--- title: Kindred Studio - Brand Consultant description: 'James Kindred: brand consultant and creative mentor — helping businesses build brands that hold their shape, and neurodivergent thinkers build sustainable careers.' image: https://j-kindred.com/assets/img/james-kindred.jpg --- ![Photo of James Kindred](https://j-kindred.com/assets/img/james-kindred.jpg) ### Contact #### James Kindred Brand Consultant Based in Ipswich, working globally Explore - [Case Studies](#case-studies) - [Why Work With Me?](#why-work) - [Writing & Thinking](#posts) - [Who I Work With](#clients) - [About Me](#about) James Kindred # Brand strategy that makes you, you. ## Strategy to help your brand start, grow, and thrive — without losing what makes it yours. I have over 25 years of experience in brand strategy, design and technology. My experience in both founding brands and defining meaningful brand strategies for others has given me a unique perspective on how to help businesses grow. [Book a free call](https://calendly.com/jameskindred/lets-chat) **Got a project in mind?** Let's chat — brand strategy, consultation, or a half-formed idea. Drop me a line anytime. No pressure, just a friendly conversation. ### Case Studies - [Big Drop Brewing Co. | Big Drop: ten years, and bolder for it | 2026 · Brand Identity · Brand Strategy · Packaging Design · Website Design & Development](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/big-drop/) - [Deben Carpets & Flooring | Deben: for the flow of home | 2026 · Brand Identity · Brand Strategy · Website Design · Signage & Clothing · Acquisition Strategy](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/deben/) - [BayTree | BayTree: a brand grown from its name | 2026 · Brand Identity · Brand Strategy · Print Design](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/baytree/) - [Road Planing Supplies | RPS: three bars and a road surface | 2026 · Brand Identity · Sub-brand Identities · Website Design & Development](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/rps/) - [Cor | Cor: heart, choir and a three-week deadline | 2025 · Brand Name & Identity · Website Design & Development](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/cor/) - [Knowing Works | Knowing Works: insight with people at its heart | 2025 · Brand Name & Identity · Brand Strategy · Website Design & Development](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/knowing-works/) - [Brandee | Brandee: named for the people behind the bar | 2024 · Brand Identity & Naming · Brand Strategy](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/brandee/) - [Ipswich.love | Ipswich.love: a heart in the middle of Ipswich | 2023 · Brand Identity · Website Design & Development · Merchandise Design](https://j-kindred.com/case-studies/ipswich-love/) ![James Kindred seated in a chair, with a bookshelf full of books and a guitar in the background](./assets/img/james-kindred.jpg) ## Where I tend to help. I've been fortunate to work with brands of all sizes, from scrappy startups to established players. I understand the challenges you face because I've faced them too. #### Ready to get started? [Book a free call](https://calendly.com/jameskindred/lets-chat) ##### What you're facing #### Foggy Thinking You know what you do, but explaining it feels like wading through treacle. Your messaging is a bit "all over the shop," the team is guessing, and potential customers are nodding politely while backing away. ##### What I bring #### Cutting to the Core I don't do "fluff." I help you strip away the noise to find the actual point of your brand—creating a strategy that is simple enough for everyone to actually follow and get behind. ##### What you're facing #### An Identity Crisis Your website looks like it belongs to one company, your social media to another, and your stationery feels like a relic from a previous life. It is all a bit of a mess, frankly. ##### What I bring #### A Bit of Order I help you organise the chaos. I'll build a visual language that actually matches up, ensuring your brand looks like the same entity regardless of where people interact with it. ##### What you're facing #### Growing Pains What worked when you were three people sharing a desk is now breaking. You are growing, but your brand feels like a suit that is two sizes too small—constricting and liable to pop a seam at any moment. ##### What I bring #### Room to Breathe I build frameworks that aren't rigid. I create a brand structure that's sturdy enough to hold its shape but flexible enough to let you evolve without having to start from scratch every six months. ##### What you're facing #### Part of the Furniture You are doing great work, but you have accidentally blended into the background of your industry. You look and sound like everyone else, which is a polite way of saying you are currently rather too easy to forget. ##### What I bring #### Finding the "Odd" I won't use cheap gimmicks. Instead, I'll lean into what makes your perspective unique. It's about being authentically different and memorable, rather than just being loud for the sake of it. ### Writing & Thinking 01.09.26 ### [I no longer wish to rent my Rubber Duck](https://j-kindred.com/2026/09/01/renting-a-rubber-duck.html) LLMs can serve me the information (along with robust citations, don’t take outputs for facts, kids!) to help me shape my thinking, but it won’t solve it for me. AI-generated posters are the perfect example of what Eric Morecambe would call “playing all the right notes, not necessarily in the right order”. 27.08.26 ### [Write A Letter. I Dare You.](https://j-kindred.com/2026/08/27/write-a-letter-i-dare-you.html) Sending someone a letter creates a tactile, physical object that is literally delivered to someone's door. Beyond the content of the letter, there is a deep meaning to going to the trouble of writing, sealing and posting a letter. 21.08.26 ### [Convenience is not your friend](https://j-kindred.com/2026/08/21/convenience-is-not-your-friend.html) The key problem with “\*convenient”\* is that if something involves “little or no effort”, there’s bound to be an underlying negative effect; whether that’s giving away your personal data, paying extra for a load of bread delivered on an e-bike or getting Claude to do the heavy lifting for you. 26.05.26 ### [AI Is Over-Delivering. That's the Problem.](https://j-kindred.com/2026/05/26/ai-is-over-delivering-thats-the-problem.html) AI can generate a Hollywood action scene from a sentence — all spectacle, no story. That feels like generosity. It's actually the oldest trap in design: mistaking more for better. The job was never adding. It was knowing what to take away. 30.04.26 ### [How I Automated My 100 Influences With n8n](https://j-kindred.com/2026/04/30/how-i-automated-my-100-influences-with-n8n.html) My brain is not a filing cabinet — it's a compost heap. Pinterest is where most of the composting happens. I wanted the good bits on my own site, updating itself, with no CMS to open and no fuss in between. 24.04.26 ### [So, You're Looking for a logo designer in Ipswich?](https://j-kindred.com/2026/04/24/logo-designer-ipswich.html) Looking for a design agency in Ipswich to sort your logo? Here's why the logo is the last thing you should think about — and what proper brand strategy starts with instead. 14.04.26 ### [Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick](https://j-kindred.com/2026/04/14/speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick.html) Most freelancers don't carry a big stick. They speak softly—politely, professionally, patiently—and when someone decides not to pay, they've got nothing behind the words except frustration. Over half of all freelancers have experienced non-payment. Hope is not a business strategy. 11.04.26 ### [The performance isn't free. It never was.](https://j-kindred.com/2026/04/11/masking-in-the-workplace.html) For anyone who hasn't come across the term: masking is the thing neurodivergent people do when they perform neurotypical behaviour in order to fit in. You adjust your tone, your face, your volume, your eye contact, your fidgeting, your reactions — all in real time, all whilst simultaneously trying to do whatever you're actually supposed to be doing. ### Clients Startups, scale-ups, charities, and established brands. Different industries, different stages, different appetites for risk — which is exactly what keeps the work interesting. ![Adnams Logo](./assets/img/clients/adnams.png)Adnams A renowned British brewery nestled on the Suffolk Coast Point of Sale DesignPackaging DesignPrint Design ![Art for Cure Logo](./assets/img/clients/art-for-cure.png)Art for Cure A charity using art to raise awareness of breast cancer Brand IdentityWebsite Design & DevelopmentWorkflow & Systems DesignPrint Design ![BayTree Logo](./assets/img/clients/baytree.png)BayTree BayTree is the strategic enabler for people who want to achieve more. Brand IdentityBrand StrategyPrint Design ![Big Drop Brewing Co. Logo](./assets/img/clients/big-drop.png)Big Drop Brewing Co. An established brand specialising in non-alcoholic beers Brand IdentityBrand StrategyPackaging DesignWebsite Design & Development ![Brandee Logo](./assets/img/clients/brandee.png)Brandee A digital platform to train hospitality staff Brand Identity & NamingBrand Strategy ![Bwownies Logo](./assets/img/clients/bwownies.png)Bwownies Jaw-droppingly good brownies Brand StrategyMentorship ![Castle Wren Logo](./assets/img/clients/castle-wren.png)Castle Wren A group of construction companies with a focus on sustainability Brand IdentityBrand Strategy ![Cor Logo](./assets/img/clients/cor.svg)Cor Turning social value into measurable impact Brand Name & IdentityWebsite Design & Development ![Deben Carpets & Flooring Logo](./assets/img/clients/deben-flooring.svg)Deben Carpets & Flooring A family-run flooring specialist, in Suffolk since 1986 Brand IdentityBrand StrategyWebsite DesignSignage & ClothingAcquisition Strategy ![KNOB Logo](./assets/img/clients/knob.png)KNOB A Penile Cancer Awareness Movement Brand IdentityWebsite Design ![Kickstart Wellness Logo](./assets/img/clients/kickstart-wellness.png)Kickstart Wellness A Wellness CIC with football at its heart Brand Identity ![Knowing Works Logo](./assets/img/clients/knowing-works.png)Knowing Works A healthcare research company full of heart Brand Name & IdentityBrand StrategyWebsite Design & Development ![Loch Duart Logo](./assets/img/clients/loch-duart.png)Loch Duart A premium Scottish salmon brand Brand StrategyWebsite Design & Development ![Looper Insights Logo](./assets/img/clients/looper-insights.png)Looper Insights A market research platform for streaming platforms Brand IdentityApp Design (UX/UI) ![MAD-HR Logo](./assets/img/clients/mad-hr.svg)MAD-HR A human resources consultancy Print DesignWebsite Design & DevelopmentWorkflow & Systems Design ![Road Planing Supplies Logo](./assets/img/clients/rps.svg)Road Planing Supplies A highways haulage and recycling company Brand IdentitySub-brand IdentitiesWebsite Design & Development ![Rock Paper Scissors Logo](./assets/img/clients/rockpaper.png)Rock Paper Scissors An art movement for kids and grown-ups Brand IdentityWebsite Design & Development ![Scarlett & Mustard Logo](./assets/img/clients/scarlett.png)Scarlett & Mustard A premium food brand specialising in oils and condiments Brand IdentityPackaging Design ![Selkie Seaweed Logo](./assets/img/clients/selkie.png)Selkie Seaweed A sustainable rope-grown seaweed brand Brand IdentityBrand StrategyPackaging Design ![Smallys Biltong Logo](./assets/img/clients/smallys.png)Smallys Biltong A premium biltong brand Brand IdentityPackaging Design ![Society for the Environment Logo](./assets/img/clients/socenv.png)Society for the Environment A professional body for environmental practitioners Print DesignWebsite Design & Development ![Tiptree - Wilkin & Sons Logo](./assets/img/clients/tiptree.webp)Tiptree - Wilkin & Sons A renowned British fruit preserve brand Brand Identity (Coles Puddings)Packaging Design ![Toothbrush Apartments Logo](./assets/img/clients/toothbrush.png)Toothbrush Apartments Serviced apartments with a smile Brand Name & IdentityWorkflow & Systems Design ![Photo of James Kindred](./assets/img/james-kindred.jpg) ### About I'm James Kindred. I've been a brand builder, graphic designer, and technologist for over 25 years — starting as a junior designer at a London firm in the late 1990s and co-founding Big Drop Brewing Co in 2016. These days I help startups and scale-ups with the brand, design, and digital work that tends to get tangled up before it gets clear. (I'm openly AuDHD, which shapes how I approach all of it — plainly, and from odd angles.) ### Professional Experience #### Work 2018 —Kindred Studio Brand Strategist / Creative Consultant 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. 2016 —Big Drop Brewing Co Founder & Brand Director “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. 2012 — 2018Inn Style Founder & Creative Director 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. 2012-2014The First 65 Founder & Creative Director A tech incubator for early stage startups, developing ideas and disruptive products in different sectors. We developed a number of products, including a booking system for small accommodation providers (which later became Inn Style), a social media management tool for small businesses and a crowd-sourcing payment plaform within the Facebook ecosystem. 2010 — 2014Condiment Founder & Creative Director 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 and more. 2008 — 2010Spring Design & Advertising Creative Director Clients: Dent of London, Anglian Buses, Cazenove+Loyd, Belvoir Fruit Farms, Visit Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, Anderson Homes and more. 2001 — 2005N8tiveMedia Creative Director Clients: Royal Bank of Scotland, Suffolk Libraries, Suffolk County Council, ITV/Celador, Upstarts!, Monitor Audio, International Decorative Surfaces, Calder Colours and more. 1999 — 2001Hamler Publishing Graphic Designer Print, packaging and repro services for a range of clients. I was one of the original team to design and produce the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? boardgame and created an ecommerce website for the game, which was one of the first of its kind in the UK. 1997 — 1999Huntleigh Akron Graphic Designer Print and packaging design and interative design, including support for international customers and partners. #### Speaking September 2026Paddy & Scott's Speaking to the award-winning team about creativity, neurodivergence and approaching challenges in meaningful ways. August 2026HMP Hollesley Bay, Suffolk A workshop with ~45 men about neurodivergence, ways to think differently and self-worth. June 2026Guest Speaker - ADHD Suffolk A friendly welcoming group for adults with ADHD in Suffolk and surrounding areas. June 2026Suffolk Mind – Neurodiversity and Mental Health at Work (West Suffolk) 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. January 2026Visiting Lecturer: Art & Design – University of Suffolk 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. November 2025Keynote Speaker – Innovate Suffolk Hackathon 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! November 2025Suffolk Mind – Neurodiversity and Mental Health at Work 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 November 2025Creative Boom Podcast 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. September 2025Guest Speaker – Kesgrave High School 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. June 2025Business Educators Conference - University of Suffolk 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. November 2024Careers Day: Business – University of Suffolk 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. November 2023Visiting Lecturer: Art & Design – University of Suffolk 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. #### CICs, Charities & Volunteering Ipswich.love Founder & Team Member 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 Advisory Board Member (Alcohol & Neurodiversity) 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. Knowing Works Board Member Providing the best possible services and support relies on decisions informed by people's experiences and opinions. Our services are based on more than a decade of working in engagement, partnerships, research, service evaluation and authentic co-production. We deliver work with an understanding of the challenges faced by those who commission us, offering compelling evidence to change minds and inspire sustainable change. Knowing works… and enables real impact across sectors. ### Distractions What I'm reading, watching, hearing and making when I should be working. [Podcast Big Bad Beautiful Brains: conversations with neurodivergent minds. **Latest** Bianca Molloy: Applying empathy in leadership as a neurodivergent MD](https://j-kindred.com/podcast/ "Big Bad Beautiful Brains, a podcast for neurodivergents")[100 Influences Images, objects and ideas that catch my eye. **Latest** Added 8 November](https://j-kindred.com/influences.html "Things that caught my attention")[Reading Articles I've bookmarked, with a note on why. **Latest** Koto: why every electric car brand looks the same](https://j-kindred.com/reading/ "Articles I've bookmarked")[Library The books on my shelf. **Latest** There Is No Antimemetics Division](https://j-kindred.com/library.html "Books I'm Reading")[Watching Talks, films and oddities for creative thinkers. **Latest** Sean Lock Hates One Thing About David Walliams | Keep It Light | Universal Comedy](https://j-kindred.com/youtube-playlist-for-creatives.html "Watching")[Listening What's been on in the studio. **Latest** Mono, Queens of the Stone Age](https://j-kindred.com/listening/ "Music I've been listening to")[Tweets Birds heard in my garden, logged by BirdNet. **Latest** Eurasian Magpie, 10 November](https://j-kindred.com/birds.html "Birds detected by my BirdNet station")[Weather Readings from the station on my studio wall. **Latest** 11°C, 41% humidity](https://j-kindred.com/weather.html "Readings from the weather station on my studio")[Past Pubs A map of the pubs Ipswich has lost. **Latest** 394 pubs, 1314 to 2014](https://j-kindred.com/past-pubs/ "A map of Ipswich's lost pubs")[PDEffAI Stamp a PDF with an AI training opt-out, free. **Latest** Free, nothing is uploaded](https://j-kindred.com/pdf-opt-out.html "Put an AI opt-out in your PDF")[See the full timeline](https://j-kindred.com/timeline.html "A timeline of my work and what I interact with") ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Person","@id":"https://j-kindred.com/#james-kindred","name":"James Kindred","url":"https://j-kindred.com/","image":"https://j-kindred.com/assets/img/james-kindred.jpg","jobTitle":"Brand Strategist","email":"james@j-kindred.com","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Broom Hill Road","addressLocality":"Ipswich","addressRegion":"Suffolk","postalCode":"IP1 4EH","addressCountry":"GB"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kindred/","https://www.instagram.com/j_kindred_"]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ProfessionalService","@id":"https://j-kindred.com/#kindred-studio","name":"Kindred Studio","url":"https://j-kindred.com/","image":"https://j-kindred.com/assets/img/james-kindred.jpg","description":"I have over 25 years of experience in brand strategy, design and technology. 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