Mr Ben Burns Joins Bravemark as Strategic Advisor
We’re beyond excited to share that the one and only Mr Ben Burns has officially joined Bravemark as our first strategic advisor.
If you’ve been around the design space for a while, you probably already know Ben. Creative leader, educator, designer, and founder – he’s been on a mission to help designers thrive in their businesses for years.
He helped build one of the most influential creative education platforms in the world through his work at The Futur with Chris Do, scaled high-impact branding agency at Blind, and more recently launched Maker Division to help creatives grow businesses that actually work.
But beyond the credentials, Ben brings something even more valuable: a deep understanding about what brands and designers need in terms of online brand guidelines as well as his connection to the design community.
Welcoming Ben
Last year, we reached out to Ben to introduce him to Bravemark and explore potential collaboration opportunities. We showcased everything we had built and shared our vision for the future of brand identity—specifically, how brand guidelines needed to evolve and become actionable tools for both brands and designers rather than just lengthy PDF documents that everyone dreads opening.
Ben loved the idea and shared our vision. Another aspect that really excited him about joining us was that we were building this platform specifically for designers. Unlike other tools that prioritize brands, he recognized that our focus was unique.
“Creatives—even small or solo studios—now have an unprecedented opportunity to succeed doing work they love. And Bravemark is one tool making that journey simpler, faster, and easier for brand designers. It’s the platform for style guides I wish I had twenty years ago!
I’ve spent the last ten years making resources and templates for those who create. And it’s not often you come across a team like the folks at Bravemark. They are the real deal: practicing, passionate designers and engineers dedicated to helping our design community succeed. Their people are the reason I joined the Bravemark team as an advisor. I can’t tell you how excited I am to continue growing alongside them and this crazy creative community.”
Ben Burns
By putting designers first, we aimed to democratize brand guidelines, making them accessible and affordable for all levels of designers. Our pricing at $10 per month for 10 projects breaks down to just $1 per published project per month, an amount any designer can easily afford. Beyond that, our freemium plan lets designers create their brand identity portfolio using the same tool they use to develop their brand guidelines. This combination sets Bravemark apart from competitors and was something Ben found highly compelling.
Shortly after, we extended an offer to Ben to become a strategic advisor for Bravemark. We were looking for someone with expertise in developing large-scale brand identity projects, a passion for technology, a deep understanding of the design community, and strong connections in the graphic design industry that we could leverage to strengthen our position.
It wasn’t long after that we reached an agreement and began working together regularly. We’ve now been collaborating for some time. We held off on making this announcement until our platform was fully launched, which it now is.
Ben and the Future of Bravemark
Ben’s already had his sleeves rolled up behind the scenes for some time, collaborating with us by brainstorming product features, flying around marketing ideas, and offering the expert advice (and moral support) that only he can.Now that our platform is fully launched, we’re excited to finally announce the partnership! And we’re only just getting started.
Ben knows the realities of running a brand design business – what slows you down, what clients respond to, and where most tools fall short. With his guidance, we’re building smarter workflows, clearer systems, and features that support your process without unnecessary complexity.
What excites us most is how aligned we are in our purpose: empowering designers with tools that solve their problems and building a strong community with a strict focus on brand identity.
Together, we’re ensuring we can serve this community effectively for years to come.
What This Means for Bravemark
For Bravemark, this moment is a reminder that we’re all building something bigger. Bravemark is not only a platform but a space for designers to connect and build things together.
It might seem a bit far-fetched at the moment, but if things align with our plans, Bravemark will become a central platform for every brand designer out there.
Like Ben, we believe every brand designer should be able to build a business they’re proud of, which is why we support every experience level:
Our free version is a great place to start, experiment, and start building out your brand identity portfolio, while our Pro and Pro+ plans are there to allow you to create complete responsive online brand guidelines with downloadable brand assets that you can deliver to your clients.
If you’re a designer inspired by Ben’s vision, teachings, or journey, joining Bravemark is a powerful way to support his mission—and ours—to empower independent creatives. Together, we’re building the tools and community that help you create exceptional work, entirely on your own terms.
Welcome to the team, Ben. We’re lucky to have you.
If you are interested in joining Ben’s Maker Division Accelerator course, you can get $50 off your first month by using our discount code BRAVEMARK at checkout.
