Brands with purpose. Identity with personality.

Popple + Kharlamova is an independent branding agency based in Middlesbrough, Teesside, with more than 25 years of experience helping businesses build brands that stand out, connect with their audiences and grow.

Great branding is simply about creating a nice logo.

A strong brand starts with understanding who you are, what you stand for, who you’re trying to reach and why someone should choose you over your competitors.

We bring strategy, insight, creativity and design together to create brands that are distinctive, meaningful and built to last.

From a completely new brand to a carefully considered rebrand, we’ll help you create a brand that feels like you — only better.

More than a logo

Your brand is the whole experience

Your logo is important. But it isn’t your brand.

Your brand is the impression people have when they see your business, hear your name, visit your website, receive an email, walk into your premises or interact with your team.

It’s your positioning.

Your personality.

Your visual identity.

Your tone of voice.

Your reputation.

And the experience you create.

That’s why we look at the bigger picture.

We create brands that are not only visually distinctive, but strategically clear and consistent across every touchpoint.

Branding with strategy behind it

We start by asking questions

Before we design anything, we want to understand your business.

What are you trying to achieve?

Who are your customers?

Who are your competitors?

What makes you different?

Where do you want to be in five years?

What should people think and feel when they encounter your brand?

The answers shape the work.

Because when strategy and creativity work together, branding becomes much more than decoration.

It becomes a tool for growth.

Here is an example of how branding can go horribly wrong.

Our branding services

From strategy to complete brand identity

We can work with you at any stage of your brand’s development.

Brand Strategy

We help define where your brand sits in the market and how it can create a meaningful difference.

This can include:

Brand positioning

Market and competitor research

Audience research

Brand purpose

Brand values

Brand personality

Brand proposition

Messaging strategy

Brand architecture

Brand Identity

We turn your strategy into a distinctive visual identity that communicates who you are.

This can include:

Logo design

Visual identity

Typography

Colour palettes

Photography direction

Illustration

Graphic language

Iconography

Brand guidelines

Brand Naming

Sometimes the biggest branding challenge is finding the right name.

We can help explore and develop names that are distinctive, relevant and appropriate for your brand and market.

Tone of Voice

Your brand shouldn’t just have a recognisable look.

It should sound like itself too.

We help establish a clear and consistent tone of voice that can be used across your website, marketing, social media and communications.

Rebranding

Businesses change.

Sometimes the brand needs to change with them.

Whether you’ve outgrown your existing identity, entered a new market, changed your positioning or simply feel that your brand no longer represents the quality of your business, we can help you reposition and refresh it.

Brand Implementation

A new brand only works if it’s used consistently.

We can help roll your identity out across:

Websites

eCommerce

Packaging

Brochures

Presentations

Social media

Signage

Advertising

Digital campaigns

Internal communications

Branding Agency Middlesbrough & Teesside

Local roots. A much wider perspective.

We’re based in Middlesbrough, Teesside, and work with businesses across the Tees Valley and the wider North East.

Our clients include ambitious local businesses, established organisations and companies operating nationally and internationally.

We’ve worked across a wide range of sectors, which means we bring experience from different markets, audiences and challenges to every new project.

Our local knowledge is important.

But so is our ability to look beyond the local market.

We combine both.

25+ years of branding experience

We’ve learned a thing or two about building brands.

We’ve been creating brands for more than 25 years.

During that time, we’ve seen countless design trends come and go.

We’ve watched businesses move from print-first marketing to digital-first experiences.

We’ve seen social media transform the way brands communicate.

We’ve helped businesses launch, grow, reposition and reinvent themselves.

Through all of that, one thing has remained constant:

The strongest brands know exactly who they are.

They understand their audience.

They have something meaningful to say.

And they communicate consistently.

That’s what we help our clients achieve.

Get in touch

Our approach

Think. Define. Create. Grow.

Every branding project is different, but our process typically follows four stages.

01 — Think

We immerse ourselves in your business, market, competitors and audience.

We ask questions, challenge assumptions and identify opportunities.

02 — Define

We establish your positioning, proposition, personality and strategic direction.

This gives the creative work something meaningful to build on.

03 — Create

We develop the visual identity and brand language that brings your strategy to life.

We explore ideas, refine concepts and create a brand that’s distinctive and ownable.

04 — Grow

We help you implement your new brand consistently across your business and digital presence.

Because a brand isn’t finished when the logo files are delivered.

It’s only just beginning.

Other services we offer in Middlesbrough under our ‘branding’ umbrella:

Brand Development

Brand Engagement

Logo and Identity Design

Brand Tone & Voice

Brand Guidelines

Internal Brand Engagement

Environment & Workplace

Brand Audit

Strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a branding agency actually do?

Branding goes much further than designing a logo.

We help businesses define their positioning, understand their audiences, establish their personality and messaging, and create a visual identity that communicates all of those things consistently.

How much does branding cost?

Every branding project is different.

The investment depends on the scope, research and strategy required, the complexity of the identity and how widely the brand needs to be implemented.

We’ll discuss your requirements and provide a clear proposal before work begins.

Do you work with new businesses?

Yes.

A new business is a great opportunity to establish the right positioning and identity from the beginning, rather than trying to fix problems later.

Can you rebrand an established business?

Absolutely.

We regularly work with businesses that have outgrown their existing identity or need to reposition themselves for the next stage of growth.

Do you design websites as well as brands?

Yes.

This is one of our key strengths.

Our branding, creative and digital teams work together, allowing us to carry your brand strategy and identity directly into your website and wider digital experience.

Do you work with businesses outside Middlesbrough?

Yes.

We’re based in Middlesbrough and work throughout Teesside and the wider UK, as well as with international clients.

Friends

We are fortunate enough to work with some amazing brands. Here are just a few.