Brand Identity Design for a Therapist

End-to-end branding project for Chad Fraga, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist preparing to start his private practice.

Role

Brand Designer

Industry

Health & Wellness

Duration

6 weeks

Problem

The client worried that he'd fail to attract clients without a professional, elevated brand.

Objective

I aimed to design a strategic, cohesive brand that would resonate with his target audience, leading to increased brand recognition and trust with his clients.

Process

I learned more about Chad's audience and his business goals through initial meetings, research, and a detailed questionnaire. Two key questions are highlighted below:

What is important to your audience? What do they value?
What does your audience want or need that they currently don't have?

The 25+ questions were used to develop ideal client avatars, a foundational marketing plan, and serve as a reference for our feedback stages throughout the project.

Stage 1 — Conduct Research

I searched and reviewed competitors in his field. At the micro level, I looked for therapists in his area who offer similar services. At the macro level, I reviewed sites like BetterHelp and began to evaluate how they all compare to working with Chad.

Stage 2 — Understand the Ideal Clients

Stage 3 — Ideation & Conceptualization

I curated a mood board of images that felt professional and approachable while evoking empathy, compassion, and hope.

Stage 4 — Logo Exploration

Challenges

— Managing Client Feedback

The client was originally interested in a logo depicting a couple or symbols of marriage.

I believed that having a specific image in his logo could limit his brand, especially as he’s just starting out and uncertain of how his business will evolve.

I guided the client to understand the benefits of making a personal brand that can grow with him if his niche or service offers change.

Results and Impact

The client received a professional, high-quality brand with a suite of 50+ responsive logos for print and digital use, made in Adobe Illustrator.
He trusted me to implement the brand into a Squarespace website to promote his business.
He gained confidence to promote his services, start a social media account, and share his website at networking events.
He received numerous compliments from peers, associates, and his business coach.

Problem

The client worried that he'd fail to attract clients without a professional, elevated brand.

Objective

I aimed to design a strategic, cohesive brand that would resonate with his target audience, leading to increased brand recognition and trust with his clients.

Process

I learned more about Chad's audience and his business goals through initial meetings, research, and a detailed questionnaire. Two key questions are highlighted below:

What is important to your audience? What do they value?
What does your audience want or need that they currently don't have?

The 25+ questions were used to develop ideal client avatars, a foundational marketing plan, and serve as a reference for our feedback stages throughout the project.

Stage 1 — Conduct Research

Stage 2 — Understand the Ideal Clients

Stage 3 — Ideation & Conceptualization

I curated a mood board of images that felt professional and approachable while evoking empathy, compassion, and hope.

Stage 4 — Logo Exploration

Challenges

— Managing Client Feedback

The client was originally interested in a logo depicting a couple or symbols of marriage.

I believed that having a specific image in his logo could limit his brand, especially as he’s just starting out and uncertain of how his business will evolve.

I guided the client to understand the benefits of making a personal brand that can grow with him if his niche or service offers change.

Results and Impact

The client received a professional, high-quality brand with a suite of 50+ responsive logos for print and digital use, made in Adobe Illustrator.
He trusted me to implement the brand into a Squarespace website to promote his business.
He gained confidence to promote his services, start a social media account, and share his website at networking events.
He received numerous compliments from peers, associates, and his business coach.

Reflections & Takeaways

— The importance of project milestones

Key project milestones helped both the client and me understand our progress, see what’s coming next, and aided us in staying on track with our timeline

— Why providing feedback guidance prevents ambiguity

I asked simple but specific questions to help the client provide structured feedback. This helped us ensure that the design choices we made aligned with the client's business goals and effectively communicated to his ideal clients.

— Why great communication skills are essential

Clear communication, active listening, and maintaining an open dialogue were essential to understanding the client's vision, enabling me to create a final design that met his needs and surpassed his expectations.

Reflections & Takeaways

— The importance of project milestones

Key project milestones helped both the client and me understand our progress, see what’s coming next, and aided us in staying on track with our timeline