Tag: independent

Benz

Design Kit

  • Color Palette for Print & Screen
  • Font Selections & Styling
  • Photo Style Selection
  • Icon Family Selection
  • Two 1-on-1 Consultations
  • How-to Guide

Select from 5 Color Palettes

Purchase Now

Benz Design Kit

This Design Kit suits brands with a penchant for practicality and a taste for adventure. Your audience would be drawn to this look & feel for its casual, natural and energizing qualities.

Whether your offerings center around the outdoors, STEM, athletics, political passions, apps, educational content, and more, you’ll enjoy the approachability of the bright, earthy color palette, bold font selections, icons and dramatic photography style.

Ideal for these brand archetypes:

Explorer

Hero

Creator

Innovator

Tags:

Adventurous, Bold, Bright, Earthy, Energetic, Independent, Natural, Practical

What’s Included

Font Selections & Hierarchy

Give your documents and website an instant facelift with recommended font weights and sizes for headings, paragraphs, subheadings, and more.

Versatile Color Palette

Keep your colors consistent across print, swag and screen with professionally selected colors. Colors are listed in Pantone, RGB, CMYK & HEX formats.

Photography Style

Photos play a central role in your look & feel, and in your ability to communicate ideas. Learn how to select and style your images to complete your polished look.

Swag Selection

Your company might not feel real until you have the t-shirt to prove it. We’ve done the shopping for you with recommendations for soft tees to fit your values and budget.

Icon Style

Icons are essential for quickly relaying concepts and catching users eyes as they scan through information. We include a selection of icons to embellish your work.

How-to Guide

This 12+ page guide shows you how to apply your design specs to collateral, swag, products & websites. Industry secrets and lifetime updates included.

Two 30-min Consultations

Get expert support for your brand and marketing questions from Founder & Creative Director, Kari Kay. Choose when to use your consultations within 90 days of purchase.

Lean Design for Startups was developed by Kari Kay, the Founder and Creative Director of Plot Creative Studio based in Seattle, WA, to help more entrepreneurs bring their vision to life. Since 2006, Kari has developed creative strategies for startups, scaling companies, mid-size corporations, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 100s. Companies rely on Kari’s keen insights, strategic questions, and confident directives to define and refine their brand strategy and product design. A systems thinker who is passionate about efficiency and creativity, Kari brings design principles to businesses to help them pinpoint their value and focus their energy on what matters most. 

Color Palette Options

Choose from one of five color options. Or, select the Custom Color Palette Add-on to work with us on a fully custom branded color palette. We’ll guide you to colors that resonate with your company and audience, and set you apart from competitors.

Reserve your Design Kit today.

Starting at $2,700

Easy to Use

Professionally Designed for Non-Designers

Take the guesswork out of applying your colors and fonts, or choosing images for your marketing materials.

Effortlessly Share with Team Members & Contractors

Managing assets between collaborators is a job in itself. Keep your design guidelines in one place, always ready to share.

Compatible with Any App, Platform or File Type

Ideal for a Variety of Businesses

  • SaaS Companies
  • Developers
  • Copywriters
  • Consultants
  • Physicians
  • Fitness Coaches
  • Stylists
  • Authors
  • Educators / Thought Leaders
  • Speakers
  • eCommerce
  • and more…

When to Use a Design Kit

Launch a New Brand

Accelerate your growth with a solid, scalable marketing foundation.

Save Time Hunting & Tweaking

Get your look & feel right the first time. Simply copy & paste directly from the provided guide to create consistently branded documents, web pages, social media and more.

Update Your Existing Look & Feel

Get your team on the same page with a consistent look & feel.

See Instant Improvements

Use your Design Kit during any point in your growth to solidify your look and create a memorable presence. Instead of trying out a new look with each product or piece of collateral, our comprehensive Design Kit allows you to reduce design work for you and your team with plug n’ play design.

Reserve your Design Kit today.

Starting at $2,700
Daguerre

Design Kit

  • Color Palette for Print & Screen
  • Font Selections & Styling
  • Photo Style Selection
  • Icon Family Selection
  • Two 1-on-1 Consultations
  • How-to Guide

Select from 5 Color Palettes

Purchase Now

Daguerre Design Kit

This Design Kit suits strong brands looking to take a stand or make a memorable impression. Your audience would be drawn to this look & feel for its bold, tell-it-like-it-is vibe and energizing qualities.

Whether your offerings center around music, artistic pursuits, political passions, apps, educational content, and more, you’ll enjoy the bold, boisterous attitude evident in the dark color palette, heavy font selections, icons and dramatic photography style.

Ideal for these brand archetypes:

Creator

Sage

Innovator

Sovereign

Innocent

Explorer

Tags:

Clean, Independent, Modern, Refined, Serious, Subtle

What’s Included

Font Selections & Hierarchy

Give your documents and website an instant facelift with recommended font weights and sizes for headings, paragraphs, subheadings, and more.

Versatile Color Palette

Keep your colors consistent across print, swag and screen with professionally selected colors. Colors are listed in Pantone, RGB, CMYK & HEX formats.

Photography Style

Photos play a central role in your look & feel, and in your ability to communicate ideas. Learn how to select and style your images to complete your polished look.

Swag Selection

Your company might not feel real until you have the t-shirt to prove it. We’ve done the shopping for you with recommendations for soft tees to fit your values and budget.

Icon Style

Icons are essential for quickly relaying concepts and catching users eyes as they scan through information. We include a selection of icons to embellish your work.

How-to Guide

This 12+ page guide shows you how to apply your design specs to collateral, swag, products & websites. Industry secrets and lifetime updates included.

Two 30-min Consultations

Get expert support for your brand and marketing questions from Founder & Creative Director, Kari Kay. Choose when to use your consultations within 90 days of purchase.

Lean Design for Startups was developed by Kari Kay, the Founder and Creative Director of Plot Creative Studio based in Seattle, WA, to help more entrepreneurs bring their vision to life. Since 2006, Kari has developed creative strategies for startups, scaling companies, mid-size corporations, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 100s. Companies rely on Kari’s keen insights, strategic questions, and confident directives to define and refine their brand strategy and product design. A systems thinker who is passionate about efficiency and creativity, Kari brings design principles to businesses to help them pinpoint their value and focus their energy on what matters most. 

Daguerre Design Kit

Color Palette Options

Choose from one of five color options. Or, select the Custom Color Palette Add-on to work with us on a fully custom branded color palette. We’ll guide you to colors that resonate with your company and audience, and set you apart from competitors.

Reserve your Design Kit today.

Starting at $2,700

Easy to Use

Professionally Designed for Non-Designers

Take the guesswork out of applying your colors and fonts, or choosing images for your marketing materials.

Effortlessly Share with Team Members & Contractors

Managing assets between collaborators is a job in itself. Keep your design guidelines in one place, always ready to share.

Compatible with Any App, Platform or File Type

Ideal for a Variety of Businesses

  • SaaS Companies
  • Developers
  • Copywriters
  • Consultants
  • Physicians
  • Fitness Coaches
  • Stylists
  • Authors
  • Educators / Thought Leaders
  • Speakers
  • eCommerce
  • and more…

When to Use a Design Kit

Launch a New Brand

Accelerate your growth with a solid, scalable marketing foundation.

Save Time Hunting & Tweaking

Get your look & feel right the first time. Simply copy & paste directly from the provided guide to create consistently branded documents, web pages, social media and more.

Update Your Existing Look & Feel

Get your team on the same page with a consistent look & feel.

See Instant Improvements

Use your Design Kit during any point in your growth to solidify your look and create a memorable presence. Instead of trying out a new look with each product or piece of collateral, our comprehensive Design Kit allows you to reduce design work for you and your team with plug n’ play design.

Reserve your Design Kit today.

Starting at $2,700

Clear, Expressive, Bold

Mood Board

Mood boards are curated groups of images that visualize a vibe. This is the second step in narrowing down a look & feel to effectively convey your brand message.

Brands in this category don’t shy away from attention. Punchy, straightforward and confident, these companies know how to make a statement and be comfortable in their own skin. Customers are drawn to them for their aura of success, creative tendencies, and their ability to reinvent or breathe life into tired industries or approaches.

Notice how the sample brands below selected strong colors, geometric shapes, and fonts. Instead of a delicate palette or subtle details, they’ve opted for dim, naturally lit photos, heavy-handed color and thick, sharp-edged lines. Combined, these elements produce an energetic look that allows room for experimental variations to keep them looking fresh.

Ideal for these archetypes:

Creator

Hero

Sovereign

Tags:

Bold, Bright, Confident, Clear, Creative, Expressive, Smart, Independent, Refreshing, Strong

Is this the right feel for your brand?

The images below show how various companies have used color, type, icons, photos, illustrations and textures together to translate their personality into a unique look and feel. As you consider your company’s presence, do these samples achieve the vibe you’re after?

Please note: The images posted here are subject to copyrights owned by the individuals or entities who created them. They are intended for educational purposes, and not to be used for your brand or for any other personal or commercial use.

TIP: Audiences drawn to this look want to see strength and courage. Whether they seek this to supplement what they feel they lack themselves, or because they demand the best, this crowd will be particular. They will be put off by anything appearing weak, non-committal or inauthentic. Be decisive and admit when a mistake has been made.

Not quite the vibe you’re looking for? Explore All Mood Boards

Get the look! Choose a Design Kit to match this vibe.

Choose Design Kit

Understated, Minimal, Professional

Mood Board

Mood boards are curated groups of images that visualize a vibe. This is the second step in narrowing down a look & feel to effectively convey your brand message.

Naturally sleek, these brands have a gift for making a statement without shouting for attention. Their elegance and clarity attracts an audience with picky palettes who yearn for the best in whatever products or services they seek.

When it comes to feel, nuance and subtlety are weapons in the hands of these brands. Thoughtfully selected type styles, colors and textures are woven together to create a rich, layered experience. Brand experiences can be further enhanced with clever wording and unique scavenged materials that help share a story that goes beyond the product or service being offered. In this way, the audience becomes part of the experience in a more intimate way, bonding with the brand through their own intellect and imaginations.

Ideal for these archetypes:

Creator

Sovereign

Explorer

Tags:

Artistic, Clear, Clever, Creative, Elegant, High-end, Independent, Mysterious, Natural, Nuanced, Polished, Professional, Sleek, Subtle, Understated, Unique

Is this the right feel for your brand?

The images below show how various companies have used color, type, icons, photos, illustrations and textures together to translate their personality into a unique look and feel. As you consider your company’s presence, do these samples achieve the vibe you’re after?

Please note: The images posted here are subject to copyrights owned by the individuals or entities who created them. They are intended for educational purposes, and not to be used for your brand or for any other personal or commercial use.

TIP: Audiences with an independent streak are difficult to convince. They will tend to be skeptical and do things on their own time. Be careful not to pander to them, oversell them or push them to take action. They tend to be interested in high quality, high value offerings and ignore what could be perceived as a waste of time. The more transparent you are, and the more room you give them, the happier they will be.

Get the look! Choose a Design Kit to match this vibe.

Choose Design Kit

Not quite the vibe you’re looking for? Explore All Mood Boards

Get the look! Choose a Design Kit to match this vibe.

Choose Design Kit

Lighthearted, Sweet, Relational

Mood Board

Mood boards are curated groups of images that visualize a vibe. This is the second step in narrowing down a look & feel to effectively convey your brand message.

Like a breath of fresh air, these brands are surprisingly effective at cutting through categories where stuffy, overcomplicated, unfair or rule-laden institutions have dominated. With customer happiness at their core, these brands convey a cheerful disposition and draw in scads of users who may have felt neglected, mistreated, bored, or frustrated with the powers that be.

Brands oozing positivity often use color and bold fonts to call attention to what they might consider the better, easier choice. A playful tone, bubbly spokesperson and simple messaging seals the deal for those wary of dry content or legalese. Lots of wide-open spaces and clean layouts drive home a reassuring vibe of simplicity and freedom.

Ideal for these archetypes:

Innocent

Lover

Caregiver

Citizen

Tags:

Approachable, Cheerful, Fun, Happy, Independent, Liberating, Positive, Refreshing, Simple

Is this the right feel for your brand?

The images below show how various companies have used color, type, icons, photos, illustrations and textures together to translate their personality into a unique look and feel. As you consider your company’s presence, do these samples achieve the vibe you’re after?

Please note: The images posted here are subject to copyrights owned by the individuals or entities who created them. They are intended for educational purposes, and not to be used for your brand or for any other personal or commercial use.

TIP: Audiences with an independent streak are difficult to convince. They will tend to be skeptical and do things on their own time. Be careful not to pander to them, oversell them or push them to take action. They tend to be interested in high quality, high value offerings and ignore what could be perceived as a waste of time. The more transparent you are, and the more room you give them, the happier they will be.

Not quite the vibe you’re looking for? Explore All Mood Boards

Get the look! Choose a Design Kit to match this vibe.

Choose Design Kit

Witty, Ridiculous, Sophisticated

Mood Board

Mood boards are curated groups of images that visualize a vibe. This is the second step in narrowing down a look & feel to effectively convey your brand message.

Dry humor isn’t for everyone, but it does a fine job getting a point across without bringing down the mood. These brands have a knack for spotting oddities and inconsistencies that can make us laugh and think critically simultaneously. Those drawn to this approach tend to appreciate the intellectual sparring that surrounds brands in this category. Some may watch in amusement while they poke fun at any number of topics or personalities, from political or religious leaders to daily life occurrences. They provide a charming alternative to conversations that could otherwise be difficult, dreadful, or just plain awkward.

Brands with this vibe can take on many visual forms. Tonally, they may come across as posh, stuffy or uppity at first, only to pepper in random curse words or absurd concepts that keep the audience on their toes, trying to anticipate their next jab.

Ideal for these archetypes:

Jester

Lover

Tags:

Composed, Entertaining, Funny, Intelligent, Independent, Polished, Relational, Ridiculous, Sophisticated, Strategic, Witty

Is this the right feel for your brand?

The images below show how various companies have used color, type, icons, photos, illustrations and textures together to translate their personality into a unique look and feel. As you consider your company’s presence, do these samples achieve the vibe you’re after?

Please note: The images posted here are subject to copyrights owned by the individuals or entities who created them. They are intended for educational purposes, and not to be used for your brand or for any other personal or commercial use.

TIP: Audiences with an independent streak are difficult to convince. They will tend to be skeptical and do things on their own time. Be careful not to pander to them, oversell them or push them to take action. They tend to be interested in high quality, high value offerings and ignore what could be perceived as a waste of time. The more transparent you are, and the more room you give them, the happier they will be.

Not quite the vibe you’re looking for? Explore All Mood Boards

Get the look! Choose a Design Kit to match this vibe.

Choose Design Kit

Edgy, Funny, Insatiable

Mood Board

Mood boards are curated groups of images that visualize a vibe. This is the second step in narrowing down a look & feel to effectively convey your brand message.

The combination of edgy and funny can be expressed in a number of styles, ranging from parody to overt and absurd. Something seemingly innocent might be anything but(t) upon closer inspection.

Depending on the humor, these brands can take on many styles, but will tend towards either a strong, in-your-face appearance with bold fonts and colors, or juvenile scrawling like the drawings found on middle school students’ notebooks. A more sophisticated brand with other archetypal characteristics might take on a stuffy appearance to catch people off guard when their real personality comes out.

Ideal for these archetypes:

Jester

Lover

Tags:

Bold, Edgy, Expressive, Fun, Funny, Independent, Intelligent, Insatiable, Ridiculous, Smart

Is this the right feel for your brand?

The images below show how various companies have used color, type, icons, photos, illustrations and textures together to translate their personality into a unique look and feel. As you consider your company’s presence, do these samples achieve the vibe you’re after?

Please note: The images posted here are subject to copyrights owned by the individuals or entities who created them. They are intended for educational purposes, and not to be used for your brand or for any other personal or commercial use.

TIP: Audiences with an independent streak are difficult to convince. They will tend to be skeptical and do things on their own time. Be careful not to pander to them, oversell them or push them to take action. They tend to be interested in high quality, high value offerings and ignore what could be perceived as a waste of time. The more transparent you are, and the more room you give them, the happier they will be.