Cape Town · Brand Story
Brand storytelling in Cape Town.
A brand without a story is just a logo people forget. We dig into who you are, why you started and where you are going, then turn it into language your whole team can use, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
Sorted Design International is a Cape Town studio that helps businesses find the story behind the brand: the real reason you exist, the problem you solve and the way you want to be remembered. We put that into words before we ever open a design file.
A good brand story is not a paragraph on an About page. It shows up in how you pitch, how you write a proposal, how your team answers the phone and how your website talks to a stranger. We build it to travel across every one of those places.
Whether you are starting from nothing or untangling a brand that has drifted over the years, our Cape Town team runs the discovery, does the thinking and hands you a story your business can actually stand behind.
What we shape.
Every brand story starts with proper discovery, not a template questionnaire.
Brand discovery
Structured sessions that uncover why your business exists and who it is really for.
Positioning
A clear place to stand in the market, so people know what makes you different.
Narrative development
The through-line that connects your history, your work and your future.
Tone of voice
Guidelines for how your brand sounds, written, spoken and everywhere between.
Messaging pillars
The handful of core ideas every piece of copy and every pitch should carry.
Naming
Names for businesses, products and services that are memorable and mean something.
Taglines and straplines
A short line that carries the brand story in a sentence or two.
Brand portal
Your brand story and guidelines gathered into a live online resource the whole team can reference and keep current.
Nearly twenty years of finding the right words.
Sorted Design International was founded in 2006, and in nearly twenty years we have written brand stories for businesses in every industry you can think of. That experience means we know the difference between a story that sounds nice and one that actually changes how people buy, hire and refer.
Because we are a full-service studio, a brand story project rarely stays on paper. The same thinking shapes the identity, the website and the way a business photographs itself. See it at work in Rare Ritual Skincare and This Way Out.
Frequently asked questions.
How much does brand storytelling cost in Cape Town?
It depends on how much discovery is needed and what you want at the end, a positioning statement and messaging pillars is a different job to a full brand story document with tone of voice guidelines. We quote after a short brief call.
Do you only work with Cape Town clients?
No. We are based in Cape Town and enjoy working with local businesses, but we develop brand stories for clients across South Africa and internationally too.
What does the brand story process actually involve?
Discovery sessions with you and your team, research into your market and competitors, then drafting and testing positioning, narrative and tone of voice until it sounds like you.
How long does a brand story project take?
A focused positioning and messaging project usually takes two to three weeks. A full brand story document with naming or a tagline takes longer. We agree a timeline once we understand the scope.
Can you work with our team remotely?
Yes. Discovery sessions run just as well over video call as in person, and we are used to working with teams who are not based in Cape Town.
What do we actually receive at the end?
A written brand story document covering positioning, narrative, tone of voice and messaging pillars, handed over in a format your team can use for copywriting, pitching and briefing other suppliers.
Let's find your story.
Tell us where your business started and where it is headed. We will help you shape the story that connects the two.
