Watch it take shape.
Logo, brand identity, print and digital design from Durbanville, Cape Town. Everything moving on this page was drawn here, stroke by stroke, and your brand gets the same hand.
Where your mark will live
A logo is not judged on a homepage. It is judged on a shopfront in traffic, on a vehicle door at the robot, on a sign read from across the road. We draw it where it has to work before anything is final.
What we design
Four kinds of work, each scoped on its own, so you can buy exactly the piece you need. Every layout starts on a grid like this one. Ours is showing.
Logo & mark
The centre of it all: a mark drawn on purpose, argued for in writing, and tested at every size it will live at, from signage to a browser tab.
Brand identity
The system around the mark: colour with jobs, type with rules, clear space and minimum sizes, on a guide your next supplier can follow without phoning us.
Print design
Business cards, brochures, signage: files set up to your printer’s specification. If you would rather not manage the printing, we run it with suppliers we already work with.
Digital assets
Social templates, email headers, deck covers: the files your team reuses every week, drawn once and drawn properly.
How it works
We ask before we draw, we bring you reasons instead of a lucky dip, and you end up owning everything. The study beside each stage is the same shape being worked on, from first questions to the file you keep. The questions further down cover cost and timing.
Discovery
We start with questions, not sketches. What you do, who buys from you, who you are up against, and every place the mark has to live: print, signage, screens, a browser tab. If you have a brief we work from it; if you do not, this stage writes it with you.
Direction
You get a small number of directions with the reasoning attached, not twenty options and a shrug. Each one comes with why: why this shape, why these colours, what it holds up against. We would rather defend a decision than hedge with volume.
Refinement
The direction you choose gets drawn properly: corrected on a grid, tested at the sizes it will really be used at, set on light and on dark and beside real text, until the rules are true rather than aspirational.
Handover
Every final file in the formats things actually ask for, and the source files with them. Identity work adds the rules written down. All of it yours, in your possession, the same day the work is signed off.
Identity, applied
We will not pad this page with concept work. What we can show is identity holding up in production: type chosen with reasons, palettes with jobs, and a system that stays itself from the homepage down to the smallest chip. Every one of these is live.
Design and build together
Most brands are damaged in handovers. A designer makes a system, a developer approximates it, a printer approximates the approximation, and two years later there are four logos in circulation. When we design the brand and build the website, there is no handover to survive, because the people who wrote the rules are the people implementing them.
That is not a bundle you have to buy. The design work stands on its own and plenty of clients take just that. It is simply the honest reason the two are better from one team.
Common questions
What do we actually get at the end?
Final logo files in the formats everything asks for: SVG for anything that scales, PNG for screens, PDF for print, plus the source files. Identity work adds a short brand guide: the colours with their jobs, the type with its rules, clear space and minimum sizes. Rules a printer or a new supplier can follow without phoning us.
Do you need a brief?
A written brief helps, but it is not an entry requirement. If you are starting from scratch, discovery is the first stage of the work: we ask about your business, your customers, and who you are up against, and we write the brief with you. The more context we have, the more defensible every design decision gets.
Can you redesign our existing logo?
Yes, and it starts with an honest assessment rather than a blank page. Some marks have recognition worth keeping and need discipline more than reinvention. Some need replacing. We tell you which we think yours is and why, and propose a direction before any design starts. A redesign should not cost you the recognition you have already paid for.
Do you handle printing as well?
Yes, two ways. Every print design is delivered as a print-ready file set up to your printer’s specification, so you can take it anywhere. If you would rather hand it off, we manage the run with printing suppliers we already work with, local and national.
What does logo or brand design cost?
We do not put a number on this page, because a figure with no scope attached to it is a guess. A logo alone, a full identity, and an identity with print are three different jobs. We scope yours on the first call, then give you one fixed number in writing before any design starts. There is no hourly billing, and nothing appears at the end that was always going to be part of the job. If the budget and the work do not meet, we say so on that call.
How long does it take?
It depends on what is in scope, so instead of a brochure number you get a real date, in writing, when we scope the work. What we can tell you up front is the honest variable: how quickly feedback comes back. So we agree those turnaround dates with you at the start, the same way we do on website builds.
Do you work with businesses outside Cape Town?
Yes. Identity work travels well. Directions are presented and refined over video calls and shared documents, print-ready files are print-ready anywhere in the country, and the process is the same remotely from start to finish. We are based in Durbanville and meet Cape Town clients in person when it helps.
Do we own the files?
Yes. All of them, including the source files. The working files, the exports, and the brand guide are handed over on sign-off and they are yours. If you take them to another designer or an in-house team next year, everything they need is already in your hands. We do not hold files hostage, the same way we do not hold domains or hosting hostage on the web side.
Can you do just the logo, without a website?
Yes. Logo and identity work stands on its own, and plenty of it never touches a website. If you do want the site as well, the same people design both, and the system survives the handover because there is not one.
How many directions and revisions do we get?
A small number of directions with the reasons attached, rather than twenty options and a shrug. The exact number of directions and refinement rounds is agreed in the written scope, so nobody is counting favours at the end. And if nothing lands, we go back to the brief and say so honestly.
Client reviews
What our clients say
Verified Google reviews from businesses we’ve worked with across South Africa.
“I've recently had the pleasure of working with Whale Coast Web when it came to designing and maintaining our website. They were extremely professional, kept us informed regularly, and we saw our ranking on Google skyrocket to the top. I fully endorse working with Whale Coast Web. Excellent service and excellent prices!”
“What a pleasure it was working with Christiaan, thank you for creating a fantastic web page for Attwood & Associates Physiotherapy.”
“Absolute privilege to work with Christiaan. Did more than I expected and the support, after my website was finished, has been next-level! Highly recommended!”
“Working with Christiaan from Whale Coast Web has been an excellent experience from start to finish. He brought clarity, creativity, and professionalism to every stage of our website and digital setup. His communication was consistent, his timelines were reliable, and the final product reflects real care and attention to detail. Highly recommended if you're looking for someone who blends design skill with integrity and great service.”
“Very ethical company. Provides great advice. Very reasonably priced. Would highly recommend.”
“From the very first interaction, Christiaan displayed professionalism, creativity, and an unparalleled commitment to excellence. He took the time to understand my needs and brought my vision to life in ways I couldn't have imagined. His attention to detail and quick turnaround time was impressive, and the final product exceeded all my expectations. I highly recommend Whale Coast Web to anyone who wants to take their online presence to the next level.”
Put your brand through this
Tell us what you do and where the mark has to live. You get a direction with reasons, one fixed number in writing, and every file in your name.