Cultural Insight & Research
Research design and briefing
Research design ensures that insight work is purposeful, focused, and aligned with the decisions it needs to support. A clear research brief frames the right questions, defines success, and guides methodologies that deliver meaningful outcomes.
Well-designed research creates momentum, providing direction rather than distraction and helping organisations move forward with greater certainty.
I approach research design as a strategic exercise, shaping briefs that connect business objectives with human understanding. My process ensures that your research gives you the understanding you need to move your brand forward.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research provides the human context behind behaviour, decisions, and belief, revealing how people make sense of the world, the language they use, and the motivations that shape their choices. Qualitative insight goes beyond surface opinion to uncover the tensions and values that influence action.
I use qualitative research to build grounded understanding, identify meaningful patterns, and inform strategic direction with confidence.
Semiotics and cultural analysis
Semiotics and cultural analysis help interpret the signals, symbols, and narratives that shape meaning in culture. They provide a way to understand how ideas are formed, shared, and recognised within specific contexts. Used strategically, these tools reveal how brands are read, where they align naturally, and where opportunities exist to build credibility and distinction.
I apply semiotic and cultural analysis to clarify positioning, guide creative expression, and ensure communication resonates intuitively.
The aim is not interpretation for its own sake, but sharper judgement about how brands can participate meaningfully within cultural systems.
Ethnography
Ethnography offers a close view of behaviour as it happens in real life. By observing people in context, it captures the routines, workarounds, and social dynamics that shape everyday decisions. This perspective provides insight into what people do, not just what they say they do, and helps surface needs that are often left unarticulated.
I use ethnographic approaches to go beyond what we would ordinarily think to ask, to identify practical opportunities, and to inform strategy with nuance.
These insights support the design of brands, products, and communications that feel relevant, useful, and grounded in real-world behaviour.
Strategic foundation
Brand positioning
Brand positioning establishes the strategic foundation that guides every expression of a brand. It brings together ambition, market context, and audience understanding into a coherent set of ideas that can be applied consistently over time. Strong positioning creates an ownable space in the market and unlocks creative territory that feels both distinctive and culturally relevant.
I have extensive experience in working with a wide variety of brand models and developing specific models if required. My output is a clear and compelling proposition built on a robust understanding of the business, brand and audience.
Naming and identity
Naming and identity translate strategic intent into something people can recognise and trust. While brands are not people, identity helps audiences understand what a brand stands for through instinct and familiarity rather than explanation. Effective naming and identity create clarity and character without complexity, making a brand easy to place and easy to remember.
I develop clear and recognisable identities, working alongside creative teams to develop names and other collateral to bring this identity to life.
Communication strategy
Communication strategy shapes how a brand builds understanding and momentum over time. It focuses on guiding audiences from one idea or behaviour to the next through a considered sequence of interactions. By aligning message, channel, and context, communication becomes a cohesive conversation rather than isolated activity. Effective strategies prioritise clarity and relevance, ensuring each touchpoint plays a meaningful role in reinforcing belief and trust. When done well, communication earns attention through consistency and intent, helping brands establish credibility, deepen connection, and support long-term commercial outcomes.
Brand architecture
Brand architecture defines how products, services, and ideas relate to one another within a broader system. A clear architectural structure allows equity to flow across a portfolio, supporting growth, expansion, and innovation with clarity. It gives new initiatives momentum, helps audiences navigate choice with ease, and enables brands to operate across categories and audiences with confidence. Strong architecture aligns internal teams around a shared logic while presenting a coherent and legible system externally. Over time, it supports scale by creating consistency without rigidity, allowing brands to evolve while maintaining a clear sense of who they are.
Creative enablement
Strategic briefs
Strategic briefs provide clarity and direction at the point where thinking turns into action. A strong brief aligns insight, ambition, and constraints into a clear set of priorities that teams can work from with confidence. I develop briefs that focus attention on what matters most, framing the problem in a way that invites strong creative response while maintaining strategic integrity. Effective briefs create momentum, reduce ambiguity, and help teams move quickly without losing coherence. When a brief is working well, it becomes a shared reference point that supports better collaboration and stronger outcomes.
Narrative development
Narrative development shapes how ideas are understood over time. It connects insight, intent, and expression into a coherent story that audiences can recognise and trust. Strong narratives provide continuity across touchpoints while allowing for evolution as contexts shift. I develop narratives that clarify a brand’s role, guide communication choices, and create meaning beyond individual moments. Well-crafted narratives help teams align around a shared direction and give audiences a reason to engage repeatedly, building familiarity, belief, and long-term value.
Working with creatives and designers
Working closely with creatives and designers is central to turning strategy into lived experience. I collaborate as a partner in the process, shaping direction, refining ideas, and supporting execution as it develops. This involves creating clarity early, maintaining open dialogue, and respecting the craft of creative disciplines. By providing clear intent and constructive guidance, I help teams push ideas further while staying aligned with strategic goals. Strong collaboration leads to work that feels considered, cohesive, and purposeful across every expression.
Translating insight into creative springboards
Creative springboards transform insight into starting points for exploration and expression. They provide inspiration with intent, giving creative teams a clear direction while leaving space for interpretation. I focus on translating insight into springboards that are simple, generative, and grounded in real behaviour. This approach helps ideas travel across disciplines and formats without losing their core meaning. Effective springboards energise the creative process, support collaboration, and ensure that output remains connected to strategy while still feeling fresh and original.