Strategic Brandingfor the art ofbecoming
01Manifesto
We don't just create brands. We create vehicles for transformation.
Every business holds an essence that is not yet visible. Our work is to refine it with strategy until it becomes unmistakable, and unforgettable.
Strategy with soul. Design with purpose.
02Selected work(04)
Brands that became.
03About
Hello, I'm José.
I design brands from the inside out. First what a company is, then how it shows itself.
For more than fifteen years I have worked where brand meets business. I started in marketing at a Portuguese helmet brand with an international presence, and went on through packaging, the automotive industry and architectural aluminium systems. Always on the inside, watching an identity gain or lose value in a company’s everyday life.
In 2023 I founded Naru Studio to bring that view to other brands, as a strategic partner to companies and leaders who want a brand that lives up to what they have already built. A postgraduate degree in Branding at IPAM gave method to what practice had taught me.
I believe in strategy with soul. Before I design, I want to understand who a brand wants to be in people’s memory. I use artificial intelligence every day, not to go faster, but to go deeper: researching markets, reading the competition, testing paths. The decisions and the drawing are always mine.
What guides me
- 01Strategy before aesthetics.First the why, then the what, finally the how.
- 02Living brands.Systems that adapt to screens, scales and contexts, not fixed pieces.
- 03The human hand signs.AI widens the analysis. Taste, authorship and final judgement are human.
04Services
From diagnosis to a brand people live.
One method in six phases. Each project goes through the ones it needs.
01Immersion & diagnosisBefore I design, I listen.
Interviews, questionnaires, an audit of the current brand and a reading of the competition and of the category’s codes, to find the space nobody holds yet.
You receive Brand diagnosis and opportunity map.
02Brand strategyThe DNA.
Purpose, vision, mission, positioning, values, personality and audiences. The ground for every decision that follows.
You receive Strategic Brand Book.
03Verbal identityHow the brand speaks.
Naming, tone of voice, key messages, taglines and narrative, with practical examples for everyone who writes for the brand.
You receive Voice guide and message matrix.
04Visual identityHow the brand is seen.
Logo, colour, typography and graphic language, designed as a flexible system for any screen, scale or medium.
You receive Identity system and brand guidelines.
05Brand experienceWhere the brand lives.
Digital, physical space, events, packaging, presentations and design systems. Every touchpoint built for the same experience.
You receive Touchpoints, UI kit and master presentation.
06Governance & cultureSo the brand lasts.
Brand portal, internal launch, alignment workshops and a go-to-market plan.
You receive Brand portal and go-to-market plan.
05Contact
Let's talk about what your brand could become.
Tell me where your brand is today and where you want to take it. I reply personally.