Start Me Up!

Never before has there been more enthusiasm surrounding entrepreneurship. Today, young entrepreneurs across the globe are relentlessly developing innovative products and services. Fresh businesses and social initiatives are appearing in industries ranging from fashion to farming, from high-tech to creative handcraft. These companies are run by passionate professionals who are well aware that following their vision is just as important as continuously communicating their vision’s brand.

Corporate branding works as an extension of a business by visually expressing its concept, so it is no surprise that new stories require a new visual language. Start Me Up! presents a wide range of original examples for inspiration. From a turban tailoring house to an artistically ambitious mattress manufactory, the book presents brands that break away from stereotypes through their visual identities. The featured designs have successfully created striking corporate identities through humorous business cards, quality stationery, graphic T-shirts, and on-point packaging. This work allows for the brands to distinguish themselves from the rest and attract their target audiences’ attention. More than ever before, businesses are defining themselves through carefully coordinated communications.

Brands are people and people are brands: the book’s examples show that entrepreneurship today is more personal than ever before. Whether a beauty parlor in Singapore or a whisky distillery in Finland, businesses are seen as extensions of the passionate professionals who founded them. And this is where the graphics come in. Young entrepreneurs are turning to creative agencies that transform business ideas into personalized narratives through visual storytelling strategies.

Start Me Up! is a comprehensive compendium of innovative corporate design for a new generation. The book follows up on Gestalten’s widely successful Introducing: Visual Identities for Small Businesses and showcases projects from various industries with a focus on newly established ventures and niche business initiatives. It proves that success in business heavily depends on the company’s ability to promote its individuality and creativity through its corporate image, and that the right set of communications can not only inspire the right investors but also attract the right public. Welcome to the golden age of young entrepreneurship.