Most asked Brand Strategy Questions Answered

The Real Game-Changer in B2B Branding: A Conversation with Sijeesh, Ekta & Mejo of Everything Design

An exclusive conversation with the co-founding trio at Everything Design—India's leading B2B branding and web design agency—on why most B2B brands fail at clarity, how positioning becomes your defensible moat, and why strategy without beautiful execution is just expensive theory.

Everything Design has rebuilt brands and websites for 100+ businesses—from deep tech startups to enterprise clients like those backed by Sentinel Ventures, Picus Ventures, and Kalaari Capital. We sat down with Sijeesh (Lead Strategist), Ekta (Co-Founder & Principal Designer), and Mejo (Co-Founder & Brand Strategist) to discuss what it takes to win in B2B markets where complexity, not simplicity, is the real competitor.

1. "Everyone says their B2B branding is strategic. But most agencies we meet seem to skip straight to logo design. What's different about Everything Design's approach?"

Sijeesh: "The industry has a fundamental misunderstanding of what branding actually is. You'll see designers pulling together mood boards and color palettes without understanding the fundamental business challenge their client is facing. That's design cosmetics, not branding.

At Everything Design, we start with a brutally honest question: Why does your customer care? Not because you're a nice company, but because you solve a specific problem in a specific way for specific people.

Ekta: And that's where the real design leadership comes in. Once Sijeesh and Mejo crack the strategic clarity—the positioning, the narrative, the differentiation—my role is to translate that into visual language that reinforces that strategy, not contradicts it.

I've seen brilliant brand strategies die because they were implemented through beautiful graphics that didn't actually communicate the value. It's like having the right message in the wrong language. The logo, the color palette, the typography—every design choice needs to pull toward one unified perception in your prospect's mind.

Mejo: That's exactly it. Here's the difference: most agencies will give you a brand deck with the positioning locked in. We make sure that positioning is embedded in every element of your website, every email template, every sales collateral. It's not a document you file away; it's a system that breathes throughout your business.

We've worked with everything from AI SaaS startups raising Series A to established law firms repositioning for enterprise contracts. The pattern is always the same—the brands that win are the ones where strategy and design are inseparable."

2. A lot of B2B companies tell us they're afraid their unique positioning will alienate prospects. How do you get past that fear?"

Ekta: "That fear is real, and honestly? It's usually coming from the wrong place. Leadership is terrified of losing anyone, so they want messaging that appeals to everyone. What they don't realize is that 'something for everyone' is nothing for anyone.

We worked with a fintech brand recently—let's call them a contract lifecycle management platform. On paper, they could sell to any enterprise with complex contracts. But when we dug into who actually valued their AI-powered approach, it was specific. It wasn't just 'enterprises'—it was enterprises dealing with contract bottlenecks that were bleeding money and time.

Sijeesh: The shift happens when you reframe it from 'losing people' to 'owning a specific mind.' You're not trying to be the solution for everyone; you're trying to be the obvious choice for the person who has your specific problem.

We help clients see that positioning powerfully actually reduces sales friction. A prospect who encounters your brand and thinks 'oh, this isn't for me' has just done your sales team a favor. They would have been a bad deal anyway. The real win is the prospect who thinks 'oh, this is exactly what we need.'

Mejo: What's critical is testing this positioning against reality. We don't just workshop it in a room—we validate it through site user behavior, interview feedback, and market signals. If your positioning is tight, you'll see measurable changes: higher qualified lead volume, shorter sales cycles, better win rates.

Fear becomes confidence when you have data backing you up."

3. "Your website seems to emphasize 'clarity, personality, and taste.' That's a really specific trinity. Why those three, and how do they differ from how other agencies position their value?"

Mejo: "Clarity is the foundation. In B2B, confusion kills deals. If a prospect lands on your website and can't articulate why you're different or valuable in 30 seconds, you've failed. We've audited hundreds of B2B websites, and the number one problem isn't poor design—it's poor communication. The value proposition is buried, the benefits are generic, the navigation is confusing.

Clarity means the prospect immediately understands what you do, who it's for, and why it matters.

Ekta: And then personality is where design becomes defense. When clarity is table stakes, what separates you? Personality. It's the unmistakable way you show up. Think about the brands you remember—they have a distinct voice, a distinct visual language, a distinct way of treating their audience.

I'll give you an example. We rebranded and redesigned a legal services firm. Before, their website looked like every other law firm—dark blues, serif fonts, 'established in 1984.' After we applied personality—which meant understanding their story, their unique perspective on legal services, their culture—suddenly they weren't competing on 'established since X year.' They were competing on 'we actually understand your problems because we've solved them ourselves.'

Sijeesh: And taste is the hard one to define but easy to spot when it's missing. Taste is about restraint. It's knowing what to leave out. It's the difference between a website that's technically well-designed but feels corporate and corporate-generic versus one that feels premium and intentional.

Taste means every element has been questioned: Does this serve the strategy? Does this reinforce the positioning? Or is it decoration?

A lot of B2B websites are bloated with features they don't need because the designer thought more elements = more professional. That's the opposite of taste."

4. "Let's get specific. Your portfolio includes deep tech, fintech, law firms, and SaaS. That's a wide range. How do you avoid becoming generic, and how does your branding approach shift across these different sectors?"

Sijeesh: "This is where cross-industry learning becomes your superpower. We deliberately work across sectors because the best innovation in branding doesn't come from copying what other companies in your industry are doing—it comes from borrowing what's working in adjacent industries.

We worked with an AI deep tech startup that was positioning itself like every other AI startup—'cutting-edge technology,' 'machine learning at scale,' all the standard language. But when we started interviewing their customers and lost deals, we realized the real differentiator wasn't the technology—it was that they actually cared about implementation success, not just selling the license.

That insight came from observing how premium consulting firms position themselves. We borrowed that lens of partnership and implementation certainty and translated it into the fintech and deep tech space.

Ekta: And visually, the way that manifests is completely different depending on the sector. In legal services, personality means confidence, clarity, and accessibility—which we expressed through generous whitespace, clean typography, and a warm color palette that felt professional but not intimidating. The design language says 'we have deep expertise AND we want to understand your problems.'

With a SaaS startup, personality might mean being more playful, more visual, using custom illustrations that show we understand the customer's journey, not just the product features.

Mejo: The framework stays consistent—clarity, strategy, positioning—but the execution is completely tailored. We spend real time understanding the sector dynamics, the buyer's journey, the competitive landscape within that space, and then we apply our methodology to their specific context.

That's why our approach works across so many sectors without becoming generic. We're not applying a template; we're applying principles."

5. "You mention that most B2B companies approach their positioning wrong. Walk us through what a better process looks like versus the traditional approach."

Mejo: "Most agencies or internal teams approach positioning like this: they run a competitive analysis, list out what makes them unique, and boom—positioning locked in. Maybe it takes a week, maybe it takes a month, but the output is a positioning statement and a deck.

Our process is radically different because it's external-first rather than internal-first*.

Here's how we structure it:

Phase One: Market Reality Audit
We're not asking your team what they think is unique. We're asking your market. We interview your best customers, your lost deals, your prospects who almost signed but didn't. We study your competitive landscape obsessively. We understand the problem deeply—not the way you solve it, but the problem itself and why it matters.

Most companies skip this. They assume they understand their market because they live in it. That's exactly backwards.

Sijeesh: This is where I come in. The insights from those interviews need to be synthesized into what we call a 'strategic narrative.' It's not a positioning statement like 'we help enterprises solve X.' It's a story about what's broken in the current approach, why the market is misunderstanding the problem, and what future becomes possible if companies think about it differently.

This narrative becomes the spine of everything. Your website messaging, your sales materials, your content strategy, your customer onboarding—all of it flows from this.

Phase Two: Competitive Differentiation
Once we understand the market reality and what's broken, we position against something specific. This is critical. You can't just be different; you need to be different in a way that matters to your customer.

We identify what we call the 'narrative enemy.' It's not your competitor; it's the belief or approach that your customer currently holds that's keeping them stuck.

Ekta: Let me give a concrete example. We worked with a brand that helps law firms manage contracts using AI. The positioning could have been 'AI-powered contract management for law firms.' Generic, right? Everyone says AI-powered now.

But through our market audit, we discovered that law firms weren't avoiding contract management software because it was unsophisticated—they were avoiding it because it felt impersonal, like it was replacing human judgment. Their real fear wasn't inefficiency; it was obsolescence.

So the positioning flipped. Instead of positioning as 'more efficient contract management,' we positioned as 'contract intelligence that makes lawyers smarter, not obsolete.' Suddenly the product wasn't a replacement threat—it was a powerful tool for lawyers to extend their capabilities.

That shift came from understanding the actual customer fear, not just the product features.

Phase Three: Message Architecture & Brand Personality
Once the narrative is clear, we build the message framework—your core value proposition, supporting proof points, objection handlers, the proof of concept. And then Ekta builds the visual language that reinforces all of this.

Mejo: The difference between this and the traditional approach is that positioning isn't a document we create; it's an operating system we build into your brand."

6. "One criticism of strategic positioning is that it's abstract. You can have brilliant strategy but horrible execution. How do you ensure the strategy actually translates into a website and business results?"

Ekta: "This is why we built Everything Design as an integrated agency, not a strategy boutique that hands off to a design studio that hands off to a development team.

Once the strategy is locked, I'm immediately visualizing how it manifests. If the strategy says 'we are the smart, implementer-focused partner,' then every design decision reinforces that. The visual hierarchy needs to show we care about your success, not just selling you something.

We don't do 'strategy phase' then 'design phase.' They're parallel. As soon as we're learning from the market, I'm sketching. As soon as we have positioning clarity, I'm prototyping. By the time we're ready to build the full website, the design language is already living that strategy.

Sijeesh: And critically, we're measuring everything. We don't launch a website and hope it converts. We set up analytics frameworks before the redesign so we can track the lift: Are qualified leads coming in? Is the sales cycle shortening? Are customers saying 'yes' faster?

We've seen too many strategy exercises that result in beautiful websites that don't move the needle because the strategy was clear but the execution was disconnected from actual customer buying behavior.

Mejo: For example, we redesigned a B2B SaaS company's website based on new positioning around being the 'proven' solution in their market. The strategy was solid—real differentiation, unique narrative. But the website execution was all aspirational. Lots of future-state language, lots of vision.

What we changed: We led with case studies, specific customer wins, measurable results. The visual design became more pattern-based and proven-looking rather than cutting-edge and experimental. We positioned ourselves as the reliable, battle-tested solution.

Qualified lead volume went up 47% in the first quarter. Why? Because the execution matched the strategy."

7. "How do you handle clients who have existing brand equity but are trying to grow into new markets? Do you rebrand, refresh, or evolve?"

Ekta: "This is such a nuanced question because it's not one-size-fits-all. If a brand has strong equity and real customer love, you can't just blow it up. But if you're trying to move upmarket or into a new customer segment, you often can't just do a refresh either.

We've done successful rebrands for legacy companies where we've kept some of the visual language—usually the logo or a color—but completely reinvented the narrative and the digital expression.

We rebranded a law firm that had been serving mid-market clients for 30+ years. They wanted to position themselves for enterprise deals. The old brand language was 'trusted advisors since [year].' Perfect for mid-market. But enterprises didn't care about tenure; they cared about specific expertise and proven results on deals their size.

We kept the logo—they had real brand equity there—but we completely evolved the website language, visual expression, and positioning to speak to enterprise buyers. Same firm, completely different narrative.

Sijeesh: The decision framework is: What should stay? What should change? And can the change happen without alienating existing customers?

Usually, the positioning needs to evolve significantly. The visual identity can stay more consistent. And the narrative expression—how you talk about yourself—that's where you can evolve most dramatically.

If you try to keep everything the same while moving to a new market, you'll do neither well. If you try to change everything, you risk confusing your existing customers."

8. "Let's talk about ROI of branding. Everyone asks this. How do you quantify the value of positioning work when there are so many variables in a business?"

Mejo: "This is where most agencies get defensive. They'll say 'branding is long-term, you can't measure it,' which is nonsense. You absolutely can measure it.

Here's what we track in what we call the Brand-to-Business Flywheel:

Clarity Metrics: Website engagement (time on site, scroll depth, specific page performance), lead form completion rates, and quality score of inbound leads. If your positioning is clear, engagement goes up and lead quality improves.

Conversion Metrics: Sales cycle length, win rates, deal size for new logos, customer acquisition cost. These should all improve within the first 2-3 quarters of a rebrand.

Advocacy Metrics: Customer retention, expansion revenue, referral rates, employee engagement. If your brand is truly differentiated, your customers will evangelize it.

Sijeesh: Let me give you a real example. We worked with a cybersecurity company that had been competing on feature parity. Nice product, terrible brand clarity. Nobody could articulate why they were different.

After repositioning around being 'the thinking company's security partner'—focused on organizational thinking and decision-making, not just technical features—we tracked:

• Clarity: Time on site increased 34%. Lead form completion rate went from 2.1% to 4.3%.
• Conversion: Sales cycle shortened by 21 days (average). Deal size increased by 15%.
• Advocacy: Net revenue retention went from 108% to 127%. That's huge—customers were renewing and expanding significantly more.

That's not just branding ROI; that's business transformation.

Ekta: And visually, we were able to charge a premium because the positioning was stronger. When you're not competing on price, you can command better margins. The design supported that premium positioning—it felt more sophisticated, more intentional, less 'enterprise standard.'"

9. "A lot of B2B companies are feeling pressure to be 'creative' or 'stand out' with their branding. But there's a risk of doing creative for creative's sake. How do you balance boldness with business sense?"

Sijeesh: "This is where I see a lot of agencies go wrong. They bring the client a 'brave' position because they think that's what the market wants to see. But bravery without business sense is just risk-taking with other people's money.

Our approach is: Be as bold as your market context supports.

If you're entering a category with established players who all look the same, yes—boldness is a competitive advantage. If you're in a category where corporate conformity is expected (like enterprise legal services), boldness might actually undermine your credibility.

We worked with an early-stage deep tech startup that was tempted to do something 'quirky' to stand out. We advised against it. The market they were going after—large enterprise buyers evaluating mission-critical technology—didn't reward quirk. They rewarded competence and trustworthiness.

What we did instead was be bold about clarity. The positioning was sharp, the website was clean and uncluttered, the narrative was clear. In a sea of overly complex deep tech websites, being comprehensible was the bold move.

Ekta: And then there's boldness in how you execute that clarity. The color palette might be more saturated than competitors. The typography might be more unconventional. The layout might break patterns. But all of that boldness is in service of the strategy, not in spite of it.

Mejo: Here's the real test: Can you articulate why this design choice supports the positioning? If you can't, it's probably decoration, not strategy."

10. "What are the biggest mistakes you see B2B companies making with their branding? Let's get specific."

Mejo: "Mistake #1: Confusing brand evolution with brand identity crisis. A company will do a rebrand every two years because they're chasing what feels current. This fragments your market perception. Every rebrand is an opportunity cost—time and money—and it needs to be justified by a real business need, not just because 'our brand feels outdated.'

Mistake #2: Letting product features drive positioning instead of customer outcomes. You'll see B2B companies list all their features and call that positioning. 'We offer integrations, APIs, dashboards, real-time reporting.' So does your competitor. The positioning should be about what becomes possible for the customer because of those features, not the features themselves.

We worked with a data analytics company that was positioning around 'real-time visibility into your business.' That's features-speak. We repositioned around 'turning reactive management into proactive strategy'—same capabilities, completely different narrative.

Sijeesh: Mistake #3: Generic messaging that tries to appeal to multiple buyer personas without clarity. We had a client selling HR software who had messaging that tried to speak to HR leaders, IT leaders, and CFOs simultaneously. The result? Nobody felt like it was written for them.

Real positioning is specific. It's for a specific buyer persona with a specific problem. You'll convert that segment at a much higher rate than trying to be everything to everyone.

Ekta: Mistake #4: Treating design as an afterthought or decoration. I've seen brilliant positioning strategies implemented through mediocre design. The message is clear, but the execution feels generic or doesn't reinforce the narrative.

Design isn't cosmetics; it's communication. Every color, every typeface, every layout decision should reinforce the positioning. If it doesn't, it's working against you.

Mejo: Mistake #5: Not understanding where the actual decision-making happens. A lot of B2B companies optimize their website for awareness when the real decision happens in sales calls or demos. Your website doesn't need to close deals; it needs to qualify and warm up leads so your sales team can close.

We've seen companies obsess over homepage design when the real conversion happens on the pricing page or the comparison page. Know where your buyer's journey actually converts, then optimize that relentlessly."

11. "What's your advice for B2B leaders who know their brand is weak or confused but don't know where to start?"

Ekta: "Start with customer interviews. Not focus groups—one-on-one interviews with your best customers and your lost deals. Ask them: Why did you choose us? How would you describe us to a peer? What do you think we're best at? What surprised you?

Those interviews will reveal what your brand actually communicates versus what you think it communicates. That gap is where the work begins.

Sijeesh: And second, audit your competitive set ruthlessly. Not to copy, but to understand. What are they saying? How are they positioning? Where are the gaps? What's the opportunity to own something they're not owning?

You can't position strongly until you understand the landscape you're positioning within.

Mejo: Third, get alignment on your north star. Why does your company exist beyond making money? What transformation are you enabling? What future becomes possible because of your work?

This isn't touchy-feely purpose statement stuff. It's the foundation that clarity and positioning and design execution are all going to build on. Without it, you're just making tactical decisions without strategic intention.

Finally—and this is critical—don't try to save money on this work. Weak positioning isn't a cheap problem to fix. A mediocre branding consultant or designer will give you mediocre results. Invest in partners who will ask hard questions, challenge your assumptions, and hold you accountable to a higher standard.

At Everything Design, we're not the cheapest option. But we're the option that will actually move your needle because we don't separate strategy from design, and we measure impact."

The Takeaway

What differentiates Everything Design isn't a proprietary framework or a magic formula. It's a relentless commitment to connecting strategy to execution. In a market where most agencies do either strategy workshops or beautiful design—but rarely both well—Everything Design brings both fiercely.

The real game-changer for B2B brands isn't having a unique positioning. It's having a unique positioning that's backed by deep market insight, expressed through thoughtful design, and measured through real business outcomes.

That's what wins.