I AM / SIR
BRAND
DESIGN
DIRECTOR
I AM / SIR
BRAND
DESIGN
DIRECTOR
I AM / S I Rautenbach, a design director working with brands at the point of change. I help progressive, design-conscious businesses build visual identities that evolve, adapt, and endure. For brands that have lost focus, I restore clarity and elevate brand systems. My practice blends human insight with emerging tools; using strategy to untangle complexity, pattern recognition to decode cultural shifts, and design to bring it all into focus.
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As brands expand, clarity blurs. Messages fracture, visuals lose cohesion, and what once felt distinct starts to dissolve.
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I help founders and teams re-establish the centre, defining what still holds true, refining what’s changed, and designing systems built to adapt.
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A brand that feels whole again. Confident. Coherent. Ready for what’s next.
Recent work
See Project
1/4
Repositioned a cyber-intelligence consultancy with a confident, systems-led identity rooted in discretion and authority.
See Project
3/4
2/4
4/4
OCEAN BOTTLE // BRAND EVOLUTION
Evolved the identity and digital system to scale a purpose-led start-up with coherence and cultural relevance.
Coming Soon
Developed a modern identity and digital system for a cross-border payments start-up, built to signal trust + momentum.
See Project
Refined and extended the identity to strengthen a new category in period care through clear, expressive design.
“She has that rare ability to see through brand confusion, cutting to the core, then rebuilding with clarity, intelligence, and focus”
KATE HUANG / Marketing Director
How I work
How I work
My work focuses on turning strategic clarity into practical systems that help brands stay consistent and adaptable through change. With over 15 years of experience across London and beyond, I’ve supported teams through funding rounds, leadership shifts, and periods of rapid growth. I bridge strategy and design, bringing structure where it’s been lost and aligning teams around a clear visual and verbal direction. I work in a hybrid capacity: remote, London based, or embedded, adapting to the realities of each organisation. Every engagement is different, but the work usually takes shape through one of four paths.
1 / Brand Foundations
Strategic clarity for businesses at pivotal moments of change: This is where we define what your brand stands for, who it serves, and how it should behave. From naming and narrative to brand architecture and positioning, this phase creates the clarity that everything else relies on — turning instinct into structure, and intention into direction.
Duration: 3–4 weeks
Output: brand audit, strategic framework, and recomendations for your identity system
2 / Brand Identity
Visual systems that speak clearly, not just beautifully: Shaped by strategy and designed to flex, your identity becomes a living system of elements that work together across every touchpoint. From core marks and colour palettes to typography and imagery, we build recognition, coherence, and distinction over time.
Duration: 10–12 weeks
Output: logo, typography, colour palette, system assets, and brand toolkit
3 / Brand Rollout
Turning a new identity into lived reality: This is where systems are stress-tested and embedded. From launch campaigns to digital rollouts, I create the tools and assets that ensure your brand shows up consistently from day one. The focus is on clarity, coherence, and control — giving teams confidence to implement and audiences a clear sense of who you are.
Duration: 6–8 weeks
Output: launch toolkit, templates, digital assets, and rollout support
4 / Fractional Design Director
Embedded brand leadership, without the headcount: When you need creative direction across teams or channels, I step in to guide, align, and elevate. This might mean leading a launch, refining internal brand behaviours, or protecting brand integrity as you scale; ensuring the work stays on brief, on brand, and strategically sharp.
Duration: 1 day per week, 3 months min
Output: strategic oversight, creative direction, and system stewardship
