1. Project overview

We are seeking a designer to create a distinctive logo for Intent & Effect, a new Sydney-based AI consulting and solutions business with a broader ambition across research, software and implementation. The project should establish a recognisable parent-brand identity that works across client services, publications and independently named products.

Our focus is helping organisations turn purposeful action into practical, measurable outcomes. AI is an important part of how we do this, but the identity should not depend on a particular technology or the visual trends of the current AI market.

2. Business and audience

Intent & Effect brings together research, consulting, software development and hands-on implementation. We want to improve how organisations make decisions, use knowledge and get work done, while building capability that lasts beyond an individual project.

Our initial audience is small and medium-sized businesses, particularly owners, founders and leaders responsible for operations, technology and change. The identity should feel accessible to these businesses while remaining credible with larger organisations, research collaborators and technology partners.

The impression we want to create is of a thoughtful, capable partner who understands business problems and can turn ideas into working solutions. We are not positioning ourselves as a provider of AI hype or advice without implementation.

3. Meaning and character

The name connects intention with consequence. Intent represents purpose, direction and deliberate choice. Effect represents what actually changes: the useful, observable result. The relationship between the two is more important than depicting either word literally.

Purposeful action producing an observable result.

The brand should feel clear, thoughtful, capable and practical. It should balance analytical intelligence with human judgement, and professional credibility with approachability. We want confidence without arrogance, simplicity without blandness, and personality without gimmicks.

A useful positioning line is “Research, software and implementation for more intelligent organisations.” The working tagline “Intelligence made useful” may inform the thinking, but it is not mandatory logo text.

4. What we want designed

Our preference is a simple, memorable symbol supported by a carefully considered wordmark. The symbol should work independently at small sizes, while the full name remains the primary public identity. We are open to an integrated typographic solution where it creates a stronger result.

Use the exact name Intent & Effect, retaining the ampersand. Case and typographic treatment are open to exploration. An I&E monogram or distinctive ampersand may be considered, but neither is required. Avoid making the name difficult to read in pursuit of a clever construction.

5. Ideas to explore, not instructions to copy

Earlier explorations have considered equals and outcome symbols, a distinctive ampersand, and a bow-and-arrow relationship suggesting deliberate aim. Other possible territories include an imprint, a change in state, or a simple relationship between an action and its result.

These are starting points, not an approved shortlist. Please challenge them and develop alternatives where appropriate. We are interested in one strong, ownable visual idea, not a combination of every concept or a diagram of the entire business philosophy.

We value broad rough-sketch exploration before polished execution. Existing exploration material can be shared during discovery as context, rather than as artwork to trace or a direction that must be reproduced.

6. Style, colour and typography

The preferred character is modern, restrained and enduring, with a confident silhouette and well-resolved proportions. A geometric or subtly organic approach could work. Distinctiveness, balance and reproduction quality matter more than adherence to a particular style.

Develop initial concepts in black and white. Final colour and typography are to be agreed during refinement. The logo must remain convincing in a single colour without relying on gradients, texture, shadows, animation or presentation mockups.

Avoid stock logo templates, generic AI imagery such as robots, brains and circuit boards, overly futuristic lettering, and elaborate symbolism that requires a long explanation. The identity should not default to the appearance of a traditional law firm or a generic corporate consultancy.

7. Where the logo must work

Key applications are website headers, LinkedIn and other social profiles, proposals, reports, presentation decks, invoices and email signatures. It should also support conference materials, signage and straightforward one-colour reproduction.

Please test the icon at favicon and social-avatar sizes, including 16, 24 and 32 pixels, and the complete logo at realistic document-header sizes. A simplified small-size version is acceptable where needed. Test light and dark backgrounds, and an endorsement such as “by Intent & Effect” beside an independently branded product.

8. Proposed design process

Begin with a short discovery discussion to confirm the positioning, visual references and exclusions. Explore a broad range of rough ideas, then present a focused shortlist of genuinely different directions in black and white, with a concise explanation of each.

For quoting, please propose approximately three distinct concept directions, followed by refinement of one selected route. State how much exploration and how many revision rounds are included. We prefer a small number of well-developed ideas over superficial variations of the same mark.

Introduce colour, typography and application examples once the underlying concept is strong. Use comparable applications across shortlisted routes so they can be judged fairly. Clayton Read will be the primary contact and final decision-maker, with consolidated feedback at agreed milestones.

9. Required deliverables

Logo system

A primary logo, standalone symbol and wordmark, with horizontal and stacked arrangements where useful. Include full-colour, black and reversed-white versions, plus a small-size adaptation where testing shows it is needed.

Production files

Editable vector master artwork in the agreed design application, SVG and print-ready PDF exports, and transparent PNGs in useful sizes. Include favicon and social-profile assets. Provide outlined wordmark exports alongside editable source artwork and organise files with clear names.

Concise usage guide

Document clear space, minimum sizes, approved colour values for screen and print, typography, background use and common misuses. Identify all font licences and other third-party dependencies. Include representative website-header, report-cover and social-avatar examples.

10. Success criteria and scope

We will assess the work on distinctiveness, relevance to the name and positioning, legibility, small-size performance, one-colour reproduction and suitability across consulting, research and software. A successful mark should be recognisable without a lengthy explanation and should still feel appropriate as the business grows.

This commission covers the logo and foundational usage guidance, not a complete website, product interface or extensive brand system. Broader identity work, templates, animation and product sub-brands may be proposed as separately priced options.

11. What to include in your proposal

Please provide relevant portfolio examples, your approach, concept and revision allowances, timeline and availability, fees and currency, applicable taxes, payment milestones and any additional costs. Budget and final schedule are to be agreed before work begins.

Please also state ownership and handover terms for the final approved artwork, third-party licence requirements, and whether generative AI will be used in the process. Disclose any existing assets used. State whether an initial similarity review is included; formal trademark clearance is outside this design scope unless separately agreed.