Small businesses & founders
A brand identity that still fits you in three years' time.
Most small businesses don't need a rebrand deck. They need a clear name, a confident look, and a handful of things they can use tomorrow morning.
Happy Hour Studio creates brand identities and visual systems for small businesses, founders and independent brands — logo and wordmark, typography, colour, packaging, print and simple guidelines. Independent studio in East Sussex working with clients in London, along the South Coast, across the UK and remotely worldwide.
Who it's for
Founders launching something and needing a name to look like a real brand from day one.
Small businesses who have outgrown a logo made in a hurry and want a system rather than a file.
Food, drink and hospitality brands needing packaging, menus and print that hold together.
Practitioners and studios — coaches, makers, consultants — whose brand has to carry their personality.
What a project includes
01
Getting to know the business
A proper conversation about what you sell, who buys it and what you want people to feel. No jargon workshops.
02
The core identity
Logo or wordmark, typography, colour palette and any graphic devices or illustration the brand needs to feel like itself.
03
Applied to real things
Packaging, signage, menus, cards, social templates, website direction — whatever your brand actually touches first.
04
Guidelines you'll use
A short, plain-English guide and organised files, so you or your next designer can keep it consistent.
Selected work
Brand
Happy Hour Cakes
A playful cake brand built from scratch.
Brand identity
Maria Lovelady
A brand system designed to grow with Maria's clients.
Brand
Dote
Dote
Identity and packaging for a food brand.
Brand
Green Roots
Branding and packaging for a sustainable wine range.
Campaign
Côte Spring menus
Côte
Seasonal campaign, menus, social, digital and event design.
Common questions
- How long does a brand identity take?
- Typically four to eight weeks, depending on how much is being applied. Smaller, focused projects can be quicker.
- Do you build websites too?
- I design the brand and its visual direction, and can design and build a straightforward site or work alongside your developer.
- Do I own the artwork?
- Yes. On completion the final artwork and identity are yours to use, and you get organised files rather than a single flattened logo.
- What does it cost?
- It depends on scope, so I quote per project after a first conversation. See Working together for how projects are structured.
Building something that needs a look?
You don't need a finished brief or a fixed budget to get in touch. If something's on your mind, that's enough to start.