Notes on building
a brand people trust.
Straight answers to the questions founders ask me every week: what a logo should cost, when to rebrand, how to hire a designer, and what a brand needs so it holds together after launch. Everything here comes from real client projects.
Javeria Hareem
Written by the designer. About me
More from the blog
30 posts
Rebranding10 min read
9 signs your brand looks amateur, and how to fix each one
People decide whether to trust you in a few seconds, and most of what tips them is small and fixable. These are the nine things I check first, and what each one costs you.
Working with me7 min read
The brand design process at Jayy Studio, step by step
Most people have never hired a designer before, and what makes them nervous is not knowing what happens next. This post walks through every step, in order.
Case studies7 min read
Aurexon branding case study: a construction logo built to last
A construction company that wanted to be hired like an engineering firm. The grid, the two typefaces, the five grays, and where the brand lives now.
Case studies7 min read
Case study: KAE hair care packaging design and identity
A hair oil that had to sit between the lab and the kitchen. The serif, the olive, the dark bottle, and the guide that holds it all together.
Working with me5 min read
Brand identity designer in Lahore: what I do and how to start
Who I am, what I design, who it’s for, what it costs, and how working together actually goes. Written to be read in five minutes.
Logo design7 min read
Rate my logo: send me yours and I’ll tell you what’s working
A monthly series where founders send me their logo and I say, in public and with permission, what’s working and what isn’t. Starting with my own mark.
Cost and hiring8 min read
What’s included in a brand identity package?
Three designers, three quotes, three different ideas of what a “package” is. This is what should be in the box at each level, plus the items that usually go missing.
Cost and hiring7 min read
Fiverr logo vs designer: what you are actually paying for
I was the Fiverr designer once. This is what the $5 gig actually involves, what it cannot give you, and the situations where it is still the right choice.
Cost and hiring8 min read
Freelance brand designer vs branding agency: which is right for you?
Who actually does the work, where the money goes, how fast it moves, and the situations where I would tell you to hire an agency instead of me.
Rebranding9 min read
Rebrand or refresh? How to tell which you need
Most founders who ask me for a rebrand need a refresh. A few who ask for a refresh need the opposite. This is how to tell the two apart before you spend anything.
Working with me8 min read
How to brief a brand designer (free template)
A good brief is ten honest answers about your business. Below is the template I send every client, and how to fill it in without overthinking it.
Branding basics8 min read
Branding trends 2027: what’s coming, and what to ignore
Eight shifts I keep seeing in the briefs crossing my desk, who each one suits, and the three things that will not change no matter what the trend posts say.
Brand guidelines7 min read
The 7 things every brand guidelines document must include
Your social media designer, your VA and your developer are all guessing. This rulebook stops the guessing, section by section.
Working with me8 min read
How long does a brand identity project take?
Agencies quote eight to twelve weeks and I quote days. Both are accurate, and the difference is mostly about what happens between the design and the decisions.
Rebranding7 min read
Rebrand before and after: 5 brands and what actually changed
Five projects, told through the problem each brand walked in with, the one decision that did the most work, and what the business can do today.
Logo design8 min read
Logo design for startups: packages and process
What a startup actually needs from a logo at each stage, what can wait, and how a logo project with me runs from a ten-minute brief to final files.
Working with me8 min read
Client stories: what founders say after their rebrand
The things founders say to me months after a rebrand, the complaints that changed how I work, and how to read any designer’s reviews, including mine.
Cost and hiring10 min read
Questions to ask before hiring a brand designer
A portfolio tells you what a designer can make. These questions tell you what it will be like to work with them, and what you’ll actually own at the end.
Cost and hiring8 min read
Hiring a brand designer from Pakistan: what international clients should know
You found a designer in Lahore whose work looks as good as the agency’s, at a third of the price, and a small voice asked what the catch is. This is the straight answer.
Industry guides10 min read
Packaging design checklist: what to check before you print
A packaging mistake is the only design mistake you pay for twice. This is the list I run through before any label or carton goes to the printer, and why each line is on it.
Logo design10 min read
Logo file formats explained: AI, EPS, SVG, PNG, PDF
Someone has asked for your logo “in vector” and you’ve sent the PNG from your website. This is what every logo file is for, and which one to send to whom.
Branding basics8 min read
What is brand identity? (And why it’s more than a logo)
The parts an identity is made of, how they work together on two real projects, and what a founder needs at each stage. No jargon.
Brand guidelines8 min read
Brand guidelines vs style guide vs brand book: which one do you need?
Three names, used loosely by everyone including designers. This post covers what goes in each document, how many pages it tends to run, and which one your business needs.
Branding basics8 min read
Why a logo isn’t a brand
I have designed over a thousand logos, and the logo is still the smallest part of a brand. This post covers where a logo-only brand breaks and what to buy instead.
Industry guides8 min read
Branding for construction and real estate companies
Open a directory of builders and you’ll see the same logo forty times. This post covers what developers and buyers actually judge, where a construction brand really lives, and how real estate is a different conversation.
Industry guides9 min read
Beauty brand identity: branding a hair care or skincare startup
Hair care and skincare brands fall into one of two traps: cold and clinical, or homemade. This guide shows how to land in between, using two real launches as the worked example.
Industry guides9 min read
Restaurant branding essentials (for cafes and cloud kitchens too)
A restaurant brand lives on a paper bag, a menu and a sign at 9pm. This covers what each surface needs, with lessons from donut, coffee and jam packaging.
Branding basics9 min read
Color psychology in branding: what actually matters
Blue does not mean trust and green does not mean nature. What color really does for a brand, shown with palettes from real projects.
Branding basics9 min read
How to choose brand fonts: a founder’s guide
Two typefaces, each with a job, a license you can show and a fallback for Canva, plus the pairings I have used on real brands.
Branding basics9 min read
Who owns your logo? Copyright basics for founders
Paying for a logo doesn’t automatically make it yours. This is the plain-words version of logo copyright, font licenses, marketplace marks and the questions to ask before you pay.
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Ask me anything about your brand.
If something in these posts sounds like your business, tell me about it. I'll give you an honest view of what would help, even if the answer is that you don't need me yet.