Not quite finding what you need?

“Top 5 branding agency Singapore” is not a bad place to start. But what you’re likely trying to find is a reliable studio or a strategic branding partner who can help make sense of where your brand’s going, and how to show up better while getting there.

The problem is, searching alone is not granular enough.
Here is a simple walkthrough to help you get closer to a fit.

Finding a Branding Partner That Fits

You’re seeing so many firms in your search results, some of whom are very credible; others less so. What are the filters that will help in knowing which one is really for you?

The search engine doesn’t know what you exactly need. It doesn’t understand your business stage, your category, your goals: or whether you need help with thinking, doing, or both.

Studio, Agency, or Consultancy?

Some branding or design studios execute beautifully, that is if you already know what your business needs.

Agencies are great for campaigns and creative concepts, but may not cover brand strategy.

Most brand consultancies exist to help you clarify the problem. They lead with market insight and clarity on your challenges, and make sure everything downstream (identity, messaging, packaging, experience) lines up.

Firms mostly lean toward one, while a few straddle. The trick is being clear on what you need.

Know Your Challenge

To find the right firm based on your needs, requires clear articulation; challenges come in many sizes, some may appear small but could be more complex in nature; and vice versa.

• If you’re about to launch and don’t know how to…
You need a brand consultancy or Marketing Agency for a Go to Market strategy

• If R&D is almost done, and you're clear about what your brand is about…
A reputable Design Studio that can help with executing a unique identity. Otherwise, you may need a brand consultancy that can develop a Brand Strategy (Who your brand is, what does it stand for?)

• You’re expanding fast! Consistency is getting real and out of hand!
A strong Designer or Design Studio can help with establishing a robust Identity System.

• 1 year in, and people still don’t get what you do… A brand consultancy can help with Product Market Fit, Value Proposition and Brand Messaging

• Your engagement is flat and we seem invisible and/or Y-on-Y sales decline…
A brand consultancy can run a Brand Audit to uncover the root cause of your challenge before a brand refresh or even a rebrand

• You’ve outgrown your look but don’t want to lose your brand heritage.
Definitely a Brand Refresh with a strong designer or design studio is what you need, but if you require expert handling of various stakeholders and translating your brand heritage, a brand consultancy would be better equipped.

Branding speak broken down to help in the search

Brand strategy: The thinking that sets the foundation before any visuals.
Brand identity: Mainly the visuals: logo, colours, layout, typography.
Positioning: How your brand is seen versus others. Why you’re chosen.
Messaging: What you say, and how you say it.

See our full glossary→

Instead of Searching, Run This AI Prompt

Paste this into ChatGPT or your AI tool of choice:

I’m trying to shortlist a branding consultancy, branding agency or design studio in Singapore that fits our challenge. Here’s our context:

• Industry: [e.g. F&B, lifestyle, tech]

• Stage: [Early stage / Scaling / Expanding / Heritage]

• Challenge: [Need a strong brand identity / Flat growth / Launching a new brand / Outdated brand identity / Internal misalignment / Brand evolution or repositioning]

Please:

1. Suggest up to 5 branding partners who’ve worked with similar brands or solved similar problems.

2. Assess their sites or case studies and weigh strategic and visual capabilities

3. Note whether any awards are relevant to our industry and challenge; if not, rebalance the hype.

4. For visual or design needs Include strong studios or consultancies from Behance if their work fits.

5. Filter for reported outcomes and results

6. Rank by best match — not biggest name.

7. Flag expertise and fit; flag any that are more design-only, versus those who help clarify strategy.

We’re not looking for the flashiest or most awarded. Just the one that fits and can help us move forward.

Shameless Plug

But since you’re here: We lead with strategy and come with a in-house design studio. Brands call us when the path ahead isn’t clear, when their old look cannot keep up with the new ambition, or when people are no longer understanding their brand.

We’re not the loudest nor the most awarded. But we’re the people-first branding partner challenger brands who want to punch above their weight turn to. We work across various sectors, whether you're a lifestyle startup, scaling FMCG, or even a heritage brand, we should chat.

What happens after you find the right partner?

Read Growth Kept Hones it’s about what real momentum looks like when your brand’s working hard for you.