From boring
to bold
We're a team of business brains who help professional services shift from boring commodity to bold choice.
Trust without desirability is just boring competence
Your competitors are counting on you staying boring. We're here to make sure you don't.
Most professional services are stuck competing on trust signals alone — credentials, years in business, technical expertise. While these build credibility, they don't create preference. They make you necessary, not wanted.
Now what? You're experiencing pricing pressure because prospects can't see what makes you different. Your team struggles to articulate your value. Growth has plateaued despite great work.
Here's what we know from sitting in boardrooms, not just design studios:
Most agencies assume differentiation — we discover it. Our layered approach uncovers the insights others miss.
You need both credibility AND desirability signals. Trust gets you considered. Desire gets you chosen.
That's our Signal Shift™ framework — helping you shift from boring necessity to bold choice. From being the safe option to being the wanted option.
Ready to stop blending in?
As we launched a new business Ply provided us with a great springboard to take our first step and the market feedback has been very positive.
Sam Barrow
Founder - Coolamon
Stop sending boring signals. Start creating uncommon results.
SWIPE
We don't guess at your differentiation — we discover it systematically.
Most agencies assume. We investigate.
Our business backgrounds and years of working with knowledge-driven businesses means we find insights others miss. The result? A rock-solid foundation built on genuine competitive advantages, not lacklustre positioning.
It's not enough to be trusted. You need to be wanted.
Our Signal Shift™ framework helps you move from competing on credibility alone to creating genuine desirability. Because when you have both, you become magnetic.
Your verbal identity drives results as much as your visual identity.
We craft messaging that doesn't just explain what you do — it creates preference for why clients should choose you. Clear, confident, and unmistakably yours.
Beautiful brands that don't convert are just expensive art.
Our visual identity work is guided by strategy to reinforce both your credibility and desirability. Every element working together to create a connection with your clients.
Your website should work as hard as you do.
Beyond looking great, it needs to convert visitors into conversations. We build sites that showcase your expertise while creating the desire to work with you.
Consistency builds brand value — but only if you're sending the right signals.
We create practical guides and systems that ensure every touchpoint reinforces both trust and desirability. Because mixed signals kill conversions.
★★★★★
5 Star Google Reviews
50+
Professional Services brands transformed
12
Years finding differences others miss
Brand Quiz
Boring or bold?
Want to know where your brand stands?
We've put our strategy hats on and come up with 16 easy questions to get a custom snapshot of where your brand is really at.
Take the 5 minute quiz now to get an actionable report to discuss with your team or with us.
How we shift you from boring to bold
1
DISCOVERY
We find the differences others miss
Our strategy sessions go deeper because we understand business, not just branding. We'll uncover competitive advantages you didn't know you had — the foundation for signals that actually shift perceptions.
2
POSITIONING
From trust signals to desirability signals
Using our Signal Shift™ framework, we'll architect messaging that doesn't just prove you're qualified — it creates preference. Because being trusted isn't enough if you're not wanted.
3
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Strategic design, not subjective art
No big reveals or artistic surprises. We'll share clear strategic directions that amplify your positioning. Every design decision tied back to strengthening your connection with clients.
4
IDENTITY SYSTEM
A layered system that works harder
Your complete brand identity — logo, colors, typography, patterns, photography style — all working together to reinforce your shift from commodity to choice. Built to be robust and flexible.
5
SIGNAL GUIDES
Keep your brand strong and consistent
We know consistency builds brand value, so we create simple, practical guidelines to help anyone working on your brand stay on track.
6
ACTIVATION
Your website becomes your best business developer
We'll transform your website from a boring brochure into a conversion machine. Every page designed to move visitors from 'Can I trust them?' to 'I want to work with them.'
SWIPE
Not for everyone.
Pro services are our people.
Legal teams looking to level up and re-write the rules
Accountants who want to be chosen for their thinking, not their pricing
Financial services firms who add value beyond just the numbers
Architects and interior designers who colour outside the lines
Recruiters who understand talent attraction starts with their own brand
Consultants whose expertise deserves more than the same-old positioning
Education & training orgs that want to spread their message
Tech providers making the complex compelling, not confusing
Our clients love us
Nissa
Talentpath
Our website desperately needed a revamp. It wasn't functional and didn't accurately reflect who we are as Talentpath. We got to work with Ply to elevate the functionality and amplify our brand's voice so it truly embodied the Talentpath look and feel.
Business brains who happen to be great at branding
We've sat in boardrooms, not just design studios. Run businesses, not just creative projects. This commercial experience is the glue that connects great strategy to great design.
When you work with us, you're not just getting designers who make things look good. You're getting strategic minds who understand why things need to change and how to make that change drive results.
Dave Prince
New biz + strategy
Ant Rees
Design guru
Ruby Power
Client comms + PM
Mark Campbell
Strategy + dev
Still have some questions?
Choosing the right partner to transform your professional services brand is a big decision. We get it — your reputation is everything.
If you're tired of competing on price because everyone looks the same, let's talk about creating signals that shift perceptions.
We don't believe in change for change's sake. Our Signal Shift™ process identifies what's working (usually your credibility signals) and what's not (often your desirability signals). We build on strengths while addressing gaps.
Like businessDEPOT — we kept their trusted logo but transformed everything else to create desire alongside their existing credibility.
Three things set us apart:
1. We have business backgrounds, not just design degrees. We've been in your shoes.
2. We don't assume differentiation — we discover it. Most agencies guess. We investigate.
3. Our Signal Shift™ framework addresses both trust AND desirability. Most agencies focus on making you look different. We make you wanted.
Absolutely. When you shift from necessity to desirability, three things happen:
You stop competing on price because clients see clear value. You attract better clients who choose you for reasons beyond cost. Your team becomes more confident because they can articulate what makes you different.
The result? Higher margins, easier sales conversations, and growth that doesn't rely on being the cheapest option.
Brand transformation isn't instant coffee — but you'll see shifts quickly.
Immediate wins: Team clarity and confidence in pitches. 3-6 months: Changed market perceptions and easier sales conversations. 12+ months: Premium positioning established and referrals increasing.
Our brands are built to strengthen over time, not just make a splash.
Two things: depth and strategy.
We go deeper to find real differentiation, not surface-level positioning. Our business backgrounds mean we understand what actually drives results. And everything is built on our Signal Shift™ framework — moving you from trust alone to trust + desirability.
No templates. No assumptions. Just strategic thinking that shifts perceptions.
Senior people only. No junior teams learning on your dime.
You'll work directly with our founders and senior strategists who've transformed 50+ professional services brands. People who've run businesses, not just design projects.
Our goal is always to build something fairly timeless when we develop a brand. We have clients we still work with 10 years on - in many cases still using some of the work we crafted in the very beginning.
Your brand shouldn't need to change for years when done correctly, and same goes for your website.
Very. But collaborative doesn't mean endless meetings.
We involve you at key strategic points — discovery, positioning decisions, design directions. You'll have input where it matters without getting bogged down in subjective debates. Clear process, your input, our expertise.
One central hub for everything — no email chaos or lost feedback.
Our project platform keeps all communication, files, and progress in one place. You'll always know where things stand and what's coming next. Transparency without micromanagement.