Brand strategy, identity and design
John Bolster is an independent brand identity designer and art director based in Saratoga Springs, NY, with more than two decades of experience. He works with businesses, organizations and agencies in the Capital Region and across the US on brand strategy, brand identity, art direction, print, and web and digital design.
What I do
Brand Strategy
Strategy comes before design. Positioning and differentiation, audience definition, and the voice, mission, vision and onlyness statements that give a brand something real to stand on.
- Positioning and differentiation
- Audience definition
- Voice, mission, vision and onlyness statements
Brand Identity
Logos and the full visual system around them, built to hold up over time and work everywhere the brand shows up.
- Logo design
- Typography and color systems
- Guidelines and brand playbooks
Art Direction
Campaign concepts and the imagery that carries them, from photo direction to the look and feel of a launch.
- Campaign concepts
- Art direction and imagery
Brand books, brochures and collateral with type set with care and details people feel even when they do not notice them.
- Brand books
- Brochures and collateral
Web and Digital
Websites, social media design and digital assets, plus presentation design for pitches and leadership teams.
- Web design
- Digital assets and social
- Presentation design
How it works
- DiscoverA conversation about your business, your audience, your competition and what success looks like.
- StrategyPositioning, audience and messaging, so every design decision has a reason behind it.
- DesignConcepts, refinement and the full identity system, with you involved at each step.
- DeliverFinal files, guidelines and the launch pieces you need, ready for your team or your printer.
Who I work with
Businesses and organizations that need a brand they can grow into, and agencies that need a senior freelance art director and designer. Local clients in Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region, and remote clients anywhere in the US.
Selected work
- Alliance 180: Brand strategy, visual identity and web design for Alliance 180, a peer to peer program for veterans and first responders.
- King Brothers Dairy: A crown, a point of view and a brand people remember. Brand strategy, identity, packaging and environmental design for King Brothers Dairy.
- DLG: A bold black and white rebrand and a hardcover brand manifesto for national litigation firm DLG, designed by John Bolster.
- SAINT: A science forward healthcare brand identity for SAINT, a breakthrough treatment for treatment resistant depression.
- Siena University: Social media campaigns, motion graphics, a logo and a campus banner for Siena University, designed by brand identity designer John Bolster.
- Finish Line: Creative direction and a recruitment brand book for Finish Line, built to attract a new generation of talent across 700+ stores.