposition
[+] Brand promise
[+] Target audience definition
[+] Brand personality framework
[+] Messaging pillars
[+] Tone of voice framework
[+] Brand strategy document
This is where the strategy starts to take shape creatively. The visual and verbal identity is developed to reflect the brand’s personality, positioning and audience. This can include the logo, typography, colour palette, imagery, graphic elements, messaging and tone of voice, all brought together into a flexible identity that works across different touchpoints.
The strategy is translated into a complete brand identity system that reflects the brand's personality and positioning. This includes the logo, typography, colour palette, imagery, graphic elements, messaging framework, and tone of voice. Brand guidelines are then developed to document how these elements should be applied consistently across every touchpoint.
[+] Creative direction / moodboards
[+] Logo suite
[+] Colour palette
[+] Typography system
[+] Iconography & graphic elements
[+] Photography/art direction
[+] Verbal identity guidelines
[+] Brand guidelines (style guide)
[+] Asset library
Once the identity is ready, it’s about bringing everything together and making sure the brand works consistently wherever people come across it. From websites and social media to marketing materials, packaging and physical spaces, the brand is rolled out across the key touchpoints. From there, it can be reviewed and refined over time as the business, audience and market continue to evolve.
The final stage focuses on implementing the brand across digital, physical, and internal touchpoints, ensuring a consistent customer experience. Teams are equipped with the tools and guidance needed to apply the brand effectively, while ongoing measurement of brand performance, customer perception, and market relevance informs future refinements. This ensures the brand continues to evolve alongside the business and its audience.
[+] Launch roadmap
[+] Website & social media direction
[+] Marketing collateral templates
[+] Presentation templates
[+] Email signature & stationery
[+] Social media templates
[+] Brand rollout plan
[+] Internal brand training materials
[+] Brand measurement framework (KPIs)
[+] Ongoing governance & maintenance plan
[ Principle 01 ]
Every project has a goal, and the brand should help achieve it. The style comes from the strategy, the audience and the ambitions of the business — not the other way around.
[ Principle 02 ]
I value considered work over quick solutions. Every project gets the time and attention it needs to arrive at something meaningful.
[ Principle 03 ]
Just being different isn't enough. I look for the things that genuinely set a business apart, then turn those qualities into a brand that's distinctive, relevant and built to mean something.
[ Principle 04 ]
Understand the people you're trying to reach, what they care about and what motivates them, then create brands that connect on a human level.
It depends on the scope and complexity of the project, but a typical brand identity project will take around 4–8 weeks.
Projects involving deeper research, brand strategy, messaging or a website will naturally take longer.
I'd rather give a project the time it needs than rush through important decisions just to hit an arbitrary deadline.
I prefer to design and build all of my websites using Webflow. It's a flexible platform that gives me the creative freedom to build custom websites without being restricted by off-the-shelf templates.
For the designing phase I use Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop and a range of other optimising tools.
You'll be involved, but you won't need to manage the design process. I'll need your knowledge of the business, your ambitions and your perspective throughout the project.
We'll have conversations, workshops or feedback sessions at key points, while I'll take responsibility for turning those insights into the strategy and creative work. The best projects tend to feel collaborative without putting too much weight on the client.
I don't start with a particular visual style and try to make it fit the business. Instead, I look at the goals of the project, your audience, competitors, positioning and the personality you want the brand to have. These insights help determine the creative direction. That means every project starts from a different place. The goal isn't to make my work look like my work. It's to make your brand look and feel like your brand.
The strategy provides the reasoning behind our design choices.
Before deciding what your brand should look like, we need to understand where you want to take the business, who you're trying to reach, what you're offering and how you want to be perceived. That gives us a clear foundation for making creative decisions — rather than simply designing something that looks nice. The result is an identity that's not just visually distinctive, but purposeful.
It depends on the scope and complexity of the project, but a typical brand identity project will take around 4–8 weeks. Projects involving deeper research, brand strategy, messaging or a website will naturally take longer. I'd rather give a project the time it needs, but if you have a tight deadline, we can discuss the best, realistic options to get you what you need.
That depends on the scope of the project, for a typical brand identity project, you will recieve a complete visual identity along with the brand guidelines to help you continue to use your brand going forward.
If we're doing strategic research, you'll also receive the strategic foundations that underpin the identity — giving you a clearer understanding of how and why the brand should be used.
Of course if we're designing and building a website, you will recieve your new custom website, along with the tools you'll need to continue to manage your website going forward.
Usually 2-3 different concepts directed by our strategic findings. I don't believe that more concepts automatically means better design. I prefer to develop a small number of thoughtful creative directions based on the strategy, explain the thinking behind them and then develop the strongest route. The aim isn't to give you three completely different things to choose from. It's to find the right idea and build it into a strong, cohesive identity.
Feedback is an important part of the process, but it works best when it's focused. I'll present the thinking behind the work and we'll use your feedback to refine the chosen direction. The number of included revision rounds will be agreed as part of the project scope, so you know exactly what's included from the beginning. If the brief changes significantly or a completely new direction is required, we'll discuss that together before doing additional work.
You don't always need to start from scratch. Sometimes the foundations of a brand are still right, but the identity no longer reflects the quality, ambition or direction of the business. In those cases, a strategic refresh can be more appropriate than a complete rebrand. I'll look at what's working, what's not and what needs to change before recommending the right approach.
You don't need to have everything figured out before getting in touch. I'm probably a good fit if you're looking for more than something that simply looks good — you want to understand what your brand needs to communicate, who it needs to connect with and how it can help move the business forward. I value open collaboration, thoughtful decision-making and clients who are willing to challenge their assumptions as well as the work.If that sounds like you, let's talk.
