create a distinctive brand

Creative Direction

Commission a resonant brand identity with confidence, see your vision through in style and master the impact your brand identity creates. An online course for entrepreneurs who want to create a truly distinctive brand.

enrol now

see your brand vision through in style

It certainly sounds straightforward: armed with your glorious mood board you commission a brand designer and bam! Job done, brand launched, on with the business of, well, running your business. Except that if you take this sort of hands off approach, you'll be missing big opportunities.

Creating a brand identity that wins you work needs strategic input from you at the brand design stage and it needs executing effectively at every level. This is the stage I see so many good intentions (and big investments) go awry. You need to behave like a Creative Director and in this course, I'll show you how.

navigate the brand design process with confidence

You'll probably know that finding and working effectively with brilliant brand designer is foundational to executing your strategic vision with the flair and promise it deserves.

We begin with where to look, what to ask and what to notice. I'll show you what to look for in a portfolio, how to narrow down your selection and how to brief your chosen designer.

Together we'll navigate the review process with confidence and objectivity: taking everything back to your strategic Brand Vision and making sure it supports the strategy you developed in Brand Clarity.

We'll drill down to the detail and you'll see the sorts of things I'm looking out for when reviewing work on behalf of my clients and you'll gain the insight and perspectives you need to work effectively and collaboratively with your designer.

master the impact your brand creates at every level

Creating that gorgeous brand identity is just the start: if you're to realise the potential in your investment and connect with your clients in the right way, you need to know how to consistently and coherently honour those details your designer took so much care over.

From getting strategic with your imagery, to how to translate the detail of your typography across to your website and digital collateral, this is the essential step in building credibility, showcasing your value and creating that all important sense of desire at every touchpoint.

"I love these courses and recommend them wholeheartedly"

Megan Jerome, Singer-Songwriter

become your own creative director

Execute your vision in style and commission a brand identity that works for you strategically

execute your vision with integrity

Keeping on track with that resonant vision is more challenging than it sounds. You'll gain worksheets, insights and exercises to support you through the process and make sure your brand ends up with what it needs to thrive.

support your strategy

Commissioning a brand identity that helps you own your space and create a powerful connection with your ideal clients is critical. I'll show you what to look for and the detail you need to consider to maximise the opportunity you have.

develop your confidence

Discover how I maintain my creative inspiration, how I feed my vision and the insights I've gained from over 20 years of mentoring designers and getting the very best result from an exciting brief.

What's included

A comprehensive course that'll enable you to commission your brand identity with confidence

  • 16 in-depth
    presentations

    Concise, insightful and engaging presentations are the backbone of all courses in The Brand Stylist Academy and enable you to really get to grips with subtle nuances of branding in the most powerful way.

  • 4 insightful and engaging video lessons

    Professionally produced in depth interviews, informative insights and a couple of live reveals of brand identity reviews as they happen will give you the perspective to really creatively direct your brand with confidence.

  • 7 interactive exercises and worksheets

    Downloadable worksheets walk you through the most challenging decision making processes throughout this journey whilst interactive quizzes give you the power to know you've mastered the knowledge you need to make the most of this opportunity.

  • 23 easy to digest text based lessons

    Sometimes things are just best communicated through the written word. Engagingly written and illustrated with gorgeous photography, these lessons will give you the perspective and context you need to nail this.

  • 5 commonly asked questions demystified

    Answers to the most commonly asked branding questions: from whether you should use an agency or freelancer, whether it's ok to use a pre-made logo and the million dollar question: what happens if you're not thrilled with the work and what to do about it.

Course curriculum

Take a look at the detail of what's included

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Welcome to Creative Direction

    • Be a brilliant Creative Director for your own brand.

    • The Creative Direction Framework

    • Getting the Most out of this Course

    • Copyright and Playing Fair
  • 2

    Be a Brilliant Creative Director

    • Being a Brilliant Creative Director: The essential skills and know-how

    • Art Direction vs Creative Direction

    • Developing Confidence as a Creative Director

    • Intentional Design: The new buzzword in branding and what it means for you
  • 3

    Finding an Incredible Brand Designer: The Process

    • Welcome to Finding an Incredible Designer

    • How to Find a Brilliant Brand Designer

    • Spotting Great Quality Work

    • Spotting a Great Website

    • Spotting a Great Portfolio

    • Interactive Quiz: Spotting Great Quality Work
  • 4

    Focus on the Vision

    • Welcome to Focus on the Vision

    • Creating your Guiding Focus

    • Download: Your guiding focus

    • The Importance of an Elevated Vision
  • 5

    Commissioning Great Brand Design with Confidence

    • Finding your Brand Designer

    • Interactive Quiz: Spotting the right style of work

    • Exercise: Shortlisting Possible Contenders

    • How to Prepare for your First Meeting with a Prospective Designer

    • Exercise: Evaluating your options

    • The Directory: 40 Brilliant Brand Designers

    • The Brilliant Brand Designer Edit 2021
  • 6

    Troubleshooting

    • Graphic Designer or Brand Stylist - Which one do I need?

    • What a rebrand costs and where to invest your money

    • Agency or Freelancer?

    • Is it ever ok to use an off-the-shelf or pre-made logo?

    • Warning signs: 7 signs your designer isn't a good fit for you
  • 7

    Working Productively with your Brand Designer

    • Welcome to Working Productively with your Designer

    • How to Demotivate your Designer and Other Stories...

    • Maintaining a Great Relationship with your Designer - My absolute essentials

    • Briefing your Designer: what they need to know
  • 8

    Reviewing the Creative Work

    • Welcome to Reviewing Creative Work

    • Reviewing the Creative Vision

    • How to Review Creative Work with Confidence

    • Reviewing Creative Work: An Objective and Effective Process

    • What to Do when you're Not Thrilled

    • The Elevate Icon: A live reveal

    • Giving effective and inspirational feedback

    • Feedback Example: The Fiona Humberstone Brand
  • 9

    Reviewing Creative Work: Case Studies

    • The Brand Stylist Rebrand

    • The Diane James Home Website and Brand Identity

    • Gray's Farm Packaging and Brand Identity

    • Wild Myth Brand Identity and Packaging

    • Smith & Munson Brand Identity
  • 10

    Seeing your Vision Through

    • Upholding your Brand Identity with Flair

    • Rolling Out your Brand

    • Getting Strategic with your Imagery

    • A Website to Wow

    • The Website Watchlist

    • Positioning your New Identity with your Audience

    • You Made It!
  • 11

    The Creative Direction Website Reviews

    • Acre of Roses Website Review

    • Bella Visione Website Review

    • Mae Branding Website Review

These are rich courses that feed my artistry and teach me about entrepreneurship in equal measure. I just can't say enough about them and I can't recommend them highly enough!

Megan Jerome, Singer-Songwriter

creative direction
let's see your vision through in style

Enrol now and let's commission a brand identity that sees your brand vision through in style

Style your Brand Collection

£1100 £925

buy all 3 and save £175
  • Instant, Lifetime Access to:
  • Brand Clarity Course
  • Brand Vision Course
  • Creative Direction Course
  • Inclusive of VAT for UK customers
enrol in the collection
LIFETIME ACCESS

£295

One off payment
  • Lifetime Access
  • Instant Access to Full Course
  • Completely Self Paced
  • Includes VAT for UK customers
Enrol Now
or enrol in the complete
Style your Brand collection and save £175
course 01
Brand Clarity

Everything starts here: find your space, define your essence and identify your muses

course 02
Brand Vision

Craft a vision for your brand that supports you at a commercial level.

course 03
Creative Direction

Master the impact your brand creates at every touchpoint.

separate selling price = £1100
enrol in the collection and save £175

Bought separately, your investment in the three courses would be £1100. Enrol today from just £925 and save £175. Instalment plans are available. Click on each course card to discover full course deliverables and the detailed curriculum.

What Creative Direction students are saying

5 star rating

Phenomenal

Julia Kuehner-Loessl

I learned so much from this course, thank you so much Fiona, for putting together these absolutely amazing, insightful and helpful courses!

I learned so much from this course, thank you so much Fiona, for putting together these absolutely amazing, insightful and helpful courses!

Read Less
5 star rating

Another Amazing Offering! A perfect complement!

Megan Jerome

Honestly I have to confess that I am always a tiny bit sad when I get to the end of one of Fiona's courses. I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! I am a HUGE fan of Fiona's teaching. I love her aesthetic, I love her teaching style, I love these cour...

Read More

Honestly I have to confess that I am always a tiny bit sad when I get to the end of one of Fiona's courses. I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! I am a HUGE fan of Fiona's teaching. I love her aesthetic, I love her teaching style, I love these courses and I recommend them whole-heartedly. Fiona has become one of those teachers for me in the category of: if you're teaching it, I'm taking it. I feel like I could watch each course again and again and benefit more and more every time. And that's exactly how I use Fiona's resources now, years after I found them initially. I review them, to tweak, to refine, to continue to grow. Together, Fiona's courses have help me get right to the heart of what I have to offer audiences, and then they teach me how to communicate exactly that to the very people who will enjoy what I'm offering. It's a total win, every time. What makes this hard for a musician, for any creator I imagine, is that in order to make what you make in the first place you have spent so so long focusing inward, honing your creative voice, that it is really challenging to talk about your work. But Fiona helps you ask the questions of yourself, of others, that lead you to a really clear understanding of who you are, of what magic you bring (yes, YOU! YOU bring magic!), and she then leads you to express that to others in a way that inspires, connects and elevates! THE WHOLE PROCESS IS SO FUN! Inspire, educate, clarify connect - at the heart of Fiona's teaching is inspiration, creativity, connection - the benefit of being able to better express what my music is about from the audience's perspective is such a win for communication, for community, for connection. These are rich courses that feed my artistry and teach me about entrepreneurship in equal measure. I just can't say enough about them and I can't recommend them highly enough! My artistry comes from a desire for self-expression. My performing life comes from a desire to connect. It's pure gold for me to find someone who is able to combine these paths in a way that helps me make it clearer and clearer to communicate how my music will feel, how a concert will feel. And the more I learn, the closer I get to the heart of what I'm doing, and the better I am able to reach the people who will enjoy my music and as a result, I continue to grow that community from a very genuine place. Thank you, again, Fiona!

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. Thanks for asking. Your enrolment fee covers one user.
I share lots of content for free on my website and these seminars are priced fairly and more than reflect the value you'll gain from the class. If you'd like to discuss prices for multiple logins or even an affiliate programme if you have lots of clients who would benefit, then I'd be delighted to hear from you.
It's not, but that won't affect the gross price you pay for the course. Essentially, everyone pays the same price for the courses but that includes 20% VAT for businesses within the UK. If you're a long time member of the community based in Europe, you will probably remember that pre-Brexit, VAT was also included in your course investments. Since January 2020, when the UK left the EU we have not charged VAT on products and services in Europe. Either way, what you really need to know is that wherever you are based, the headline price of the course is as listed! Nothing is *added on* for tax.
Yes, absolutely. Invoices are automatically generated when you enrol. You have the opportunity to add your company details on sign up or in your client dashboard.
Online courses are, by their very nature, inherently, 'non-returnable' and as such, are non-refundable.
I have taught tens of thousands of students across the years and as you'll see from the course ratings and reviews, am renowned for creating high quality courses and learning experiences.
The individual course pages make the scope of the content really clear so please do check those before purchasing.
Like all offerings from The Brand Stylist, these courses have been carefully designed and produced to get you the best possible result in the most inspired way and I know you'll absolutely love them.
Your investment includes lifetime access to all the courses in the collection, so you can work through it at a pace that suits you. Go nuts and binge on everything in a couple of days or take your time and reflect in between lessons. You have complete control. And with lifetime access (given that you stick to the terms) you'll be able to revisit them all in the future too.