Stylescapes: Visual Direction, Before Design

Creating visual directions for clients without heavy lifting.

Before we dive into pixels, we build alignment.

A Stylescape is a curated visual world. It’s a snapshot of your brand’s mood, tone, and aesthetic direction.

It bridges the gap between strategy and design, translating words like “bold,” “elegant,” or “futuristic” into something everyone can see and agree on.

Our process follows Chris Do’s proven framework: three curated visual directions (Hot, Medium, and Mild) that help clients choose how far to push their brand identity — before we commit to final design work.

The result? Fewer revisions, faster creative momentum, and crystal-clear visual alignment from day one.

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Purpose

Andonov Design

To create a visual design direction before diving into full design — align you and the client on aesthetic language, reduce revisions, and speed up creative work. Stylescapes act as the “visual hypothesis” you test and agree on early.

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Team Roles

• Creative Lead / Designer – Builds and curates the stylescapes.

• Brand Strategist / PM – Provides brand discovery input and ensures alignment with messaging.

• Client (Stakeholder) – Reviews, gives feedback, picks direction.

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Scope

This SOP applies when you’re doing brand identity, web design, app UI, or visual refresh work — wherever you need to set visual tone. It covers research → creation → presentation → approval of stylescapes.

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Tools & Resources

• Pinterest, Behance, Dribbble, Unsplash — for imagery & texture sourcing

• Figma / Sketch / Adobe XD — to assemble stylescapes

• Moodboard inspiration kits or photo libraries (e.g., UI8, Unsplash, Shutterstock)

• Brand discovery documents (mission, values, audience, competitive references)

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The Three C’s (Core Principles)

Kate Sullivan Designs

Chris frames Stylescapes around three pillars: Curation, Composition, Consistency (The Futur)

• Curation: carefully selecting visual ingredients (images, fonts, textures)

• Composition: arranging elements thoughtfully to communicate a mood / hierarchy

• Consistency: applying unified visual logic (spacing, color harmony, typographic affinity)

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Procedure

Step 1: Intake & Research

1. Review final Brand Discovery / Strategy doc (keywords, styles, audience, competitive visuals).

2. Ask “visual preference” questions with the client:

   • What visual examples do they love? (send 3–5 links)

   • What look/feel they dislike?

   • Keywords: modern, bold, minimal, energetic, moody, etc.

3. Create a visual inspiration board (scrapbook) offline or in Pinterest/Notion to collect images, textures, colors, typography references.

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Step 2: Create 3 Flavors / Variations

Chris recommends delivering three visual directions (Hot, Medium, Mild) to give contrast yet stay within brand boundaries. (The Futur)

• Hot: bolder, more daring, edge-pushing version

• Medium: closer to client expectations / the “safe bet”

• Mild: restrained, subtle, softer tone

This gives the client meaningful choices and makes the decision easier.

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Step 3: Build the Stylescapes

This is Fun Studio

For each direction (Hot / Medium / Mild):

1. Set the Canvas

   • Use a large artboard (for example, 1920×1080 or 1600×900)

   • Add grid / margins to keep consistency across flavors

2. Place Key Visual Ingredients

   • Hero imagery (photos, illustration, textures)

   • Color swatches & gradients

   • Typography examples (headline, body, accents)

   • Graphic textures, patterns, UI treatments (buttons, shapes)

   • UI components or interface accents (if relevant)

3. Compose with Hierarchy & Flow

   • Make sure imagery, typography, color accents lead the eye

   • Use visual tension and balance to evoke emotion

   • Each direction should feel different, but still share brand DNA

4. Refine Consistency Across Elements

   • Color harmony (swatches should make sense across imagery)

   • Typography scales consistent

   • Spacing, padding, margins match across sections

   • Visual “edges” (rounded vs sharp), shadow logic, texture scale consistent

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Step 4: Internal Review / Critique

• Step back ~10 min, then review with fresh eyes

• Ask: Which visuals “pop”? Which feel off?

• Adjust contrast, remove weak visuals, refine alignment

• Ensure each flavor is distinct but credible

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Step 5: Present to Client

1. Preface with a short narrative: “Here are three visual directions that reflect your brand — each explores a unique energy.”

2. Walk through each stylescape: point out logo feel, color mood, imagery, typographic character

3. Ask guided questions:

   • Which direction resonates most?

   • What feels strong? What feels weak?

   • Would you like combinations or tweaks?

4. Collect feedback and confirm which flavor(s) to refine

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Step 6: Lock Direction & Build Out

• Once client approves a direction, consolidate that into a master stylescape version (final).

• Use that master stylescape as the visual guide: design mockups, interface, collateral all refer back to it

• Archive all flavors & decision notes for reference

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Expected Outcomes

• Client & team aligned visually before detailed design work

• Faster design execution with fewer surprises

• Stronger confidence from the client — they’ve “seen it first”

• Clear visual guide that drives downstream design consistency