Brand Strategy & Creative Excellence.
Considered, proven strategies to help your brand start, grow, and thrive.
With over 25 years of experience in design, branding, and business growth, I help businesses craft compelling identities and scale with confidence. From start-ups finding their voice to established businesses refining their brand presence, I work closely with clients to develop distinctive brand identities, engaging assets & collateral, and results-driven strategies.
Brand Life Cycle
Brands go through different stages of growth, and each stage requires a unique approach. Whether you're just starting out, looking to scale, or aiming to solidify your position in the market, I have the expertise to guide you through every phase of your brand's life cycle.
Start
Building a brand from the ground up? I help you define your identity, mission, and value proposition to create a strong foundation for growth.
Grow
Looking to scale your brand? I craft cohesive brand ecosystems that include identity, digital presence, and content strategy to connect with your audience.
Thrive
Is your brand ready for the next level? I build flexible frameworks designed for longevity, ensuring your brand can adapt and evolve as your business scales.
Creative Excellence. Strategy First
Every great brand starts with clarity, but clarity doesn't happen by accident. It’s the result of a rigorous discovery process designed to strip away the noise and uncover your brand's "North Star." Before we talk about colours, typography, or layouts, we talk about purpose. I partner with you to define:
- The Identity: Who you are at your core.
- The Mission: What you stand for when the trends fade.
- The Value: Why your audience should choose you over anyone else.
Only after we have a clear understanding of your brand's essence do we move into the creative phase. This strategy-first approach ensures that every design choice, every piece of content, and every touchpoint is aligned with your brand's true identity and resonates with your audience on a deeper level.
Creative That Connects
In a world saturated with content, beautiful design is the price of entry—but purpose is what wins the game. High-end aesthetics mean nothing if they don't resonate with the people you're trying to reach. I specialize in bridging the gap between artistic vision and consumer psychology.
I craft cohesive brand ecosystems that include:
- Brand Identity: Visual systems that feel both timeless and contemporary.
- Digital Presence: High-performance websites that balance UX with storytelling.
- Content Strategy: A roadmap for how your brand speaks, acts, and engages across all platforms.
I don't just build assets; I craft experiences. Whether it's the first click on your homepage or the unboxing of a product, every touchpoint is an opportunity to make a lasting impression and turn a casual observer into a loyal advocate.
Built to Grow with You
A brand isn't a static monument; it's a living organism. It needs to breathe, adapt, and evolve as your business scales. I don't believe in "one-time" projects that look good today but break tomorrow. Instead, I build flexible frameworks designed for longevity.
My approach focuses on:
- Scalability: Systems that work as well for a team of five as they do for fifty.
- Consistency: Providing you with the tools and guidelines to maintain brand integrity across every new venture.
- Evolutionary Strategy: Planning for where you are now, while keeping a sharp eye on where you want to be in five years.
I'm here to be a long-term partner in your growth, ensuring that as your vision expands, your brand has the structural integrity to support it.
Clients
I've had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, from startups to established brands, across various industries. Each project is an opportunity to create something unique and impactful.
- Adnams
- Point of Sale Design
- Packaging Design
- Art for Cure
- Brand Identity
- Website Design & Development
- Big Drop Brewing Co.
- Brand Identity
- Brand Strategy
- Packaging Design
- Website Design & Development
- Castle Wren
- Brand Identity
- Cor
- Brand Name & Identity
- Website Design & Development
- KNOB
- Brand Identity
- Kickstart Wellness
- Brand Identity
- Knowing Works
- Brand Name & Identity
- Brand Strategy
- Website Design & Development
- Loch Duart
- Brand Strategy
- Website Design & Development
- Looper Insights
- Brand Identity
- App Design (UX/UI)
- MAD-HR
- Print Design
- Website Design & Development
- Workflow & Systems Design
- Rock Paper Scissors
- Brand Identity
- Website Design & Development
- Scarlett & Mustard
- Brand Identity
- Packaging Design
- Selkie Seaweed
- Brand Identity
- Brand Strategy
- Packaging Design
- Smallys Biltong
- Brand Identity
- Packaging Design
- TechEast
- Brand Identity
- Website Design & Development
- Workflow & Systems Design
- Tiptree - Wilkin & Sons
- Brand Identity
- Packaging Design
- Toothbrush Apartments
- Brand Name & Identity
- Workflow & Systems Design
Contact
About Me
I'm James Kindred. I've been a brand builder, graphic designer, and technologist for 25 years, starting as a junior designer for a London firm in the late 1990s and co-founding Big Drop Brewing Co in 2016. I'm now using my many years of experience to help startups and scale-ups realise their brand, design, and digital aspirations.
In 2024, I started offering talks about Neurodiversity awareness. I also speak at seminars and conferences about the benefits and opportunities when effectively support neurodivergent employees.
Professional Experience
Positions
Clients: Royal Bank of Scotland, Suffolk Libraries, Suffolk County Council, ITV/Celador, Upstarts!, Monitor Audio, International Decorative Surfaces, Calder Colours and more.
Clients: Dent of London, Anglian Buses, Cazenove+Loyd, Belvoir Fruit Farms, Visit Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, Anderson Homes and more.
Clients: Thorpeness & Aldeburgh Hotels, Visit Suffolk, Loch Duart Salmon, Wilkin & Son, Suffolk County Council, University of Suffolk, LinITX, JamGouDou, Bohemia Hair, Baytree VA, Barefoot & Gilles, Coles Puddings, Nicholas Estates, Salter & King, Four Letter Word and more.
A booking system for small accommodation owners. I developed the brand identity, art direction and the UI/UX and connected services. At the time of my departure, the system was used by over thousands of accommodation providers across the UK and Ireland, generating £53m in revenue for accommodation owners.
Live your biggest life. Do as much as you can. Jump in with both feet, laughing yourself hoarse and never stop doing more of what you love. For us, our passion is brewing the finest, tastiest craft beers we possibly can. And because tomorrow is always another day, it's alcohol free. I manage the packaging, POS and overall brand direction for the company across the UK and multiple international markets.
And here we are right up to today! I've wrapped up my 25 years of brand, design and technology experience into what you see now. Originally, I'd called my consultancy Fork. Why Fork? Because over the lifetime of a business, you'll reach many forks in the road. I'm here to help you choose the right direction to take.
Speaking
I was invited for a second time to speak to the Art & Design students at the University of Suffolk about my career, how I got into design and branding, and what it's like to run your own business as a neurodivergent.
I'm thrilled to have been asked to speak at Innovate Suffolk's Hackathon. You can find out more on how to take part and where the Hackathon is happening on the Innovate Suffolk Website. See you on 7th-9th November!
How to meet needs, enable high performance in the workplace and support people to thrive. I took part in a Q&A with Ezra Hewing, head of Education at Suffolk Mind
I was delighted to be invited to speak on the Creative Boom Podcast. We spoke about my career, the work I do with clients and charities, and how I approach creativity in business.
I was invited to speak to the Year 10 students at Kesgrave High School about my career, how I got into design and branding, and what it's like to run your own business as a neurodivergent.
I was invited to speak at the Business Educators Conference at the University of Suffolk. I spoke about my career, how I got into design and branding, and what it's like to run your own business as a neurodivergent.
I was invited to speak at the University of Suffolk's Careers Day. I spoke about my career, how I got into design and branding, and what it's like to run your own business as a neurodivergent.
I was invited to speak to the Art & Design students at the University of Suffolk about my career, how I got into design and branding, and what it's like to run your own business as a neurodivergent.
Charities
Ipswich.love is an independent not-for-profit organisation and movement, run by a team of proud Ipswich folk who want to celebrate everything about our amazing town, people, diversity, culture and creativity.
R;pple are dedicated to intercepting harmful content related to self-harm and suicide through innovative technology. Their mission is fuelled by the personal experience of founder, Alice Hendy, who tragically lost her only sibling, Josh, to suicide. Josh was 21.
I'm worked with an external consultancy and Suffolk County Council to develop a dedicated strategy for Autism care and diagnosis in Suffolk. A panel of lived-experience individuals, healthcare professionals and third party consultants meet multiple times a month to develop short-term and long-term strategies.
Writing & Thinking
The Accidental Detox: Why Silencing Your Phone Isn’t Enough
08.02.26I made a mistake this morning. I went to the gym and left my phone at home.
The Curator of Good: Why Taste Trumps Technology
30.01.26What we have right now are Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative image processors. These are incredibly clever pattern-matching engines that have read the entire internet and are exceptionally good at guessing which word—or pixel—comes next. They are synthesisers, not thinkers.
500 Days of Sober
01.01.26I’m not “sober” in the traditional sense. I microdose THC gummies to help with some of my trickier autistic traits, particularly around unwanted hyperfocus, rigidity, and OCD-style looping. I also take prescribed medication for my ADHD. None of that feels contradictory to me.
Confidence vs Readiness: Why Waiting Holds Us Back
17.11.25Confidence and readiness often get bundled together as if they’re interchangeable. They’re not. I’ve seen plenty of people brim with confidence while standing on foundations made of very little. I’ve also watched brilliant ideas stall because their creators were waiting for the perfect moment.
I demand real
28.10.25Everywhere you look, there’s an algorithm pretending to care. An AI-written caption that sounds like a human who’s read too many self-help books. A brand that says it’s “for the community” but has never actually spoken with one.
Sorry, your idea is worthless…
24.10.25Ideas on their own have almost no value. Everyone has them — in the shower, on the school run, in a meeting, while staring out of the window trying to look productive. The difference between an idea and something of value is action. It’s what you do with that spark that gives it weight, momentum, and meaning.
When It’s Time to Re-Brand
21.10.25Over two decades working in branding and design — and twenty-plus years building, scaling and evolving brands (including my own tech brands and the alcohol-free beer brand Big Drop) — I’ve seen this confusion too many times: “We’re going to re-brand!” … but often what’s really needed is a brand evolution.
Protecting the Space to Pause
21.10.25Across so many of my recent podcast conversations, there’s been a quiet but persistent theme: the importance of protecting the space — for doing nothing, for pausing, for letting things settle. It’s something I’ve had to learn the hard way, as someone whose mind rarely sits still.
Big Bad Beautiful Brains
Each episode follows a simple but powerful format: I'll ask every guest the same set of questions. The real magic comes from how differently people respond.
Guests come from all walks of life, all ages, and all neurotypes. That last part is especially important to me — because if we only listen to a narrow set of experiences, we risk designing a world that excludes.
Instead, we need a holistic view of how different brains work: celebrating quirks, sharing strategies, and learning from one another.
with Andrew Laws, Sophie the Great, Robin Deacon, Sophie Giller, Isiah Jordan, Mark Požlep, Ezra Hewing, Kasey Brown, and Ben Driver
with Mike Keen
Influences
Reading
- Example Article 2026-02-06
- Another Article 2025-12-01