Brands, founders, and marketing teams who’ve trusted Theory Dept.
Your brand isn’t just how you look, it’s how the market perceives your value. When that perception is out of sync with your growth, you’ll feel it in sales, hiring, and momentum.
If your team’s saying things like:
We’ve outgrown this logo.
We look like every competitor.
Our brand confuses new customers.
Then your brand’s misaligned and that’s exactly what we help fix.
Your brand isn’t just a first impression, it’s a filter that shapes how every customer, investor, or employee sees you.
When your brand is out of sync with your direction, you’ll feel it in all the wrong places:
Deals take longer to close.
Hiring the right people becomes harder.
Marketing isn’t landing like it should.
The right strategy-first brand closes that gap, aligning how you show up with where your business is going next.
Design becomes more than just visuals. It becomes a tool for growth, clarity, and confidence.
We work with brands who’ve hit an inflection point. They’re often growing fast, launching something new, or simply ready to step into a new chapter.
Our work ensures your brand isn’t just updated, it’s aligned to your goals, your audience, and your team. Here’s how:
Clarify
We take a clear-eyed look at your current brand. Through structured discovery and insight, we define your positioning, personality, and purpose which sets the foundation for every decision that follows.
Create
From the strategic foundation, we design your brand identity system — crafted to reflect your direction, scale with your growth, and bring consistency to every touchpoint.
Communicate
We equip you to show up with confidence like a market leader. Whether it’s brand guidelines, rollout assets, or digital systems, your brand is built to speak clearly, look sharp, and move in sync with your business.
Clarity that connects.
You’ll have a clear message and brand foundation that resonates both internally and in the market. The kind of clarity that aligns your team and makes your audience say “finally, this makes sense.”
A visual identity that holds its weight.
Your brand will look as strong as the business behind it. Backed by a visual identity system that’s cohesive, considered, and instantly recognisable across every touchpoint. No more mismatched visuals or second-guessing if it feels “on brand.”
Confidence to grow into what’s next.
With a strategy-first approach and strong alignment, you're ready to think bigger. You'll have the tools to increase your prices, introduce new offerings, or approach larger clients, making your vision of growth a reality.
Not sure which is right for you?
Try the Engagement Guide — a fast, personalised tool that gives you an instant project quote based on your goals and brand stage.
Try the Engagement Guide
How strategy-first design shaped these brands.
Case Studies
Before Theory Dept, Dillon worked directly with founders on fast, focused brand identity projects. Here’s what a few had to say.
I’m Dillon McIntosh, a brand strategist and designer with over a decade of experience helping businesses clarify who they are and how they show up. I’ve worked in-house at startups, inside agencies, and as a freelancer, designing everything from logos and marketing assets to identity systems, award-winning websites, and digital platforms.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve seen countless businesses struggle to build strong brand foundations. The result is often the same: missed opportunities to align with their customers, lead their market, and realise their full revenue potential.
That’s why I created Theory Dept. It connects strategy with design in a way that actually drives growth. The focus is on going beyond the visuals to solve deeper brand challenges with structure, clarity, and intent.
“I believe the best performing businesses understand that good design is what people see but strategy is what makes it stick.”
Dillon McIntosh,
Founder — Theory Dept.
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