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 Overview

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

Select from 5 Color Palettes

Each color has been individually selected for its versatility in printed collateral and swag, as well as on screen in websites and apps. Every color palette has been tested to meet accessibility standards, and includes various theming options to keep your brand feeling fresh.

Color Palette Options

Choose from five color palettes. Need to match your existing brand? Upgrade to a custom color palette.

Included in Every Design Kit

Font Selections & Hierarchy

Give your documents and website an instant facelift with exact instructions for styling text: font, weight, sizes and color for headings, paragraphs, and more.

Versatile Color Palette

Keep brand colors consistent across print, screen and swag with professionally selected colors. Listed in Pantone, RGB, CMYK, HEX, HSB and HSL formats.

Image Style

Images play a central role in your look & feel, and in your ability to communicate. Learn how to select photos or illustrations to complete your polished look.

Swag Selection

Spread the word about your company with branded gear. We’ve done the shopping for you with recommendations for soft tees to fit your values and budget.

Icon Style

Icons relay concepts quickly and catch users’ eyes as they scan through information. We include a selection of icon families to embellish your work.

Step-by Step Instructions

Our detailed instructions and examples help you style your collateral, swag, products & websites. Industry secrets and lifetime updates included.

✔️ Brand Launch Checklist

✔️ Design Kit Implementation Checklist

✔️ Matching One Sheet Template

✔️ Supports Light & Dark Themes

✔️ Tested for Accessibility Standards

✔️ Cloud-based—always in sync

Two 30-min Consultations

Get brand-building guidance from Founder & Design Strategist, Kari Kay. Choose when to use your consultations within 90 days of purchase.

Kari brings nearly 20 years of professional brand and product design experience, working across Fortune 100s, Fortune 500s, mid-market enterprises, small businesses, NGOs and startups in a variety of industries.

Flexible Enough to Use Anywhere

Professionally Designed for Non-Designers

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

Share with Team Members & Contractors

Design Kits live in the cloud, always in sync and ready to share.

Compatible with Any App

Style your website, create polished presentations, and generate cohesive collateral on-the-fly.

Built for Early Stage Startups & Solopreneurs

Ideal for Online Businesses

Software Companies
Independent Consultants
Independent Practitioners
Coaches, Speakers & Educators

Launch a New Brand

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

Update Your Existing Look & Feel

Use your Design Kit to overhaul your old look and embrace a relevant image.

Look Professional & Consistent as You Grow

Design Kits are Extensible & Scalable on Demand

Be prepared for unexpected opportunities, while keeping your brand cohesive. Design Kits come with access to an exclusive marketplace full of pre-formatted marketing materials made to match your Design Kit.

Get Pivot Insurance™
for Peace of Mind

Reduce costs and minimize disruptions in the event that your company changes course. Pivot Insurance allows you to swap Design Kits any time within a year of purchase to ease the transition and maintain momentum.

View Details

Purchase Add-ons to Increase your Speed to Market

Take advantage of our matching, pre-made marketing templates for your next sales pitch or product launch. Schedule consulting services for customized support.

Get Help Selecting Images

45-min consultation

Custom Color Palette

Refine existing brand colors

On-demand Marketing Templates

One sheets & presentations

Start Using Your Design Kit Today

All Design Kits: $2,700 · Volume discounts available

Purchase Now, Decide Later

Ready to purchase, but can’t decide which Design Kit or color is best for your organization? Purchase now, and get a free 20-min. consultation to help guide your decision.

Purchase Any Design Kit

Purchase Benz Design Kit

Congratulations—you’ve found the one! Select your preferred color palette during checkout, and start using the Benz Design Kit immediately after purchase.

Purchase Benz Design Kit

Need help selecting a Design Kit?

Free Consultation

Design Kit FAQs

What if I’m not sure which Design Kit is the right one for my company?

We created the Lean Design Brand Personality Quiz, and subsequent landing pages with brand examples to help you narrow down the right kit for you. If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, start here

If you’re still not sure you’ve found the right fit, schedule a consultation here
Are logo design services included in Lean Design Kits?

Logo design is not included in our Lean Design Kits. However, if this is something you’re looking for, please drop us a line here
What if our company already has brand colors, but we just want them tweaked a little?

We can work with that! Select the Custom color palette upgrade when you purchase your Design Kit.
Are Lean Design Kits compatible with Mac and PC?

Your Design Kit will be accessible via our cloud-based portal. The files linked from inside the Design Kit are compatible with all popular operating systems, including MacOS and Windows.
What file formats are included in Lean Design Kits?
Your Design Kit will be accessible via our cloud-based portal. The files linked from inside the Design Kit are compatible with all popular operating systems, including Mac and PC. They will only need to be downloaded once during setup on your desktop or laptop computer.

Files may include:
- Font files in WOFF, TTF or OTF format
- Icon files in .ico, .svg or .png
- Images in .jpg or .png
What if I don’t think I need everything in the Lean Design Kit, like icon selections or photo styling?

While we allow you to add to your Lean Design Kit, we don’t offer more pared down kits. Kits include the essentials needed to create a system of matching collateral and products so companies can focus on the work they do best. By doing this, we help your company look more polished and eliminate the inefficiencies of piecemeal brand building. This saves your company time and energy and keeps assets in a shareable, documented format for all collaborators.
Is a Lean Design Kit the same as a Design System?

No. Design Systems include tokens for styles and components that are used specifically for developing websites and products alone. Lean Design Kits can be used anywhere, in print or on screen. Our Lean Design Kits can be used in conjunction with a Design System or UI Kit to make your website and products match your brand.
Were these Design Kits generated by AI?

Not even a little bit. Everything included in the Design Kits was hand selected, tested in real-world scenarios, and (analyzed to bits) by professional design veteran, Kari Kay. All instructions were written and edited by Kari Kay as well.
Where can I read the license agreement?

Design Kit License

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

Color Palette Options

Choose from five color palettes. Need to match your existing brand? Upgrade to a custom color palette.

Included in Every Design Kit

Font Selections & Hierarchy

Give your documents and website an instant facelift with exact instructions for styling text: font, weight, sizes and color for headings, paragraphs, and more.

Versatile Color Palette

Keep brand colors consistent across print, screen and swag with professionally selected colors. Listed in Pantone, RGB, CMYK, HEX, HSB and HSL formats.

Image Style

Images play a central role in your look & feel, and in your ability to communicate. Learn how to select photos or illustrations to complete your polished look.

Swag Selection

Spread the word about your company with branded gear. We’ve done the shopping for you with recommendations for soft tees to fit your values and budget.

Icon Style

Icons relay concepts quickly and catch users’ eyes as they scan through information. We include a selection of icon families to embellish your work.

Step-by Step Instructions

Our detailed instructions and examples help you style your collateral, swag, products & websites. Industry secrets and lifetime updates included.

✔️ Brand Launch Checklist

✔️ Design Kit Implementation Checklist

✔️ Matching One Sheet Template

✔️ Supports Light & Dark Themes

✔️ Tested for Accessibility Standards

✔️ Cloud-based—always in sync

Two 30-min Consultations

Get brand-building guidance from Founder & Design Strategist, Kari Kay. Choose when to use your consultations within 90 days of purchase.

Flexible Enough to Use Anywhere

Professionally Designed for Non-Designers

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

Share with Team Members & Contractors

Design Kits live in the cloud, always in sync and ready to share.

Compatible with Any App

Style your website, create polished presentations, and generate cohesive collateral on-the-fly.

Built for Early Stage Startups & Solopreneurs

Ideal for Online Businesses

Software Companies
Independent Consultants
Independent Practitioners
Coaches, Speakers & Educators

Launch a New Brand

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

Update Your Existing Look & Feel

Use your Design Kit to overhaul your old look and embrace a relevant image.

Look Professional & Consistent as You Grow

Design Kits are Extensible & Scalable on Demand

Get Pivot Insurance™
for Peace of Mind

View Details

Purchase Add-ons to Increase your Speed to Market

Take advantage of our matching, pre-made marketing templates for your next sales pitch or product launch. Schedule consulting services for customized support.

Get Help Selecting Images

45-min consultation

Custom Color Palette

Refine existing brand colors

On-demand Marketing Templates

One sheets & presentations

Reserve Your Design Kit Today

All Design Kits: $2,700 · Volume discounts available

Purchase Now, Decide Later

Ready to purchase, but can’t decide which Design Kit or color is best for your organization? Purchase now, and get a free 20-min. consultation to help guide your decision.

Purchase Any Design Kit

Reserve Daguerre Design Kit

Congratulations—you’ve found the one! Contact us with your preferred color palette and we will prepare the Daguerre Design Kit for you within 2 business days.

Reserve Daguerre Design Kit

Need help selecting a Design Kit?

Free Consultation

Design Kit FAQs

What if I’m not sure which Design Kit is the right one for my company?

We created the Lean Design Brand Personality Quiz, and subsequent landing pages with brand examples to help you narrow down the right kit for you. If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, start here

If you’re still not sure you’ve found the right fit, schedule a consultation here
Are logo design services included in Lean Design Kits?

Logo design is not included in our Lean Design Kits. However, if this is something you’re looking for, please drop us a line here
What if our company already has brand colors, but we just want them tweaked a little?

We can work with that! Select the Custom color palette upgrade when you purchase your Design Kit.
Are Lean Design Kits compatible with Mac and PC?

Your Design Kit will be accessible via our cloud-based portal. The files linked from inside the Design Kit are compatible with all popular operating systems, including MacOS and Windows.
What file formats are included in Lean Design Kits?
Your Design Kit will be accessible via our cloud-based portal. The files linked from inside the Design Kit are compatible with all popular operating systems, including Mac and PC. They will only need to be downloaded once during setup on your desktop or laptop computer.

Files may include:
- Font files in WOFF, TTF or OTF format
- Icon files in .ico, .svg or .png
- Images in .jpg or .png
What if I don’t think I need everything in the Lean Design Kit, like icon selections or photo styling?

While we allow you to add to your Lean Design Kit, we don’t offer more pared down kits. Kits include the essentials needed to create a system of matching collateral and products so companies can focus on the work they do best. By doing this, we help your company look more polished and eliminate the inefficiencies of piecemeal brand building. This saves your company time and energy and keeps assets in a shareable, documented format for all collaborators.
Is a Lean Design Kit the same as a Design System?

No. Design Systems include tokens for styles and components that are used specifically for developing websites and products alone. Lean Design Kits can be used anywhere, in print or on screen. Our Lean Design Kits can be used in conjunction with a Design System or UI Kit to make your website and products match your brand.
Were these Design Kits generated by AI?

Not even a little bit. Everything included in the Design Kits was hand selected, tested in real-world scenarios, and (analyzed to bits) by professional design veteran, Kari Kay. All instructions were written and edited by Kari Kay as well.
Where can I read the license agreement?

Design Kit License

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?

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?

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?

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?

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

Tough, Rugged, Intentional

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 most notable characteristic of brands and audiences that belong on this mood board is a sense of independence. This is the board for DIYers, lone wolfs, MacGyvers and, in more extreme cases, hermits and conspiracy theorists. Members of this group have a highly developed intuition and innate inner strength that keep them laser focused on the task at hand. This combination gives them what others might perceive as a sixth sense. They may be described as extraordinarily skilled, brave, and born to lead. They are practical, disciplined, uninterested in praise, and prefer to live life unimpeded by restrictions placed on them by others.

Brands with this vibe can be best expressed through clean, simple layouts, crisp fonts, and minimal decoration. Depending on other characteristics of the brand personality, the look and feel could lean towards a quirky, humorous tone, a more technical, Spartan existence, an upscale Bond-like sophistication, or an even-keel, bread-and-butter, comforting simplicity.