Our Pro Tip: Conducting Brand Audit & Art Direction planning with Design System strategy in mind
Introduction
A brand audit and art direction planning are crucial steps in ensuring that a company's brand and visual identity are consistent, cohesive, and effective. By conducting a brand audit and planning art direction, you can identify areas for improvement and create a strategy for achieving your brand and design goals. In this article, we'll discuss some best practices for brand auditing and art direction planning, including design system strategy.
Brand Audit
A brand audit is a process of assessing an organization's brand and its performance. This includes an analysis of the company's target audience, brand identity, positioning, products, and services. It is important to understand how customers perceive the brand and how they interact with it. This helps determine the company's strengths and weaknesses and what changes can be made to improve the brand.
The first step in creating a cohesive and effective brand is to conduct a thorough brand audit. This includes analyzing your brand's current visual identity, messaging, and positioning, as well as researching your competitors and target audience. A brand audit can help you identify areas of improvement and create a plan for achieving your brand goals.
Elements of a Brand Audit:
- Candidate personas
- Careers site
- Social Media Presence
- Recruitment Marketing
- Candidate Experience
- Competitive Analysis
Art Direction Planning
Art direction involves the creation of a unified visual language for a brand. This includes the use of visual elements such as typography, colour, imagery, and layout to create a cohesive brand identity. This includes creating mood boards and style guides, as well as working with photographers, illustrators, and other visual artists to create visual assets that align with your company’s brand. The goal is to create a consistent look and feel that reflects the brand's values, mission, and objectives. It is important to have a clear strategy for art direction planning to ensure that the brand's message is communicated effectively.
Use this checklist to help with your planning:
- Understand the project's goals and objectives
- Establish a visual style
- Use a consistent design language
- Use high-quality assets
- Keep it simple
- Be adaptable to feedback and changes
- Stay up to date with current design trends
- Test and iterate on the design to improve effectiveness.
Design System Strategy
A design system strategy is an integral part of art direction planning. A design system consists of a set of components that are used to create a consistent user experience across different platforms. This includes elements such as typography, colour, icons, and layouts. It is important to have a design system that is flexible and can be adapted as the brand evolves.
Must haves:
- Design Guidelines
- Style Guide
- UI Components
- Page Templates
One of the design systems that we implement:
For valuable insights and inspiration:
Continuously Iterate
A brand and design system is not set in stone, it's important to regularly review and update them as needed. This includes monitoring trends and changes in your industry, as well as gathering feedback from your target audience. By regularly reviewing and updating your brand and design system, you can ensure that they remain relevant and effective.
Brands need to be adaptable to changing trends and technologies, and this should be reflected in the design system strategy. The design system should be flexible enough to adapt to new design trends and technologies while still maintaining consistency with the brand's overall identity. This can be achieved by regularly reviewing and updating the design system to ensure that it stays relevant and current.
Up to 50% Subsidisies on your next implementation strategy with us
For Companies registered and operating in Singapore, with up at least 30% local shareholding - leverage on the Enterprise Development (EDG) grants for your next; Strategy, Implementation or Enablement project with us at Devhaus!
Supporting Asia’s teams - from all shapes and size
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some pointers, and a little - 'Quick bite-sized information'.
A: The choice depends on your current stage and specific needs:Alpha ($15K) - If you need to validate a new idea, conduct market research, or develop a go-to-market strategy before building anything
Beta ($25K+) - If you're ready to build an MVP, new website, or CMS with user-focused design and basic analytics
Gamma ($50K+) - If you have an existing system that needs growth acceleration, marketing automation, or enhanced analytics
Delta ($200K+) - If you're undertaking comprehensive digital transformation with legacy system modernization
Epsilon ($30K+) - If you have existing systems (preferably built by us) that need performance optimization and technical debt reductionNot sure? Book a free 30-minute consultation with Rohan (rohan@admiralsystems.io) to discuss your specific situation and get a tailored recommendation.
Our pricing is completely transparent with fixed-scope packages:
What's Included:
- Dedicated team of 3-5 specialists per engagement
- All deliverables listed in the engagement model
- Comprehensive enablement documentation
- Project management and regular progress reports
- Up to the maximum man-hours specified (200-1,200 hours depending on engagement)
No Hidden Costs Policy:As long as your project stays within the agreed scope and timeline, there are no additional charges
- All potential add-ons are clearly listed upfront with fixed pricing
- For Singapore companies: EDG grants can cover 50-70% of costs (we handle the entire grant process)
When Additional Costs Apply:
- Scope changes beyond the original engagement (requires new engagement purchase)
- Client-caused delays that exceed allocated man-hours
- Optional add-ons you specifically request
Each engagement has a defined maximum timeline:
- Alpha: 2-8 weeks (200 hours)
- Beta: 8-12 weeks (280-500 hours)
- Gamma: 16-20 weeks (700 hours)
- Delta: 26-52 weeks (1,200 hours)
- Epsilon: 6-10 weeks (300 hours)
- Project Delays: We build buffer time into our estimates to account for normal client feedback cycles
( If delays are caused by our team, we absorb the additional costsIf delays are client-caused and exceed our allocated man-hours, additional charges may apply at our standard hourly ratesWe provide weekly progress reports so you always know where we stand)
- Acceleration Options: Rush delivery available with 50% surcharge for urgent needs
We can often compress timelines by adding additional team members! If you have your own development team, we're more than happy to take it up to hi-fi prototyping so it'll be a ton less work for your Dev team!
We can only guide you through it - having said that, we're experienced grant partners and handle the entire process:
Grant Coverage:
- Singapore SMEs: Up to 50% of project costs covered
- Sustainability projects: Up to 70% coverage (until March 2026)
- Our services align with multiple EDG categories: Business Strategy Development, Financial Management, Human Capital Development, and Strategic Brand & Marketing Development
Our Grant Process:
Partner Network: We work with Real Inbound Consulting (certified TR 43/SS 680) for grant administration
Full Service: Application preparation, document submission, project management, audit support, and claims processing
Administration Fees: $7,800-$15,000 depending on project size (much less than the grant savings)
Success Rate: High approval rate based on our experience with 50+ grant applications
Eligibility Requirements:
- Singapore-registered company30%+ local equity held by citizens/PRs
- Financially stable to complete the project
- Project hasn't commenced before application
Timeline: Grant approval typically takes 4-6 weeks before project commencement.
We offer multiple post-engagement options:
Immediate Post-Completion:
- 30-day warranty period for any bugs or issues
- Complete handover documentation and training
- Knowledge transfer to your internal team
Ongoing Support Plans:
Starting from
Basic ($5K/year): 40 hours, bi-annual check-ins, basic troubleshooting
Advanced ($10K/year): 80 hours, quarterly check-ins, strategy sessions
Premium ($20K/year): 120 hours, monthly check-ins, dedicated account manager
Growth & Evolution:New Requirements: Purchase additional engagement models for new projects
System Expansion: Beta → Gamma → Delta progression path available
Continuous Optimization: Epsilon engagements for ongoing performance improvements
Key Principle: Support covers maintenance and optimization of existing systems, but new features or integrations require new engagement models to ensure proper scoping and quality.
Key differentiators set us apart:
1. Asian Market Expertise:
- First Webflow Enterprise partner in Asia
- Deep understanding of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesian markets
- Multi-language, multi-currency, cross-border commerce experience
2. Comprehensive MarTech Integration:
- Partners with 15+ best-in-class platforms (Segment, Customer.io, Fullstory, etc.)
- End-to-end data pipeline orchestration (not just point solutions)
- Unified dashboard approach preventing "tool sprawl"
3. Award-Winning Creative + Technical Team:
- 2024 Fullstory Service Partner Award winner (APAC)
- Design team that creates "jaw-dropping creatives" alongside technical implementation for your analytics
- Creative-technical convergence in every project
