Brand strategist · Worldwide
Brand strategist for founders who need to be chosen, not compared.
I am Jakaria Mahmud, a brand strategist and brand identity designer based in Dhaka, working with startups, SaaS and growing businesses in the USA, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Europe. I also lead sales and business development, so the strategy I write is built to win deals: who you serve, why you win and what to say, before anyone opens a design file.
- 80+ clients
- 12 countries
- From $799, fixed price
At a glance
Brand strategy, in one answer.
A brand strategist decides what your brand should stand for and who it is for, so every design, message and sales conversation pulls in the same direction. Brand strategy covers your audience, positioning, value proposition, messaging, personality and tone of voice. I deliver it as a short written brief you approve, then use it to design the identity, so the logo and website are built on a reason to choose you.
- Who
- Jakaria Mahmud, brand strategist and brand identity designer, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- For
- Startups, SaaS, B2B and growing businesses worldwide
- Price
- Positioning brief included from $799; full strategy in the $1,999 per month Partner plan
- Timeline
- One to two weeks for a positioning and messaging brief
- You get
- Audit, positioning, ideal customer, messaging, personality and a design brief
- Format
- A short written brief in plain language, plus a walkthrough call
- Ownership
- You own the strategy and every file
- Markets
- USA, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Europe and Bangladesh
What you get
A strategy your team can actually use.
No 80 page deck that nobody reads. Every brand strategy ends with a short brief your designers, writers and sales team can apply the same week.
- 01
Brand and competitor audit
How you look and sound today, how your competitors position themselves and where the open space is.
- 02
Ideal customer profile
Who buys, why they buy, what they compare you with and the words they use for the problem.
- 03
Positioning statement
One clear sentence on who you serve, what you replace and why you win, agreed in writing.
- 04
Messaging framework
Headline, value proposition, proof points and objection answers for the website, deck and sales calls.
- 05
Personality and tone of voice
How the brand sounds, with words to use and words to avoid, so every channel feels like one company.
- 06
Design brief
The bridge into brand identity design and logo design, so the visuals say what the strategy decided.
How brand strategy works
Four steps, one person accountable.
STEP 01
Listen
Founder interview, a look at your sales calls and customer feedback, and a review of your current brand.
STEP 02
Map
Competitors and alternatives side by side, to find the position you can own and defend.
STEP 03
Decide
Positioning, messaging and personality written as one short brief you approve before design.
STEP 04
Apply
The brief becomes your identity, website copy, pitch deck and sales talk track.
Want the detail? Read what a brand strategist does and the full brand identity design process.
Strategy or identity?
Strategy decides, identity expresses.
Brand strategy is the thinking: who you are for, why you win and what you say. Brand identity is how that looks and sounds: logo, colour, typography and imagery. Skipping strategy is why many logos look good but do not help sales. I do both, in order, so nothing is lost between the strategist and the designer. Planning a bigger change? Read the rebranding guide.
Do you need a brand strategist?
Four signs it is time.
SIGN 01
Price fights
Prospects compare you on price because they cannot see why you are different.
SIGN 02
Mixed messages
The founder, the website and the sales team each describe the company differently.
SIGN 03
New market
You are moving into the USA, UK or the Gulf and the local story is not clear yet.
SIGN 04
Before a rebrand
You want a new logo or website and need to know what it should say first.
Pricing
Fixed scope, fixed price.
- $799Launch · one time
Positioning brief, logo and brand starter kit, plus one landing page designed and built.
- $1,999Partner · per month
Full brand strategy, identity and guidelines, website UX and UI, product design and development.
- $3,999Growth · per month
Everything in Partner plus sales systems, lead generation and paid growth.
See the full plans · Priced in US dollars, with a written brief before anything starts.
From the journal
Branding notes, written down.
What does a brand strategist do? The role, the deliverables and when you need one
A brand strategist decides who your brand is for, why it wins and what it says, before any logo is drawn. Here is what the role covers, what you should get, what it costs in 2026 and when a startup needs one.
Read the article
Fintech branding: how to build a brand people trust with their money
In fintech the brand is a trust signal before it is anything else. Here is how to position a fintech brand, design a logo and colour system that feel secure without looking like a bank, stay compliant in the USA, UK and Gulf, and carry it into the product.
Read the article
The brand identity design process: 7 steps from strategy to brand guidelines
A strong brand is not drawn, it is built in order. Here is the seven step brand identity design process I use with founders in the USA, UK, the Gulf and Europe, and what you should get at each step.
Read the article
Where I work
Brand strategy for clients around the world.
Every project runs remotely with the same written brief, fixed price and full handover. Each market has its own page.
A brand strategist decides what a brand should stand for and who it is for. The work covers research into customers and competitors, positioning, the value proposition, messaging, brand personality and tone of voice, delivered as a brief that guides design, marketing and sales.
Brand strategy is the thinking: audience, positioning and messaging. Brand identity is the expression: logo, colour, typography, imagery and guidelines. Strategy should come first so the identity says the right thing.
It depends on depth. Published 2026 pricing guides put freelance brand strategy at roughly $5,000 to $15,000 and boutique agencies at $20,000 to $75,000. My positioning brief is included in the $799 Launch plan, and full brand strategy is part of the Partner plan at $1,999 per month.
A focused positioning and messaging brief takes one to two weeks. A full strategy with research, brand architecture and tone of voice usually takes three to five weeks.
Most startups need a short, clear strategy rather than a long one: who the product is for, what it replaces and why it wins. Getting that right before the logo and website saves a costly rebrand later.
An audit of your brand and competitors, an ideal customer profile, a positioning statement, a messaging framework, brand personality and tone of voice, and a design brief for the identity.
Yes. I work with founders in the USA, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Switzerland, the Netherlands and worldwide, remotely, with calls in your time zone.
Yes. I am a brand strategist and brand identity designer, so the same person who writes the strategy designs the logo, identity, guidelines and website, with nothing lost in the handover.
Next step
Start with a free positioning audit.
Thirty minutes on your market, your competitors and why customers choose you, with the one positioning change I would make first. You keep the advice whether you hire me or not.