Subtraction as a method.
Thinking about branding as sculpture: starting with the whole block and slowly removing everything that doesn't belong to the final form.
There are two ways to make a brand. The first is to add: to pile on elements until the identity looks complete. The second is to subtract: to start with everything it could be and remove, layer by layer, what doesn't belong.
We prefer the second. It looks less like assembling and more like sculpting. The final form was already inside the block; the work is to reveal it.
The whole block
At the start of a project, we gather references, words, colors, shapes and ideas without a filter. It is a large, heavy block with no form yet. At this stage, nothing is discarded too early.
The ruler of removal
Every element faces a simple question: does the brand lose something essential if this goes? If the answer is no, it goes. We repeat the process until only the elements that hold the meaning remain.
A brand is finished when there is nothing left to take away.
What remains
What remains is usually small: a symbol, two colors, a typeface, a phrase. It is little, and it is enough. The less a brand has to carry, the further it goes.