Elite Collegiate Planning - Leigh J Friedman

Building a Brand from the Ground Up

Elite Collegiate Planning | Paradigm Financial Group | College Knowledge | College Planning Network

Concept Development
Creative Direction
Product Development
Design and Copywriting

Elite Collegiate Planning and College Knowledge

Challenge

To define a cohesive identity for a young, rapidly evolving business with no existing brand foundation—no logo, website, style guide, or marketing assets—while navigating constantly shifting business priorities. The company lacked clarity on its long-term direction and had minimal creative resources. As the sole designer and strategist, I was responsible for translating vision into brand reality while keeping pace with internal changes and external demands, including a full transition from in-person to virtual operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included rebranding a company acquired in 2020 to align seamlessly with the newly developed brand system.

Solution

A Flexible, Future-Ready Brand System
I developed a complete brand identity from scratch—designing logos, establishing a color palette, and crafting a unified visual and verbal style that could scale across three distinct business units. The brand was built to perform across digital and print, including websites, social media, sales collateral, and product launches. I created a consistent design language that could evolve alongside shifting business models. I developed names and visual identities for numerous sub-brands, ensuring that each had a unique persona while working within the overall brand system.

In tandem with visual work, I also helped build the marketing and CRM workflows in HubSpot, built infrastructure for scalable digital communication, and led cross-platform campaigns. To empower internal teams and external partners, I created branded templates and toolkits that ensured consistency while allowing flexibility.

I guided the brand through its pivot to virtual services, launched a podcast, established a strong social presence, and helped design monthly client and advisor training programs to support adoption and retention.

I currently contribute to the development of new products and services and manage an internal marketing team, plus freelancers and contractors to extend capacity during new initiatives and growth surges.

Result

A Brand that Scales with the Business
The unified identity not only anchored the company during periods of change but also became a key growth engine.

The rebrand elevated the company’s presence, enabling successful product and service launches, supporting the rollout of a new SaaS platform, and driving increased engagement on social media.

The brand, sub-brands, and client-facing programs I helped create have become recognizable and respected in our industry niche, and contribute to empowering the business to expand its audience and influence.

Internally, the creative foundation serves as a guide for new hires, collaborators, and partners, providing clarity, cohesion, and direction for the business’s continued growth and transformation.