Great branding empowers companies to move forward with intentionality, originality, and authenticity. It builds brand power, brand equity and gives control over how others perceive you. The following client highlights demonstrate what we mean by creating brands that put purpose, people, and meaningful design at the heart of what they do and morph from a commodity into a vehicle from which to accomplish more.
Sometimes our clients come to us with nothing more than an idea, and they need our help making that idea a reality. And if they have come to us, then they have probably "been there and done that," making them fully aware of the benefits branding has to offer. No matter where you are with your "formal" business plan, if you're committed to the task at hand, we'll help make your dream actuality.
Ducks and Drakes was a brilliant idea when they came to us to develop the brand for their startup children’s clothing company, and we helped bring that idea to life. With tall kids at the heart of their style and designs, they embrace uniqueness and inspire children to be comfortable and confident.
Rebecca Gault is a mom who struggled to find clothes to fit when she was a child and discovered that the struggle continued as she was raising her own tall children. She decided to take matters into her own hands and created a clothing company with long-legged kids at the heart of their styles and designs. We were tasked with developing an insightful name and brand that would set this unique and inspirational company up for success.
Brand Goal: Appeal to the emotions by revealing how proper-fitting clothes can inspire confidence, free movement, and fun, while clearly communicating what makes Ducks & Drakes unique.
Verbal Brand
Naming
Partial Visual Brand
Brand Launch
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Packaging Design
Website/ eCommerce
Photography Art Direction
Content Marketing
Strategic Planning
Purpose: To unleash human potential by giving others the confidence to embrace their individuality.
Vision: To eliminate anxiety created by clothes that don’t fit well and to nurture, confident happy children who can unleash their potential with clothes that fit just right.
Ducks & Drakes’ visual brand symbolizes the combination of all the brand has to offer – simple, comfortable clothes that build confidence through their flawless fit. The colors are bright and fun to represent the positivity the brand creates.
Brand Application Engagements:
Ducks & Drakes believes that each confident child can make a big difference in the world, so we helped them maximize their influence by:
Clothes are empowering. When clothes fit well, kids have the confidence to speak up in class, try something new, or test out a sport. Ducks & Drakes celebrates these differences, so while wearing their clothes, long-legged children are confident and ready to unleash their full potential.
Ducks and Drakes has successfully launched their business with a consistent brand that embodies their spirit at each touchpoint. Customers can clearly understand what they are about and why they exist, inspiring an authentic following. With a strong brand in hand, Ducks and Drakes is poised to meet challenges and grow intentionally.
A husband-and-wife team were taking over a long-standing residential real estate group. They changed the name and wanted to update the brand with a fresh look and energy to celebrate this new chapter of the company.
Alex and Ellis Crigler had a long family history in real estate and were excited to embark on their own journey with their newly acquired company. Their unique approach to buyer and seller representation set them apart from others in the market and allowed them to make each client a priority. With team members listed as either a Listing Agent or Buyer Representative, Crigler Group was able to go above and beyond to create a positive client experience. And their global network through Berkshire Hathaway gave them a leg up in helping to guide both their clients and agents toward success.
Brand Goal: Reveal Crigler Group’s unique approach to real estate to differentiate them from others in the market, while exhibiting how their keen focus on making each client a priority allows them to elevate everyday life and provide an exceptional client experience.
Verbal Brand
Full Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Purpose: To elevate everyday life by helping others reach their dreams.
Vision: To help others reach their residential real estate goals and dreams by making them—and what they value most—a priority. Crigler Group is committed to its unique buyer/seller representation, genuine intentions, and enthusiasm for success, resulting in positive outcomes and an exceptional client experience.
Crigler Group’s visual brand utilizes unique nuances that represent the idea of being the priority. With stacked letters and a simple period at the end of the name, their logo exhibits both prioritizing and their attention to detail with every client. Revealing both the masculine and feminine qualities of the husband/wife team, the boldness of the brand shows masculinity and an athletic team feel, while the lower-case stylized font and other visual elements exhibit approachability and femininity.
Brand Application Engagements:
Stationery Suite
Promotional Items
Print Ads
Email Template
Postcards
Banners
Social Media Graphics
Crigler Group believes that everyone—regardless of financial status or real estate experience—deserves the opportunity to make a sound financial gain, find their dream home, or invest in their future through real estate. We showed that Crigler Group elevates everyday life for everyone by:
Sometimes you just need to know where someone stands. When you work with Crigler Group, there is no doubt who is on your side. They’ve built their entire business model around reassuring each client of the lengths they are willing to go to make them the number one priority. They make personal connections and understand what both their clients and agents value. By nurturing and maintaining a family-friendly, supportive, and growth-minded environment, everyone works in unison towards the same goal and great things happen.
Crigler Group launched their new brand immediately and after having completed the verbal and visual brand process, they were able to eloquently share who they were and how they were unique. Through multiple touchpoints during the launch—from social media to banners at local non-profits they support and everything in between—there was an immediate buzz and excitement around the new brand both internally with their agents and externally among potential clients.
Two friends started a side hustle of cleaning commercial property and Airbnb's. Before they knew it, their business had grown so rapidly that they could both quit their day jobs and focus on growing their thriving cleaning business. When they came to us, they had plans of entering the residential cleaning arena, as well as big ideas of potentially creating a line of cleaning products. We set them up with the visual brand they needed today, with the brand components that afforded them the opportunity for continued growth. The sky is the limit for these ladies, and we’re excited to see where their solid brand helps take them into their dynamic future.
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Illustration
These guys stepped way outside the real estate box, abandoned the status quo and took a leap of faith with the creation of Pintail. The name has significant meaning in both their personal and professional lives and unites the company through "a passion for excellence."
Verbal Brand
Naming
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Marketing
Website
Tamarack Investments is an ambitious commercial real estate investment firm and the quiet leader behind significant deals, including the development of Axis 85 located in Gaffney, SC. Their brand captures the understated strength of the company and is quietly bold and confident.
Verbal Brand
Naming (Axis 85)
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design (Axis 85)
Website
Video (Axis 85)
If you've suddenly found yourself swamped with customers or are planning to expand, that means you're doing something right. But before you pat yourself on the back, let's make sure you have everything in order. Now is the perfect time to solidify your identity and streamline the way you portray your company so that as you continue to grow, you stay true to who you are.
Piedmont Landscaping & Maintenance (PLM) has been serving the Upstate for more than 50 years. While landscaping may be its trade, cultivating relationships is its specialty.
A dedicated partner to Upstate businesses, PLM has proudly cultivated relationships across Upstate SC for five decades— serving those relationships with specialized landscape design, construction, and maintenance services. Todem helped craft the visual identity for PLM several years ago and now, owned and led by Will Ayers (whose father founded the company), PLM is ready to cement its reputation and legacy throughout the region by providing the highest quality client experiences and delivering outdoor environments that are truly first-rate.
Brand Goal: Elevate the PLM experience at every level through continuity, clear communication, and quality.
Verbal Brand
Visual Rebrand
Foundational Marketing
Apparel
Environmental Graphics
Purpose: To enrich the lives of others by improving the world around us.
Vision: To move forward as a company and witness all involved—clients, employees, and everyday people—benefit from our existence. Through an unwavering dedication to quality and by adhering to the founding values, PLM will push forward to reach its full potential and expand beyond the Upstate. We will stay grounded and humble, yet continue to cultivate meaningful relationships and improve the world around us along the way.
PLM’s original visual identity is still going strong today and the primary mark remains the most commonly used logo. However, to remain current and to allow brand continuity across all aspects of daily business operations, PLM needed to evolve its logo to a more streamlined, type-only iteration for certain applications.
Brand Application Engagements:
Evolving the logo and visual identity works to strengthen the equity of the original brand by allowing consistent visuals across all touchpoints and mediums.
By simplifying the logo to one-color grey type, the PIEDMONT name remains emphasized and immediately connects viewers to the well-established brand and name, while expanding the versatility of the brand.
PLM is dedicated to serving others first. It goes above and beyond to fulfill commitments to clients, contractors, employees, and every person encountered. PLM builds places for people to flourish and spaces that enrich the lives of others.
For clients, this means beautiful outdoor spaces. For employees, this means pride in their work and a place where they are valued. This commitment was brought to life through a head-to-toe apparel system, equipping employees with the clothing, safety gear, and materials they need to complete their work.
PLM is quite literally “rolling” out the evolved branding, apparel system, and fleet graphics as we speak. Employees are thrilled to have new, quality gear and the consistency of the brand presence is helping to not only increase brand awareness but also reinforce decades-long relationships that may have gone unnoticed before.
Look for the PLM team and fleet throughout the Upstate. You’re bound to see them!
Dovetail Construction is carving out a name for itself across the Upstate by putting in the work and making good on its word with a tenacious hustle and never-quit attitude.
As a company, Dovetail might be a relatively new player in the Upstate’s construction industry, but founders Chase Lanier and Eric Segale bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from one of the larger players in the business to the table. Together, they’ve built a full-service General Contracting firm with a focus on light commercial and industrial builds. Their complementary strengths and experience provide a well-rounded perspective and enable them to approach each project with intentionality and determination. Ready to take things to the next level, they wanted to fine-tune their brand to reflect the precision and attention to detail in each and every job they take on.
Brand Goal: Refine the current visuals to convey the same level of craftsmanship Dovetail brings to its builds and convey who they are and what they do with clarity through a streamlined brand narrative.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand Refresh
Website Refresh
Foundational Marketing
Proposal Templates
Purpose: To enrich the human experience through a ripple effect of progress.
Vision: To bring visionary progress to the community and perpetuate a cycle of success where each relationship and every build helps to incrementality move humanity forward. We will wholeheartedly dedicate our minds and use our very hands to build tangible spaces where innovative companies and organizations can thrive and realize their business goals.
Much like the joining of the two founders, the dovetail joint conveys a coming together of two separate entities to create strength and stability. The colors conveyed are grounded yet energetic, strong yet humble, and unexpected yet intriguing. Subtle flourishes are reminiscent of the attention to detail and quality of work. Somewhat understated but surprisingly impactful.
Brand Application Engagements:
Dovetail believes in being better today than you were yesterday. With its unwavering commitment to building relationships and trust first, we helped Dovetail:
Dovetail is a company of hard-working craftsmen. Every aspect of the business is built on precision, intentionality, and dedication. Success is achieved through relationships and trust—and it’s these relationships that drive the business forward. Dovetail invests in each other, its clients, and its partners, knowing that when they unite around their vision, success is just around the corner for all involved.
Dovetail is in the process of introducing its refreshed branding to the Upstate. Armed with the messaging, visuals, and tools needed to compete and win new bids, we can’t wait to see what Chase, Eric, and the team build next!
With over 20 years in the B2B company training market, Product Management University came to us at a point when they were ready to jump into a more extensive training program and accrediting process. It was the perfect time to develop a brand that gave a nod to their past success while bringing a new look and energy to the future.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Brand Launch
Foundational Marketing Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Website
Kester Search Group successfully entered the talent acquisition industry with the creation of the company. But now, with momentum on their side, it was time to up their game to gain national recognition as a premier boutique executive search firm. Having already addressed their verbal and visual brand, Tōdem suggested it was time to take a closer look at KSG’s key points of impression to maximize interaction with an audience that seems to never sit still.
Brand Goal: Create a brand—and address key touchpoints—that internally unites its employees, externally attracts C-suite level executives, and overall conveys the approachable, relationship-driven nature of the company.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Touchpoint Marketing
Strategic Planning
Photography & Art Direction
Website
Brand Workshop
Prodoh is on a mission to get kids outdoors. It's where we get in touch with nature and make memories that last a lifetime. While we can't take credit for the logo, we helped these headstrong entrepreneurs take their brand to the next level and seek new ways to connect with moms and kids all over the country.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Promotional Design
Illustration
Website
Change is inevitable, and change may be the difference between success and failure when it comes to your business. When ownership, leadership, structural, or generational shifts occur, a change in your brand may need to follow. We can help you navigate this change and arrive on the other side better than ever.
For more than 20 years, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) has served as a safe haven for children of abuse and neglect to find refuge, confront their trauma, and restore their hope for a brighter tomorrow. Entering a time of growth and expansion, the non-profit organization wanted its brand to reflect the caliber of care, level of expertise, and beautiful transformation the children and families served experience in its care.
ECCAC believes in walking the journey of healing with the children and families it serves. They provide a safe, child-friendly environment for these kids to feel seen, heard, and supported. As a member of the National Children’s Alliance, ECCAC brings representatives from more than 11 government agencies under one roof to advocate for children throughout the entire process of their journey. Beyond advocacy and evidence-based therapies, ECCAC strives daily to educate and prevent such terrible events from occurring in the first place. They are an organization aimed at restoring hope and transforming lives for the better—believing that the hearts they heal today will become the hearts of tomorrow’s leaders.
Brand Goal: Elevate the brand narrative and visual identity to represent the caliber of service the organization brings to the community in a positive way—ensuring that the seriousness of the topic at hand is not lost but the greater message of hope and positive impact shines bright.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Brand Launch
Brand Illustrations
Foundational Marketing
Website
Photography
Values Alignment
Strategic Planning
Brand Training
Purpose: To create a better future by healing hearts today.
Vision: To one-day end child abuse and neglect by cementing our reputation in the community, providing a child-friendly model of advocacy, raising awareness of the issues at hand, and educating children on critical prevention techniques, queues, and safety habits needed to protect themselves. In doing so, we will build a better, healthier future by healing children's hearts today.
ECCAC’s visuals depict transformation, simple childhood joys, and moments of celebration. They convey a sense of renewed hope through bright, energetic colors, child-like “cut-paper” illustrations, and optimistic potential. Every visual, from the brandmark in the logo to the illustrations throughout the website, works to tell a visual story of the lasting impact the organization is making in the lives of those they serve.
Brand Application Engagements:
Website Design
Brand Illustration Library
Stationery Suite
Social Media Graphics & Templates
Presentation Materials
Communication Tools & Templates
And More!
ECCAC firmly believes that the key to ending child abuse and neglect is prevention—and the key to prevention is awareness. Throughout the rebranding process, we helped:
ECCAC is a team of people called to a specific line of work with the passion and conviction to take on even the toughest days because they know that their work matters. To outsiders and the families they serve, they’re heroes. But to each team member, it’s an unwavering commitment to their mission and an understanding that anything is possible when they stand united behind their purpose.
ECCAC recently shared its new branding with the world by launching its new website and through strategic communication touchpoints across all organizational audiences. We had the pleasure of leading an internal brand launch and values alignment workshop with their team before the launch, and look forward to seeing the impact and reach of the new brand.
The work has just begun, however. We have so much more on tap for the organization over the next year and cannot wait to see the doors of opportunity that are opened because of the work we’re doing today!
Don’t fix something that isn’t broken, right? Well, not in the case of an established dental practice run by a dynamic husband and wife team. Each one brought such inspirational and innovative strengths to the industry, and we realized that a whole new dental brand was in order.
Overview
When opposites attract, they not only build a strong relationship, they also provide the perfect building blocks for a killer dental group. Adam and Neely Carraway took over an established dental practice with a loyal patient base and tons of local street cred. However, their innovative dental approach and exceptional patient care were getting lost in translation. Adam focuses on preventative and restorative care, providing patients with positive dental experiences by preventing tooth decay and gum disease before it becomes an issue. Neely brings her warm and energetic personality into the mix, making each and every patient feel like family. The combination of these qualities resulted in a sophisticated brand that is equal parts innovative and welcoming – a match made in dentistry Heaven.
Brand Goal: Spread Cove’s message of preventative and restorative dentistry far and wide by focusing the branding around protection, warmth, innovation, and the confidence a person has when their teeth look and feel amazing.
Verbal Brand
Naming
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Purpose: To increase joy by nurturing a positive sense of self in others.
Vision: To develop and provide a preventative model of dentistry with the capacity to positively impact the entire world. We envision a better future for our patients and dentistry as a whole. The more we prevent oral pain and problems now, the more smiles and happy people there will be in the world around us–now and well into the future.
Cove’s visual brand marries the two different strengths the dental practice offers its patients: the welcome and comfort of home and the protection and trust offered by their unique approach to dentistry. Soothing colors and flowing letterforms evoke feelings of calm and welcome, while contrasting tones and rich, bold elements layer in the energetic, innovative focus.
Cove Dental Care is on a mission to increase joy in the world by instilling confidence in each and every patient they treat. We were able to show Cove as the market leader in dental prevention as well as a provider of exceptional patient care by:
The thing about “going home” is that you always know what to expect. Our family of team members, dedication to personal relationships, and genuine desire to make our patients feel like they matter, is what makes our “home away from home” environment possible. Whether you are a team member or patient, everyone makes an effort to listen and understand both your hopes and fears up front. Our safe, comfortable atmosphere allows for vulnerability, open communication, and creates a space for trust and positive change.
Cove is set to officially roll out its new brand later this summer. They are currently soft launching with their patients and team members. We're so excited to see where their new brand takes them!
Chris King and Michael Kozlarek had discussed combining forces and opening a law firm together for years. When they finally decided to pull the trigger, they wanted to get the firm started on the right foot with a foundation of strong branding. Both Chris and Michael brought a unique perspective to the practice of law—they prided themselves on providing exceptional legal counsel, strong relationships, and a desire to help others. These qualities allowed them to propel their clients and community towards success, ultimately leading to maximum efficiency and the best possible outcome for their clients.
Brand Goal: Display King Kozlarek’s quest for clarity in helping others achieve their goals by elevating their clients and community toward success and opportunity, while also revealing their vision to bring to life a new, modern way of practicing law.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Website
Photography Art Direction
Indigo is a pediatric dental practice who takes individualized care and the pursuit of happiness to a whole new level. In the beginning, however, their biggest hurdle was creating and communicating the newly acquired practice was now, in fact, a completely new company and brand.
Brand Goal: Create a meaningful, purpose-driven brand that is distinct from the competition and previous ownership, that embodies the practice’s values, and which creates a memorable, fun experience for all.
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Brand Launch
Foundational Marketing
Promotional Design
Experiential Branding
Touchpoint Study
Touchpoint Marketing
Packaging Design
Brand Workshop
Strategic Planning
Brand Workshop
Let’s be real. Just the sound of “4-0-1-K” makes you a little sleepy. Carson and Tripp knew that in order to stand out amongst other retirement investment firms (and not put people to sleep), a new angle was necessary and now was the time to get it right. Proper branding was the path to take, but reigniting a love for what you do? That was a bonus.
Brand Goal: Create a brand with depth, intrigue, and clarity that stands out amongst the rest, makes retirement planning a little less intimidating, connects with clients on a personal level, and is, of course, memorable.
Naming
Verbal Brand
Visual Brand
Foundational Marketing
Website
Think we're a fit? Want to hear more? We'd love to meet you in person, and if that's not possible, a phone call or email works too.
hello@todembrands.com
864.448.0600
141 Traction Street
Greenville, SC 29611
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