Designdough, a progressive brand design agency based in Cardiff Bay has launched BRAND LABS for the sixth year running.

Following the success stories of previous winning businesses, Odddot, Consumer Insights Lab & Discover Cymru to name a few, the competition will run again this year and give new businesses the chance to win a full brand package worth £15,000, including strategy, visual identity, brand guidelines and fully responsive website to help them further their entrepreneurial dreams.

On starting the competition back in 2017, Managing Director, Joe Brown says:

“We love what we do, and feel incredibly lucky to be here. For our tenth year in business, with a decade of experience under our belt, we figured it was time to start giving back. That our collective knowledge should be shared to help support others. It was time to give a little something back to the Welsh economy that we’ve grown from. And so Brand Labs was born.”

But why startups? Joe says,

“Working with small startups brings us right back to why we went into business in the first place. They are at the start of their journey, fuelled with passion, and purpose. It’s infectious to be around. Ideas are free flowing, innovation is embraced. But they often don’t have the time, experience, budget or most importantly, the confidence to articulate all of this to their customers.”

Every year, Brand Labs helps one Welsh start up (set up within the past 3 years) build the brand they dreamed of, no strings attached. A year’s worth of support from the amazing and experienced team at designdough.

After winning the competition in 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic, Consumer Insights Lab was gifted with a new brand and website after Abbie Lawrence wowed the designdough team with her vision and passion.

Abbie commented:

“Winning the Brand Labs competition early in our entrepreneurship journey propelled our development by months if not years. We are a B2B company, and it was crucial for us to be perceived as trustworthy and professional. Brand Labs allowed us to confidently showcase our company and what we offer from an early stage, and we credit much of our successes to this competition. Over the last year, underpinned by a strong cohesive brand, Consumer Insights Lab won the Young Innovators Award and have been selected as finalists in the Great British Entrepreneurship Awards for the Disrupter of the Year category. We’re excited for the road ahead, and we look forward to establishing our brand on a global scale.”

You can apply for Brand Labs through the designdough website right now (visit designdough.co.uk/branding-competition-brand-labs/ and complete the application form). Applications close on Friday 28th October 2022 at 5pm. Shortlisted businesses will be invited to the designdough studio to meet the team and present why they should win.

More information and an application form can be found at designdough.co.uk/branding-competition-brand-labs/