ABOUT US
An independent brand studio that helps companies find their voice.
No. 23 is an Auckland-based creative studio building brands with intention. The studio takes a strategic approach to developing brands and content for SMEs and founder-led businesses that are ready to scale.
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Clarity before creativity. Your brand needs a strategic foundation to be purposeful, distinctive, and made to last.
The most common branding mistake isn't poor design, it's a lack of clarity. Without a solid strategic foundation, even the most beautiful branding can be challenging to implement.
That's why brand strategy drives our approach. By listening, researching, and understanding what makes your business tick, we build a framework that reflects your values, supports your goals, and resonates with your audience.
Considered, commercially effective, and designed to position you for the best possible return on investment.
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Running a business means wearing a lot of hats. Building a brand shouldn't be another thing on your plate. We offer everything you need to build a brand from scratch: ideation, management, and delivery across every stage, from initial discovery through to launch, content, and implementation.
One partner, one point of contact, and a broad skillset that means nothing falls through the cracks.
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Brand Strategy
We define and articulate your brand DNA to create a future-proof foundation that remains relevant as you grow.
Brand Identity Design
We help you to define exactly what your company stands for, then develop a visual and verbal language to communicate that to the world. Future-proof branding that ensures decisions remain relevant and rooted in strategic thinking as you grow.
Copywriting
Good copy turns a browser into a buyer, a visitor into a client, and a business into a brand people remember.
Brand Templates
We can build custom, user-friendly templates that empower your team to create professional content and consistent materials — without a designer.
Consulting
Building a brand is one thing — managing it out in the world is another. We can provide guidance and hands-on support to help your internal and external teams implement your brand effectively.
Not sure where to start?
We offer a free Brand Pulse Check which provides an insights and actionable outcomes to improve the state of your brand.
Interested?
Hattie’s background isn't typical for a brand designer. Fifteen years ago, she was studying Fine Art Curation when she saw firsthand the tangible impact design could have in a commercial setting.
Since then, she has built a career at the intersection of creativity and commerce, across brand, design, ecom, marketing, and communications teams. Cultivating a broad skillset that’s quite hard to put in a box.
Which, as it turns out, is exactly what you want from a creative partner.
FOUNDER
No. 23 is led by Hattie Locke, a senior creative with 15+ years experience.
Hattie started No. 23 to give SMEs access to something that has traditionally felt out of reach: senior-level thinking, without the agency overhead.
Big agencies weren't built for small businesses. The fragmented comms, the lead times, the layers of sign-off… All adding cost and distance between you and the work.
Here, you work directly with Hattie (and specialised creatives, as required) on all aspects of your brand, from conception to execution.
More speed, more focus, more agility.
If that sounds like what you've been looking for, then let’s talk
Hattie started No. 23 to give SMEs access to something that has traditionally felt out of reach: senior-level thinking, without the agency overhead.
-
Hattie’s background isn't typical for a brand designer. Fifteen years ago, she was studying Fine Art Curation when she saw firsthand the tangible impact design could have in a commercial setting.
Since then, she has built a career at the intersection of creativity and commerce, across brand, design, ecom, marketing, and communications teams. Cultivating a broad skillset that’s quite hard to put in a box.
Which, as it turns out, is exactly what you want from a creative partner.
Hattie started No. 23 to give SMEs access to something that has traditionally felt out of reach: senior-level thinking, without the agency overhead.
Big agencies weren't built for small businesses. The fragmented comms, the lead times, the layers of sign-off… All adding cost and distance between you and the work.
Here, you work directly with Hattie (and specialised creatives, as required) on all aspects of your brand, from conception to execution.
More speed, more focus, more agility.
If that sounds like what you've been looking for, then let’s talk
No. 23 is led by Hattie Locke, a senior creative with 15+ years experience.
OUR PROCESS
How we work together
Creativity is subjective, and that can feel daunting. A consultative approach keeps lines of communication open and the work aligned.
Collaborative workshop
01 Discover
Strong brands are built on clarity — and clarity starts with understanding.
Each project begins with us everything we can about your business: what you do, how you do it, your audience, challenges, and golas. Research into your market and customers provides context, so the final work delivered is designed to connect.
Making and creating
03 Design
With a clear direction established, we move into creation.
Depending on the scope of your project, we develop a range of concepts for review. From there, we refine collaboratively until the work is approved.
Pinpointing your style
02 Define
Before any design begins, we establish a clear creative direction.
Discovery findings are translated into moodboards that capture the visual possibilities for your brand. You review, respond, and select the direction that feels most true to your business, so we are aligned before the design phase begins.
Making and creating
03 Design
With a clear direction established, we move into creation.
Depending on the scope of your project, we develop a range of concepts for review. From there, we refine collaboratively until the work is approved.
Pinpointing your style
02 Define
Before any design begins, we establish a clear creative direction.
Discovery findings are translated into moodboards that capture the visual possibilities for your brand. You review, respond, and select the direction that feels most true to your business, so we are aligned before the design phase begins.
Hand over assets
04 Deliver
Every asset is finalised, quality-checked, and prepared for real-world use.
You receive a clearly organised set of high-quality files, supported with usage guidelines that ensure your brand maintains its consistency and integrity wherever it's applied.
Hand over assets
04 Deliver
Every asset is finalised, quality-checked, and prepared for real-world use.
You receive a clearly organised set of high-quality files, supported with usage guidelines that ensure your brand maintains its consistency and integrity wherever it's applied.
Collaborative workshop
01 Discover
Strong brands are built on clarity — and clarity starts with understanding.
Each project begins with us everything we can about your business: what you do, how you do it, your audience, challenges, and golas. Research into your market and customers provides context, so the final work delivered is designed to connect.
Let’s talk.
Interested in discussing some ideas? Please contact us and we will be in touch shortly.