Fractional Brand Lab
A brand strategist
for hire.
Senior strategy, contracted. Positioning, messaging, and identity strategy from a 20+ year brand leader — without the full-time hire or the agency overhead.
Strategy for hire
The thinking before the design.
Hiring a brand strategist means buying the thinking that makes everything else work: who you’re for, what you stand for, and why anyone should care — settled before a single pixel moves.
The remit
What you’re hiring.
Positioning
Who the brand is for, what it stands for, and where it wins.
Messaging
The story, told straight: voice, narrative, and the words that sell.
Identity strategy
The strategic foundation the visual identity gets built on.
Research & insight
Competitive snapshot and customer perception — the evidence behind the answers.
Creative direction
Strategy carried into the work, so the output matches the thinking.
Hire a strategist when. the brand feels fuzzy and every marketing effort starts from scratch — the foundation needs settling.
Skip it when. the strategy is already clear and you just need hands to execute — that’s a design hire, not a strategy one.
Start here
The Brand Clarity Audit
Fixed scope · Two weeksBefore any engagement, get a straight answer on where your brand stands. A fixed-scope, two-week diagnostic — what’s working, what’s leaking, and what to fix first.
- Positioning & message review
- Visual identity review
- Competitive snapshot
- Customer perception check
- Channel consistency check
- Prioritized fix list
Engagements
Ways to work together.
Fractional partnership
From $4,500/mo. Senior brand leadership across strategy, identity, and campaigns. Typically begins with three months, then continues month-to-month with 30 days’ notice.
Creative + Marketing leadership
From $6,500/mo. Full-funnel creative and marketing direction for growing teams. Month-to-month after the initial engagement, with 30 days’ notice.
Project-based work typically runs $2,500–$7,500+. Billed monthly in advance; out-of-scope work is separately approved and terms are defined in each client agreement.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What does a brand strategist do?
Settles the foundation: positioning, messaging, and identity strategy — who you’re for, what you stand for, and why it matters. Then carries that thinking into the creative work.
How much does it cost to hire a brand strategist?
Fractional engagements start at $4,500/month; project-based strategy and identity work typically runs $2,500–$7,500+. Most start with the Brand Clarity Audit — fixed scope, two weeks.
How is this different from hiring a designer?
A designer executes; a strategist decides what the design should say. The Lab does both — strategy first, then the identity built on it.
Who’s behind the Lab?
Jason Davis — a brand and creative leader with 20+ years building brands across culture, entertainment, fashion, food, and consumer goods.
Have a brand problem that needs senior attention?
Let’s talk about where the business is going, what’s in the way, and the smartest place to start.