Branding, and the truth.
We revised the studio website and stopped to ask what branding actually is. The honest answer is older than the rebrand: find what is already true about a company, give it a face and a voice, and let it run.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
Buddha
01The introspection.
In the process of revising the Workhorse website, we have been doing some introspection on what it is we do around here. We are a design studio, so we design, of course. We are a branding studio, but what is that, exactly? We make logos, yes. We write brand guidelines. We build the websites where the brand hangs out and thrives. But the real value we provide is simpler than any of that: we make people’s ideas into reality. We name them, give them a face, give them a voice. We put legs on them and let them run. To do that well, we have to look for something that is often hard to find: the truth.
02The departure point.
Some people call it the heart of the matter, the core, the brand promise. We call it the truth. Authenticity has to be a brand’s departure point, or it will never be the destination.
A brand built on that truth is free. It gets to be what it always was: an idea that has become real, that reads as if it always existed. It does not just exist in the world now. It belongs in it.
Authenticity has to be a brand’s departure point, or it will never be the destination.
From Section 02
03Coda.
The truth will either guide you or consume you. Don’t hide from it, and don’t play coy with it. Embrace it, and let it light your way.
DC/DOX
In 2022, we teamed up with DC film festival luminaries Sky Sitney and Jamie Shor to create an identity for a new film festival. This festival is all about celebrating documentary films, and it is deeply rooted in DC. They kicked things off with a one-day event that marked the lau
Workhorse: Brands that help experts execute
Workhorse has been a small studio in DC for twelve years. We worked through mergers, a pandemic, and unrest at our doorstep, and through all of it brand stayed at the center of how we worked. We are now building a platform around that conviction.
Workhorse: Brands that help experts execute
Workhorse has been a small studio in DC for twelve years. We worked through mergers, a pandemic, and unrest at our doorstep, and through all of it brand stayed at the center of how we worked. We are now building a platform around that conviction.
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The “Why” Matters: Data vs Insights
In my internet wanderings, I came upon a Fast Company article from ancient history (2011) by design firm, Method. The article drew parallels between standup comedy and innovation. I like a good analogy article, but a few of their points resonated on their own. Specifically, they
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