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Fortune Favors the Bold

5.0
5 reviews

Named one of the hottest branding agencies in America, Motto is a branding and digital agency that works with global brands and emerging companies who want to scale, disrupt and matter. We partner with challenger brands and visionaries to challenge thinking and create bold brands that stand out. Whether you’re launching or evolving a brand, we’ll capture your spirit and design a disruptive, world-class brand that wins.

We provide services such as:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity & Brand Books
  • Brand Message & Personality
  • Website UI/UX/IA 
  • E-Commerce Websites
  • Package Design & POS
  • Retail & Branded Spaces
READ MORE...
 
$50,000+
 
$150 - $199 / hr
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2005
Show all +
New York, NY
headquarters
other locations

Portfolio

Key clients: 

E&J Gallo Wines, Legendary Digital, Money on Honey, GANNETT/USA Today, The Smart Co., Humankind, Greyston Bakery, Even, The Nerdist, Johnny Cupcakes, Keetsa, and many more.

Call-Em-All

Aligning a tech company’s culture, purpose, vision and values to their brand.

Call-Em-All is a B2B tech company in Frisco, TX. They provide on-demand automated voice broadcasting and bulk text messaging for everyone from Fortune 500 companies such as Ford, Amazon and Curves to colleges and sports teams. But it’s way more than that. It’s a place where workplace culture and core values are lived, not just talked about. Motto was asked to assist in the company’s rebranding effort to align purpose, brand, and culture while capturing the spirit and essence of Call-Em-All’s personality in a new website.

See the full project here — Call-Em-All

Scope of work included:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Messaging
  • Brand Manifesto
  • Copywriting
  • Website UI/UX
  • Website Design
  • Dashboard Design
  • Banner Ads

Even

Even approached Motto as a scaling startup desperately in need of uniting the brand under a comprehensive language. With recent success on HSN and a partnership with Napster, defining the brand for Even was critical.

We were asked to help evolve the existing brand identity, reposition the brand, redefine the story and message, build a social media campaign that would launch for the holidays, direct a new lifestyle and product photoshoot, and create a new e-commerce website that tied the brand together online.

See the full project — Even Headphones

Services completed:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity
  • Brand Messaging
  • IA & UX
  • Visual Design
  • Art Direction
  • Photography
  • Product ID

Munk Pack

Munk Pack is the first ever on-the-go food in a pouch for adventurers. A delicious Gluten Free, Vegan and Non-GMO snacks for the trail and the city.

We started working with Munk Pack when their founders, Toby and Michelle Glienke, were still making fruit and oatmeal smoothies in their kitchen and selling at local farmers’ markets. From their professional lives to their camping adventures, they were always looking for portable, healthy, great tasting foods that were minimally processed, without the additives and fillers you find in most snacks.

They couldn’t find it, so they created it themselves and disrupting a traditional category by bringing pouch-filled food to adults. The brand takes its inspiration from nature to create delicious products with high quality, real ingredients for balanced nutrition on the go.

See the full project — Munk Pack

Services on-going:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Messaging...

Johnny Cupcakes

Over the past decade, Johnny Cupcakes has grown from selling t-shirts out of the trunk of his beat up ’89 Toyota Camry to collaborating with the world’s biggest brands like Nickelodeon, The Simpsons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with his unordinary apparel shop.

If that wasn’t cool enough, he’s a keynote speaker who gives talks on creativity and innovation for companies like Disney, McDonalds, and Apple. Johnny asked Motto to help him build a more strategic presence around his lecture series and enhance his personal brand with a new lecture-focused and event-driven website.

See the full project — Johnny Cupcakes

Services completed: 

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity
  • Brand Messaging
  • Website Design & Dev
  • Iconography
  • Copywriting

Humankind

It’s easy to overlook good news, especially on large media platforms. USA TODAY realized this and set out to change the way it curates positive stories by creating a social video brand focused on stories about special relationships, acts of kindness and out of the ordinary triumphs. Motto worked with GANNETT to name, brand, and launch the motion and animation of the Humankind video platform. 

See the full project — Humankind

Services completed:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Brand Positioning
  • Brand Messaging
  • Branding
  • Brand Identity
  • Copywriting
  • Art Direction
  • Animation
  • Motionography

Money on Honey

Money on Honey is a clean caramel treat made from honey instead of corn syrup.

Michelle Crochet, founder of Droga Chocolates, and creator of Money on Honey is a certified sweet tooth. So when everyone told her that caramel couldn’t be made without processed corn syrup, she took it as a bet and put her “Money on Honey.” With a little determination and some help from the honey bees, she created a uniquely delicious, clean caramel treat made from wildflower honey, fresh cream and real butter. You can find it at Starbucks, Whole Foods and other popular retailers.

See the full project here — Money on Honey

Services completed:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Architecture
  • Brand Identity
  • Package Design
  • Copywriting
  • Photography

Hypervibe

Derek Liebhauser was raised in the music business by his parents who founded Starshow Presents, producers of annual music festivals CountryUSA and RockUSA. After 22 years in business, mom and dad handed Derek the leadership reigns to take the company and brand in a more exciting direction. Under Derek’s vision, Motto guided Starshow Presents through a radical renaming, repositioning and rebranding to emerge as Hypervibe.

See the full project — Hypervibe

Services completed:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Position
  • Naming
  • Brand Identity

TriTonic

Anna Tidball — cosmetologist and part-owner of The Yellow Door Boutique Spa in LA — created TriTonic as an alternative to the one-size-fits-all products on the shelves (that don’t work). Unlike other brands, this 3-step system treats ingrown hairs from all angles and prevents them from popping up in the future. Motto worked with TriTonic to help develop the packaging and prototypes.

See the full project — TriTonic

Crown & Buckle Black Label

Meet Black Label, Crown & Buckle’s premium line of watch straps made with the world’s finest leathers in the spirit of handmade tradition.

Crown & Buckle is a watch strap retailer specializing in fine leather and nylon strap styles for the modern watch wearer. Black Label is their premium line of watch straps sourced from Spanish, Italian, and American tanneries with generations of experience. Motto was asked to develop the strategy and identity of their Black Label collection.

See the full project — Crown & Buckle Black Label

Services completed:

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity
  • Brand Messaging
  • Art Direction
  • Photography
  • Visual Design
  • UI/UX
  • E-Commerce

Crown & Buckle

Crown & Buckle is a watch strap retailer specializing in fine leather and nylon strap styles for the modern watch wearer. The company manufactures an in-house line of handmade straps from American and Italian leathers, and collaborates with other tastemaker brands on exclusive collections. As the company grew, it came time to step up their game and give the brand some love and attention.

Fort Worth Barber Shop

Forth Worth Barbershop mixes an old school feel with a new school approach. Our task was to create a website that brought the physical shop to life online. Motto art directed a photoshoot to capture lifestyle “in the moment” photos and staff headshots that illustrate the shop’s cool, laid-back culture. We then designed a site to educate and engage customers about the unique barbershop experience.

Reviews

5.0
5 reviews
Sort by

Branding for Sporting Ball Company

“They put in a lot of effort for every project, which shows how much they care.”

See More

5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Feb. - Mar. 2018
Project summary: 

Motto conducted market research to identify effective brand components and create a brand deck. Their work included questionnaires, competitor research, and phone interviews.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Los Angeles, California
Joyce Kao
Vice President, Chance
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Their research was thorough and in-depth, resulting in a fantastic end product that guides branding choices. The team had great project management, using a variety of tools to track progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president at Chance, a sporting ball company. We sell basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs that are trendy and stylish. Our products use vibrant colors, prints, and styles so that customers can express themselves more when they’re on the field.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Motto?

We launched in early February with just a templated theme from Shopify. We wanted to solidify our brand and knew what we wanted to say, but we weren’t sure how to say it or who we should be saying it to. So, we started looking for a partner to help with our brand deck.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Motto immediately went through several rounds of phone calls and questionnaires to get to know our brand and determine what we wanted. They also conducted competitor research to better understand the market. They then presented the results and told us what they thought would work best. At the end of the engagement, they provided a detailed brand deck that went over the Chance brand, our tone, and our target audience.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and a few other team members to help craft our deck.

How did you come to work with Motto?

I found them by researching different agencies online. They stuck out because of the work they’d already done and their own story. I watched some videos on their website and felt they’d be a great fit. I talked to a few other companies, but we best gelled with Motto. They understood what we wanted and how to address our concerns.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent about $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We don’t have any quantitative metrics, but the brand deck has been a great guide when we’ve needed to make difficult decisions. Before, we didn’t have a clear direction, but now it’s easy to make those decisions.

How did Motto perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on top of everything and provided Gantt charts to lay out exactly when things would be delivered. They responded quickly, and we had no issues with them. We also used Basecamp to track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put in a lot of effort for every project, which shows how much they care. You can tell they’ve thought about their solutions instead of just providing a last-minute fix.

5.0
Overall Score Every call we had was productive, and I loved working with them.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Everything was seamless, and I never had any issues getting in touch with any of them.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They're costly but worth every penny.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    I was extremely happy with their work; it took a huge weight off of my shoulders.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Rebranding for Direct to Consumer Brand

“They’re an amazing team of highly professional people who are sincere and easy to work with.”

See More

5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Sept. 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Motto rebranded the company, creating a new logo and brand strategy.They conducted research interviews to create the most accurate identity, and they’re currently working on the website and product images.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Dannie Lee
Chief Operating Officer, KEETSA Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Motto took time to understand the company and met every project requirement. The new brand identity reaches a much wider audience while still maintaining core company values. The partnership is so good that future engagements with Motto are in the works.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm Chief Operating Officer of KEETSA Inc. We sell mattresses online and in stores for retail and wholesale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Motto?

We needed to rebrand ourselves in order to stay fresh and interesting. The mattress market is constantly changing with new companies appearing every day, so we needed a way to capture customer attention. We wanted to do this while maintaining the core company values we’ve built over the last 10 years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Motto thoroughly interviewed our employees, customers, and partners to better understand our company. Afterwards, they brainstormed and brought us ideas for our rebranding strategy. From there, they delivered a new logo, brand strategy, personality, and company story. We’re currently working on a new website and product images.

What is the team composition?

I work with 5 people mainly, including both founders, a designer, a project manager, and another professional who researches the company and organizes the brand strategy ideas.

How did you come to work with Motto?

I did research online and found several marketing companies that had past work similar to what we wanted. I reached out to them, and Motto was the most thorough and prompt in communicating with us. I even spoke to their founder, which helped me understand how they work and made me confident that they would deliver.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017, and the work is ongoing. The new brand identity was completed in February, but we’re still working on the new website and product photography, which should be completed in the next 5–7 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Motto understood our specific requirements for rebranding the company and delivered beautifully. The new logo is young and bold, which is just what we asked for. They helped us reach a wider and younger audience, which is awesome. We’re happy to be working with them.

How did Motto perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re thorough and detail oriented. When we initially started the project, they planned a specific timeline, and we stuck to it, even with all the revisions and changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re an amazing team of highly professional people who are sincere and easy to work with. We foresee having a long-term relationship with them for future marketing projects and campaigns. We work so closely together that it feels like they’ve become our own internal marketing team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. We're thoroughly happy.

5.0
Overall Score I'm happy with them, and I look forward to working together in the future.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They met all the deadlines.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They worked really hard and delivered efficient results, even with our limited budget.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The outcome was beyond what we expected. The quality of the brand identity, logo, and graphics are all amazing.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've recommended them to two of our partners.

Branding for Mattress Manufacturer

"Their solutions are tailored to us. We love everything they’ve done."

See More

5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Jan. 2015 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Motto modernized a mattress company through updated branding. Through their ongoing marketing efforts – including web design – they built a new identity from scratch.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
New York, New York
Vincent
Chief Marketing Officer, Christeli
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Sales doubled after brand launch. Motto’s tailored approach ensures unique designs that stand out in any industry. Their meticulous planning and documentation keeps the project on schedule. By sharing their own insights, they bestow a keen understanding of branding fundamentals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a mattress manufacturer that sells direct to the public nationwide. I served as chief marketing officer when we first hired Motto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Motto?

Having been around since 1931, we wanted to update our branding to connect with modern customers, especially in this new digital environment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a discovery phase. Motto talked to several people within our organization to get an idea of our company, and also analyzed our existing marketing strategies. From here, they developed several excellent branding options for us to choose from.

Once a decision was made, they helped with everything from frontend website design to the look of our products. The process took several months, but they completely overhauled our customer experience and essentially built our brand identity from scratch.

We kept adding things to our initial scope as Motto taught us about branding. We found that many of the suggestions they had made upfront were the right choice, after all, so we happily expanded the project.

What is the team composition?

Sunny [Bonnell, CEO, Motto] is our main point of contact, though we’ve also spoken with Ashleigh [Hansberger, Co-founder, Motto] on occasion.

How did you come to work with Motto?

I found a number of companies through an Internet search, but none of them seemed to understand our goals. They tried to apply formulaic solutions based on the strategies of our competitors. Motto, on the other hand, understood that we needed our own unique identity. They wanted to do something fresh with our company to set us apart in the industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent at least six figures.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015 and our relationship is ongoing. While we completed our initial stage at the end of 2015, the project is always evolving.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our sales doubled within two months of launching our new brand identity.

How did Motto perform from a project management standpoint?

They're a well-oiled machine. They hit every deadline and kept the project organized through project management software. Our discussions are documented to ensure we’re all on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate that they didn’t try to apply generic, boilerplate solutions. Instead of tweaking the branding of our competitors, they took us in an entirely different direction to help set us apart. This scared us at first, but we trusted them – and it worked!

They also value their clients. Even though we currently hire them for smaller projects, they pay us the same attention as when they worked on our initial, large-scale venture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

5.0
Overall Score Their solutions are tailored to us. We love everything they’ve done.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They've met every deadline.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    It seemed expensive to us at first, but the results are worth the investment.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They're very attentive to our input and have exceeded all of our expectations.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We've recommended them in the past and continue to do so.

Branding for Men's Consumer Product Startup

"Motto has a passion for this kind of work. They are great at digging in and understanding our goals and visions."

See More

5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Apr. - Aug. 2017
Project summary: 

Using a discovery process in the form of an in-depth questionnaire, Motto first came to understand the business before creating a variety of assets for their new brand identity.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Bergen County, New Jersey
Josh Perry
Founder, Salt of the Earth
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Compared to other agencies, Motto's team has a greater sense of professionalism and creativity that makes them ideal business partners. They are unafraid to think outside of the box and create meaningful products that get their clients closer to their goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small business startup called Salt of the Earth and I am the founder. We sell primarily men's goods that are made in the USA and are natural, absolute essentials of what we carry with us each day. I handle all of our day-to-day operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Motto?

We understood the importance of having cohesiveness and a common voice in our market, especially when it comes to marketing. We approached Motto to help define our identity without having too many tangibles.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by filling out questionnaires about who we are, what we're trying to do, and what our goals were. Motto wanted to understand the core of our company to make sure that they were a good fit for us.

We then had a series of open conversations to further define our strategy and funnel all of that information to one place. Once they had a pretty good concept of our company, they asked for a series of images of things that we like and don't like. They scoured through those photos and developed three themes we could work with. We selected one of the three.

The final deliverables we received from Motto were a number of assets for our brand mark, including the imagery, color themes, and specific typography. 

I worked primarily with the two co-founders: Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger.

How did you come to work with Motto?

This was our first engagement with a branding agency. We did a heavy search for providers for about six months, and received around three proposals. I did quite a bit of research and ultimately decided to go with Motto.

I could sense that they were more hungry, bold, outgoing, and brash as far as breaking the norms. Motto focuses on quality and truly understanding what is important and meaningful rather than some of the other companies that submitted proposals. You could sense that they had a more corporate environment.

How much have you invested with Motto?

We spent $15,500. The original budget was $15,000, so there was one minor change.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Motto in April 2017 and the project is now complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Motto perform from a project management standpoint?

They were a real pleasure to work with. The Motto team was very professional, courteous, and helpful. They handled the project very well.

What did you find most impressive about Motto?

Motto has a passion for this kind of work. They are great at digging in and understanding our goals and visions. I'm even more pleased now than when I was when we first began working with them. As we continue to grow, I have no doubt that we will go back to them.

Are there any areas Motto could improve?

Not really - all in all, it was a great experience working with Motto and we're extremely pleased with our finished results.

5.0
Overall Score We are very pleased that they were willing to work with us within such a small budget. Even though we are on the small side, they did not treat us as such.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Considering my never-ending wishlist and my limited budget, Motto did all they could to ensure this project was completed in a timely manner. In the end, we feel we got every bit of our investment in return.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They upheld the original budget, with exception to the minor change. The feedback we've gotten has been very positive.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The quality was excellent.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We're very pleased and we will consider them again for future projects.

Branding Overhaul of Headphones Retailer

"They are very passionate, responsible, and creative people."

See More

5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Nov. 2016 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Motto produced a new branding concept to enhance market recognition through web design, logo design, marketing collateral and digital strategy.

The Reviewer
 
11- 50 employees
 
Tel Aviv, Israel
CEO, Headphone Retailer
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Motto developed very creative and attractive marketing collateral and did a great job with the website. Social media shares have increased greatly as has website engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that makes headphones. Our products customize sounds to the way that you hear.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Motto?

We needed help with overhauling our brand as well as with website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a big branding project, involving a lot of design work. Motto created a manifesto for the company, a brand identity, logo, photoshoots, and collateral. The website was also a part of that.

How did you come to work with Motto?

Our CMO did a review for quite a number of companies. He was referred to Motto and had several calls with them. After talking to them, we were pretty sure that this was the right company for us.

How much have you invested with Motto?

We’ve spent more than $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started November 1, 2016. A big chunk of branding work has already been completed. The website is still undergoing some work, so we will probably continue collaborating with them in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think Motto’s work was exceptional and outstanding. We’ve been getting amazing feedback from stakeholders, investors, and consumers about what we have been doing and what it’s done for us. We see a lot of very positive indications. There are more shares, likes, and engagement on the website. That’s because Motto enabled us to create content that people are interested in. Across the board, the reception is very positive.

How did Motto perform from a project management standpoint? 

Sunny and Ashleigh are a very inspiring leadership team to work with. They make sure that the actual deliverables are done very well. It has been a great experience to work with them, particularly for executives in the company, because they took us on a voyage. It has resonated and not just on the specific stuff that we hired them for.

Are there any areas Motto could improve?

Not that I can think of. I was extremely pleased. They did what they said they would do when they said they would do it. They are very passionate, responsible, and creative people.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Motto?

Listen to what Sunny and Ashleigh tell you to do.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    I haven’t had any scheduling or deadline issues with them.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    This is perfect.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They are exceptional.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer