Design

Gashi Strategies Full Branding Package

Designed a sophisticated consulting brand identity that positioned Gashi Strategies as premium business advisors competing with established US market firms

Client Gashi Strategies

Year 2025

Services Logo Design, Brand Identity, Visual Guidelines

Duration 1 week

The Challenge

Gashi Strategies was entering the competitive US business consulting market where visual identity directly influences perceived expertise and credibility. Business executives hire consultants based on trust, and that trust begins with first impressions—outdated or generic branding signals amateur operation, while sophisticated visual identity conveys professionalism and strategic thinking. The firm needed a brand that would position them alongside established consulting firms rather than budget advisors. Without recognizable credentials or decades of case studies, their visual identity had to work overtime to establish legitimacy and communicate the premium positioning necessary to attract serious business clients willing to invest in strategic guidance.

Our Role

We handled this project, delivering a complete brand identity from initial concepts to production-ready assets. This included designing the primary logo mark, developing the wordmark typography with custom refinements, creating comprehensive logo variations for different contexts, establishing the brand color system and visual language, designing supporting brand elements, and producing detailed visual guidelines to ensure consistent application across all business materials, digital platforms, and client presentations.

The Approach

Our strategy focused on sophisticated minimalism that communicates intelligence and strategic thinking without feeling cold or corporate. Business consulting is fundamentally about solving complex problems with clarity, so the brand needed to reflect that same precision and thoughtfulness. We avoided the generic consulting clichés (arrows, handshakes, puzzle pieces) in favor of abstract, elegant design that feels modern and premium. The visual language needed to appeal to both C-suite executives evaluating strategic partners and mid-level managers making initial contact—professional enough to command respect, approachable enough to invite conversation.

Discovery & Research

We began by analyzing the visual identity landscape of top-tier consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, Deloitte, and boutique specialists) to understand how industry leaders use branding to establish authority. We researched what differentiates premium consulting brands from generic business advisors, noting that sophistication, restraint, and timelessness are key differentiators. Through conversations with Gashi Strategies, we identified that their clients are mid-to-large enterprises seeking strategic guidance on growth, operations, and transformation—audiences that respond to credibility signals, not flashy creativity. The opportunity was clear: create a brand that feels established and trustworthy despite being new, using design sophistication to bridge the credibility gap.

Design & Development

We explored multiple logo concepts before landing on an abstract geometric mark that suggests strategic thinking and forward momentum without resorting to obvious consulting metaphors. The symbol is intentionally minimalist—sophisticated enough to feel premium, simple enough to be memorable and versatile. The wordmark uses a refined sans-serif typeface with subtle custom modifications to balance authority with approachability. The color palette went through careful refinement to find the perfect balance: deep navy blue conveys trust, professionalism, and strategic depth, while subtle accent colors add warmth without undermining credibility. We developed comprehensive logo lockups (horizontal, stacked, icon-only, reversed) to ensure the brand works flawlessly across business cards, pitch decks, office signage, and digital platforms. The brand guidelines include precise specifications for typography hierarchy, color usage, spacing requirements, and real-world application examples—critical for maintaining consistency when materials are produced by the Gashi team or third-party vendors.

Final Design

The final brand identity combines an elegant abstract logo mark with refined typography and a sophisticated color system anchored by deep navy blue. The symbol communicates strategic thinking and forward momentum without obvious consulting clichés, while the wordmark establishes professionalism and approachability. Together, they create a cohesive brand that positions Gashi Strategies as premium business advisors—sophisticated enough to compete with established firms, modern enough to feel relevant to contemporary business challenges.

Brand Assets Delivered

Gashi Strategies received a production-ready brand identity system designed to establish credibility and premium positioning in the competitive US consulting market. The comprehensive package provides everything needed to present a sophisticated, consistent brand across all client touchpoints.

Complete Brand Package

Abstract geometric logo mark suggesting strategic thinking and forward momentum, scalable from business card to presentation deck

Refined wordmark using custom-modified sans-serif typography for authority and approachability

Deep navy blue color system with subtle accents balancing trust, professionalism, and warmth

Multiple logo variations (horizontal, stacked, icon-only, reversed) for all business applications

Comprehensive brand guidelines including typography hierarchy, color specifications, spacing requirements, and usage examples

Print-ready and web-optimized logo files in all required formats (AI, EPS, SVG, PNG)

What We Learned

This project reinforced that professional services branding is fundamentally about establishing credibility through sophistication and restraint rather than creativity or uniqueness. Business executives evaluating consultants are looking for signals of competence, not memorable design—the brand exists to amplify trust, not to be remembered for its cleverness. The biggest challenge was avoiding the temptation to make the brand "interesting" when what it really needed to be was credible and professional. If we were approaching this again, we'd spend more time upfront understanding the specific client personas Gashi serves—our initial concepts were too abstract for mid-market clients who respond better to approachable professionalism. This experience shaped how we think about branding for service businesses in competitive markets: sophistication wins over differentiation when trust is the primary purchase driver.