Test Monki
Strategic brand identity systems Made with love by Test Monki
Est. 2009
Doing Our Thang

How we work.

As with people, businesses are judged by what they say, how they look, and the way they behave. So we use strategic design to reach your audience at every touchpoint that matters — and tap into the responses that actually drive decisions. We could tell you exactly how we do it, but then we'd have to kill you. Just kidding… or are we?

Spoiler: it’s magic. Still waiting on our letter from Hogwarts.
A separatory funnel of yellow liquid dripping onto a waiting monkey, bananas in a bowl beside fig. 05 — something's brewing
Almost Like Aristotle

Our philosophy.

We know what we're doing, and we try hard not to throw industry buzzwords in your face. Not to make ourselves sound smart, and never to make you feel less so. Maybe we're the ones who never learned to accept the status quo: experimenting, pushing boundaries, and asking "what if" are permanent residents of our process.

Every engagement is built custom, because your business isn't a template and neither is your brand. No shortcuts, no Frankensteining, nothing off a shelf — unless you count the specimens.

The Method

Four phases. In this order. Every time.

Creative Intelligence is the thinking system behind every brand we build: equal parts psychology, strategy, and world-building. The order is the magic — each phase feeds the next, which is why there are no shortcuts and no skipping ahead.

1

Gathering

The deep dig — we collect everything before we conclude anything.

2

Perceptual Positioning

Where you sit in the mind of the market, and where you should.

3

World-building

Name, voice, visual language, signature components — one organism.

4

Cohesion

Every touchpoint tuned to one signal, documented to stay that way.

The full recipe is guarded. The steps, we'll happily show you.

The guarded Test Monki recipe — thoroughly redacted fig. 16 — nice try, though.
THE HONEST CLOCK  //  GATHERING: 4–6 WEEKS  //  FULL CUSTOM IDENTITY: 4–5 MONTHS  //  ADD A WEBSITE: LONGER  //  ROME, DAY, ETC.
Recipe For Success

Who we work best with.
(And who we don't.)

Just like in life, some combinations work better than others. Some clients turn a project to gold. Others are — there's no gentle word for it — toxic to the process. No hard feelings either way; we're just practical like that. A field guide:

An apothecary bottle of shimmering gold elixir
we tested it on ourselves.

The Elixir — if you…

plays well with deadlines, decisions, and us

  • Are a decision-maker — owner, principal, C-level, or trusted to move things along.
  • Respect and value our mad skillz and expertise.
  • Have at least $10k to invest — we are not a non-profit, however fun the job looks.
  • Get that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is strategic design.
  • Will invest your own time in the project — the outcome is a duet, not a solo.
  • Prioritize your investment and get us what we need, when we need it.
  • Give feedback like the deadline depends on it. (It does.)
  • Trust the process and our best practices.
  • Think radical candor is refreshing.
An apothecary bottle labeled TOXIC with a skull and crossbones
bad chemistry. every time.

The Poison — if you…

reacts badly with everything, including results

  • "Have an idea" and want someone to just execute it.
  • Prefer design-by-committee to a decision-maker who decides.
  • Are an "I'll know it when I see it" kind of person.
  • Want to art-direct the whole project.
  • Want everything rushed — your bad planning is not our emergency.
  • Disappear halfway through projects, or can't make yourself available.
  • Try to seduce us with "more of your business" in exchange for a deal.
  • Plan to poll your friends, family, and Facebook about the concepts.
  • Can't handle radical candor.
  • Are offended by any of the above.
Say Hi

The next step isn't a proposal. It's a conversation.

Book the call Monki, in a lab coat, name tag and all

Have a quick question? Drop it in the mail slot. (We promise.)

your chemistry looks promising.