Marketing agencies commonly care exclusively about performance marketing (ads, SEO, organic content) and neglect proper brand strategy. Freelance designers and design agencies often focus on the visuals and leave the strategy to you. I specialize in both building brand strategy AND designing brand visual and verbal identity development. This means everything I design is informed by a higher strategy meant to bleed into the rest of your company. Additionally, hiring an in-house specialist is often inefficient and costly, as it adds management responsibilities and benefits. The average cost of a generalist graphic designer is between $45k - $80k per year, with brand strategists averaging salaries of $80k-$110k annually. Agencies cost more because they have multiple people covering your projects, including the strategists, designers, project managers, art and creative directors, accountants, and other overhead that they bill you for. Artists aren't the same as designers, and while their work is usually expressive and beautiful, their logos often lack versatility and a clear strategy. My processes lead to an efficient use of my time. I start with the strategy, move into the visual and verbal brand, and end with collateral you can easily utilize, all at an affordable price for the benefits my work provides.

AI is inexpensive and quick, so many companies have started to use it for their brand strategy and identity development. The issue is that they're focused on the short-term cost as opposed to the long-term issues that arise from relying too much on AI. AI is derivative and can only mash together examples it has been fed on. Humans have the ability to be transformative, understanding whole contexts and piecing together seemingly irrelevant concepts that end up making your brand unique. AI brands lean on cliches. I build something new that relates to your specific target audience and represents your brand story. In addition to that, I provide solutions that are scalable, dynamic, timeless, and recognizable. I build logo, color, typography, and photography systems instead of standalone logos, palettes, and fonts. This enables a brand to last beyond any single employee or owner.

Depending on the scope of the project, most projects take between 2-4 months. Basic brand identities with style guides typically take 1-2 months, while deep dives into brand strategy, identity, style guides, plus other deliverables will usually require 3-4 months of work. There will always be a specific timeline communicated before a project begins to ensure we are on the same page. If time is an issue, fast-track rush projects are an option.

All work is single-handedly done by me, West Mata. I've been developing brands since 2019 and have conducted rebrands for multi-million-dollar brands, small start-up companies, and anything in between. I have experience in brand strategy, brand identity design, graphic design, animation, product photography, document design, and many other branding-related areas. I do not use generative AI for my deliverables. The use of generative AI work leads to making brands look like everyone else, which is directly opposed to the core reasons a brand is helpful to organizations. For web-design related projects, I have a team member I work with that has been a part of my most successful branding executions in the past.

I primarily utilize the Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Camera Raw, Bridge, Dimensions, and AfterEffects. I also use Procreate for iPads for hand-drawn digital illustration work, and Figma for web-design. I have been working with Canva's Affinity as well, which works well with Adobe's programs.

I offer a reasonable 2 revisions for brand kits to provide you plenty of room to explore and expand your brand. I keep clients informed throughout the project using weekly check-ins and meetings every 1-2 weeks. This ensures we're building your brand together in a direction that solves your problems and targets your customers accurately. My design work is informed by strategy, and the goal is always to solve a problem, not to create something simply because it's visually interesting to any one person. That being said, the 2 revisions I offer make sure we're on the same page with the solution to your problems.

I try to support and develop brands, so if a project isn't directly contributing to building company's branding, I don't typically handle it. For example, if you request a holiday card design to send to your clients, I would love to be of assistance. On the other hand, if you request a holiday card design for personal reasons, that is a project outside of my offered services. I take this stance because my priority is being a helpful business partner and branding asset.

Past work examples speak for the quality of work I produce regularly for my clients. Because of this, I don't offer refunds, but I'm happy to work with you until you are satisfied with the solutions we build together. Larger project payments typically require half up front, with the other half being paid midway through the project. This is to pay me for my work, but also to give you a chance to leave the project if you're unsatisfied with the direction we're headed. I prefer open communication throughout a project, and healthy critique is something I need from my clients.