Launch­ing a project with­out dis­cov­ery is like set­ting off on a road trip with­out a map. Dis­cov­ery gives us that map. In this phase, we iden­ti­fy your goals, chal­lenges, and audi­ence expec­ta­tions. We lis­ten close­ly to your team’s insights and his­to­ry, because the best ideas are often hid­den in your sto­ry wait­ing to be found. By the end, you’ll see your busi­ness in a new light – with clar­i­ty on your vision and a firm grasp of the oppor­tu­ni­ties ahead. This foun­da­tion ensures that every design deci­sion to fol­low is root­ed in strat­e­gy and authen­tic­i­ty, so we’re build­ing on truth, not guess­work.

As a small stu­dio based in Port­land, we take a human-cen­tered, hands-on approach to dis­cov­ery. Our co-founder Kan­dace is a cul­tur­al anthro­pol­o­gist by train­ing, and that spir­it infus­es our process. What does that mean for you? It means we don’t rely on cook­ie-cut­ter ques­tion­naires or gener­ic audits hand­ed off to junior staff. You’ll be col­lab­o­rat­ing direct­ly with our prin­ci­pals, the ones who shape your brand’s vision. We ask prob­ing ques­tions and even the ​“sil­ly” ones, observ­ing not just what you say but how you say it. We research the cul­tur­al con­text of your indus­try and speak your lan­guage from day one (espe­cial­ly if that lan­guage is cof­fee!). This thor­ough, empa­thet­ic explo­ration helps us find the sto­ry­lines and themes that will set your brand apart.

In a world of tem­plat­ed brand audits, Needmore’s Dis­cov­ery stands out for its depth and per­son­al­i­ty. We’re not a large agency jug­gling dozens of accounts – we’re a tight-knit team that gives each client our full atten­tion. Our decades of expe­ri­ence in spe­cial­ty cof­fee and direct-to-con­sumer brands mean we can dive in faster and uncov­er nuances oth­ers might miss. (After all, we’ve been part of the cof­fee com­mu­ni­ty for over two decades; we already know the dif­fer­ence between a Mac­chi­a­to and a Cor­ta­do, and we under­stand the sub­tleties of your sup­ply chain.) 

We bring that same lev­el of pas­sion to every indus­try we work with. The result? A Dis­cov­ery process that feels less like a for­mal exer­cise and more like a col­lab­o­ra­tive adven­ture. We com­bine metic­u­lous research with a storyteller’s eye for mean­ing, ensur­ing that the insights we gath­er aren’t just data points, but sparks that will ignite your brand’s cre­ative direction.

Dis­cov­ery is only the begin­ning. The insights and ideas we uncov­er will be dis­tilled into clear doc­u­men­ta­tion and next steps. You’ll receive a roadmap of our find­ings – this may include a sum­ma­rized brand sto­ry, audi­ence per­sonas, com­pet­i­tive land­scape high­lights, and strate­gic rec­om­men­da­tions. Think of it as a com­pass for your brand: it guides our design and brand­ing deci­sions mov­ing forward. 

Whether we’re craft­ing your visu­al iden­ti­ty or build­ing your web­site next, we’ll refer back to this Dis­cov­ery roadmap at every turn to ensure we’re on-course. Many of our clients tell us this process not only set the direc­tion for our project but also gave them new­found clar­i­ty about their busi­ness inter­nal­ly. Our goal is for you to feel con­fi­dent and inspired, with a doc­u­ment that you can ral­ly your team around.