You deserve a brand you can actually use.
I get it. I've been there. And that's exactly why I built Dead Simple Branding.
I've spent 20+ years building brands for companies like Toyota, Disney, and Microsoft. Then I co-founded a product business with my wife and discovered firsthand what it actually costs to run a business and build a brand at the same time.
You don't have time to waste on brand decisions.
And a brand you can't use won't work.
I build strategic, distinctive brands that are simple enough to run consistently, so you spend less time on your brand and more time on your business.
If you're tired of winging it, you're in the right place.
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I've spent my career building brands for some of the biggest names in the world: Toyota, Disney, Microsoft, and dozens more. I loved the creative challenge of communicating complex, often abstract concepts in a simple and meaningful way.
What I didn't love? The excess. The 100-page brand guidelines nobody read. The elaborate systems handed to busy people who struggled with what to do with them. Great work that didn’t work because it was built for designers, not the people who had to run it.
Along the way I worked with dozens of small businesses and nonprofits too. I thought I understood the challenges. I was good at my job, and the work showed it. But I was still the consultant walking in from the outside.
Then I co-founded a product business with my wife. We built it from scratch and got it into thousands of retail locations nationwide. And everything changed.
For the first time, I was the client. I was the one making hard calls with limited time, limited budget, and zero patience for anything that didn't pull its weight. I learned fast that a brand you can’t use when you’re slammed doesn't work, no matter how good it is.
That's the insight Dead Simple Branding is built on.
I take everything I've learned building brands at the highest level of complexity and distill it down to exactly what a small business owner actually needs. No more, no less. Think of it like a capsule wardrobe: fewer, better things that work together, work harder, and won’t let you down. Strategic. Distinctive. Built to connect with the right people and grow your business. And simple enough that you'll actually use it: consistently, confidently, every day.
You spend less time on your brand and more time on your business.
Brands I’ve worked with include Toyota, Disney, Microsoft, Whole Foods, CrossFit, Canon, Sutter Home, Warner Brothers, and more.
Things people say behind my back.
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![A middle-aged man with glasses and a beard, looking to the side with a thoughtful expression, against a plain white background.]()
“I'm beyond in love with the brand design and strategy that Brad created for us. Every single time I put something new into the world under this brand, I feel an extra boost of pride. Brad's process, his high bar, and collaborative spirit made sure we pushed it to the upper realms of amazing. You should work with him.”
Tim Leake - Let’s Lightbulb
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![A woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a black blazer over a light purple shirt, standing against a plain white background.]()
“It was incredible working with Brad to bring our vision to life. He truly listened, digging into our mission, passion, and long-term goals to shape a thoughtful brand identity. Brad made us feel understood and often uncovered ideas we hadn’t articulated yet. We felt creatively supported every step of the way.”
Shannon Godfrey - The Commons
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![Close-up of a smiling middle-aged man with a bald head, glasses, and a white beard, wearing a blue, green, yellow, and red plaid shirt, outdoors with greenery in the background.]()
“There are so many reasons I keep working with Brad, but the largest one by far is the fact that Brad doesn't just do what I ask him. He looks past me to develop his own understanding of the target audience, even if it's different from mine. This creates a productive collaboration focused where it should be: on effectiveness.”
Ed Chambliss - American Memory Loss Foundation -
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“We've worked with Brad for 20 years, and his superpower is capturing the essence of our ventures with clear, clever, and impactful branding. He's fun, wildly creative, articulate, and kind.”
Will Fendon - Fendon Properties
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![A smiling woman with curly brown hair and sunglasses on her head, wearing a blue jacket, standing outdoors near a wooden deck with a green wicker chair and a large green pot with plants.]()
“Oh my goodness I can't say enough good things about Brad and the work he did for us. Brad was passionate about our issue and understood what we were going for immediately.”
Nancy Hirshberg - The Crossroads Initiative
Wondering if this is right for you?
That’s exactly what a call is for. We’ll chat about your business, goals, challenges, whatever. I’ll listen and give you some ideas you can use right away. And we’ll see if we’re a good fit to work together moving forward. No pressure, no pitch. Promise.