Branding Brief
Year: 2026 Under Employment: Subcontracted, Front Burner Marketing Deliverables: Logo Refinement, Asset Building, Brand Guidelines
Challenge
Kurtz Bros., Inc., a landscape supply retailer serving Northeast and Central Ohio, had reached a stage of growth where consistent, professional branding is expected. The head of marketing noted the challenge of maintaining a cohesive visual identity and brand voice across multiple store locations without a formal brand manual, and also explained that the existing logo was difficult to work with due to the absence of a usable vector file.
my role
My role in this project was to develop a comprehensive set of brand guidelines for Kurtz Bros. I advised the client on the components typically included in a guidelines package for a company of their size, while also identifying resource gaps and usability issues within the existing brand system. Kurtz asked me to address those challenges as part of the guideline development process.
Approach
I began by addressing foundational gaps in the visual identity system, starting with the logo and color palette. The existing Kurtz Bros. logo had never been fully vectorized, and its fine details and small typography limited its scalability and usability across applications. To resolve this, I created multiple optimized logo variations for different size requirements, including a more legible version for use on dark backgrounds.
The color palette also relied heavily on midtone values, which limited contrast and flexibility. I expanded the system by introducing both lighter and darker shades to create a more versatile and functional palette.
Once those core elements were approved, I developed supporting brand assets — including patterns and iconography — to further strengthen and round out the visual identity system before building the final brand guidelines document.
Result
All items were favorably received, with minor modifications. Caveats for logo usage on apparel needed to be built in, since Kurtz Bros. apparel is often embroidered and the new logo for dark backgrounds would result in a stiff area with a high thread count.
The final document was approved and distributed to the company in April of 2026.