Ven Austine

16/07/2025

Is your Brand a paint job or a Blueprint?

A lot of startup founders obsess over logos, colors, and cool websites
and think they've built a brand.

And yet, no one remembers them, no one trusts them, and no one buys from them. Why?

Because they skipped the hard part: Brand Strategy 🎯

I worked with a founder who came in with a generic visual identity, and sales were flat. Investors weren’t biting, and the product felt disconnected from the brand.

Turns out, there was no clarity on ⬇️
· What tension were they solving in the market
· Why their audience should emotionally care
· What their brand stood for

We rewired their foundation, not their fonts.

And suddenly, everything clicked:
→ Messaging that resonated
→ Visuals with meaning
→ Confidence in their story

The rewarding part is that they finally realized how branding isn’t about how good you look, it's about confidence that they were able to connect in a meaningful way.

If you had to strip away your logo, what’s left?
Would your audience still know it’s you?

What part of brand strategy do you think most startups ignore?

03/07/2025

https://medium.com/.venlayno/the-unseen-hand-how-a-bold-identity-can-forge-tasmanias-future-for-its-people-de017d8e2ef8

We talk of governance in terms of policy, budget, and legislation. Necessary, yes, but rarely do we speak of the one element that can…

30/06/2025

Tasmanian Government
Corporate Brand Identity
Brand Tasmania

18/06/2025

🧠 Your Brand Isn’t a Logo. It’s What Makes People Want You.
(Just ask ALO Yoga.)

ALO didn’t explode because they had better leggings.

They exploded because they made people feel better wearing them.

They sell the experience of mindfulness, movement, and modern luxury.

And their brand shows it everywhere.

No loud discounts and shouting features.

Just clean visuals, confident tone, and an energy that says

You want to be part of this.

From the name (Air, Land, Ocean) to their packaging, their Instagram, their stores.

ALO isn’t “just another activewear brand.”

It’s a signal.

A shortcut to an identity people want to claim.

Even if they’ve never done a single vinyasa.

That’s the power of branding done right.

It shifts you from being one of many to being the one they remember, wear, and rep.

If you're building something that solves a real problem, make the brand match the vision. Built to attract believers.

Building something bold?
Make sure your brand shows it.
📩 DM if you're ready to turn your identity into a real asset.

04/05/2025

04/05/2025

They made everybody said YEAH!

The Brand Colors here made all the attention and focus making it an excellent example of Brand Refresh.

In a world full of similar-looking products and promises, you have to hit that spot where people won't miss your offering.

In this Brand Refresh, Amazon hit the mark, Triggering People's Attention to the Point!

And I will always say, Branding is Why People Choose You for the Right Reasons.

29/04/2025

Are You Designing Based on Trends?

Look, I get it. Trends are shiny.
They're fun. They make you feel like you’re "in the know."
(Who didn’t love the minimalist beige everything era for a hot second?)

But here’s the thing:
If you’re building your brand purely based on what's trending right now...
you’re basically dressing your business in fast fashion, cute today, cringey tomorrow.

I've seen it happen way too often.
Brands slap together the latest fonts, colors, and layouts from Pinterest or TikTok...and six months later, they look around and realize they blend in with about 947 other businesses selling the exact same thing.

(And spoiler: your audience notices. If they can’t tell you apart from the rest, why would they stay loyal?)

Real branding isn’t about chasing trends.
It’s about creating a visual identity that outlives them.

You need a brand that feels authentic to you, rooted in who you are, what you stand for, and how you want to make people feel.
Not just what’s getting the most likes this week.

Because let me tell you:
Timeless brands don't get lost when the algorithm changes.
They lead when everyone else is busy copying.

So ask yourself, are you building a brand for the next trend?
Or for the next ten years?

Let’s build you something real for the right reasons that won’t need a rebrand every time the internet has a new favorite color.

Want to see a reference? Check my design here from 3 Years Ago that perfectly aged over the time.

Graphic Design, Logo Design, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom

30/01/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/venaustine-layno_logo-logoclients-brandidentityservices-activity-7290230762186981378-UeF1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Coming up with a More and Simple Mark to this day is getting more difficult. But that doesn't mean Simple is Cheap. It requires more talent and effort to…

31/07/2024

Branding in Seconds. 🤫

20/12/2023

Generative Pre-training Transformer helped me to identify the Department of Tourism - Philippines as a potential candidate for a 'Brand Refresh' in this Conceptual Identity Project.

1. Department of Tourism (DOT): Beyond Promoting and Attracting more Tourists to the Country, it is our Global Mission to serve both Local and Foreign Visitors allowing us to maintain an evergreen relationship by sharing our new Brand Identity with the World.

"Astonishing Kindness, Hospitality, and Friendship are made on the streets of this Country, that's what WE were always known for."

↘︎Find out more of these visual concepts in the comment section

05/10/2023

Wanna know a secret?

The Hindsight Bias can explain the reason why people buy something that is worth as much as expected.

04/10/2023

Madali lang gumawa ng
Punta kayo sa Computer Shop at humingi kayo ng discount.