Projects can proceed without established brand assets either by commissioning identity work first through our Creative department or by beginning technical scoping using structural placeholders.
We do not produce finished interfaces, digital products, or public-facing assets without agreed typography, colour tokens, and core marks.
The two operational pathways
When you engage the studio without existing visual assets, your project must follow one of two structured pathways:
1. Sequential brand identity and build: Our Creative department develops your core visual identity before technical production begins. This includes primary and secondary marks, colour palettes, typography pairings, and usage rules. Once signed off, these assets pass to our Technology department to inform user interface design and software engineering. 2. Architecture-first with structural placeholders: If your timeline demands immediate technical planning, the Technology department scopes information architecture, wireframes, database schemas, and functional logic using neutral design tokens (monochrome wireframes and standard system fonts). Production halts at the high-fidelity styling stage until approved brand assets are supplied or commissioned.
Attempting to design high-fidelity layouts or marketing materials without agreed branding leads to discarded work and scope disputes. We do not begin aesthetic design without approved visual foundations.
Briefing and quote sequence
If you need the studio to develop your brand assets, the sequence runs as follows:
- Brief submission: You submit your project details and project objectives through the Ask Xylo chat on this portal. State clearly that you require brand creation alongside any technical or production work.
- Departmental review: Operations & Client Services coordinates with the Creative department to review the brief during studio hours (Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT).
- Scoping and quotation: For bespoke scopes, a written quote is issued within 48 hours of receiving a complete brief. If you selected standard services, pricing is detailed directly on the packages page. If you were referred by an existing partner, your 10–30% discount is calculated and itemised in writing on this quote, while the referrer is credited through the ambassador programme.
- Sign-off: Once the deposit is received, work is scheduled. Deposits are non-refundable once your production slot is held. Before work begins, sums not yet earned are refunded pro rata; after work begins, completed work and booked time are charged. Defects are fixed free of charge within the acceptance window. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page of the main site.
What you must supply
If you do not have a formal brand pack, brand guidelines document, or vector asset library, you must provide foundational source material before creative discovery starts:
- Company positioning: A clear, written summary of what your business does, who your end users or customers are, and the market context in which you operate.
- Visual references and counter-examples: Between three and five examples of brands, aesthetics, or visual styles that represent your desired visual territory, alongside clear counter-examples of directions to avoid entirely.
- Existing legal constraints: Any pre-existing registered names, required trademark marks, or mandatory copy requirements.
- Content draft material: Real or realistic copy, service names, and product descriptions. Visual assets cannot be designed accurately in the abstract around arbitrary placeholder text.
Timelines and failure cases
Omitting or delaying brand asset production directly affects production schedules and milestones.
- Parallel dependencies: The Technology department cannot finalise design systems, component libraries, or public front-ends while branding remains unresolved. Sprints reliant on styling will be paused.
- Mid-project asset submission: If you choose to supply assets from an external designer during our build, they must be delivered in production-ready vector formats (SVG, EPS, or native Figma components) accompanied by precise hex codes and web font licences. Submitting low-resolution raster images (JPEG, PNG) will halt production while proper assets are requested.
- Schedule slippage: When assets are delayed on the client side, your build slot in the studio calendar may need to be rescheduled around existing studio commitments.
Readiness checklist
Before confirming your project schedule through Ask Xylo, ensure you have addressed the following items:
- Confirmed whether brand creation is included in your current scope or package.
- Identified your preferred aesthetic references and explicit non-preferences.
- Secured commercial web font licences or agreed to use open-source typography.
- Documented all mandatory copy, legal trading names, and trademark considerations.
- Appointed a single stakeholder responsible for visual sign-off during Creative reviews.