Made By James

Made By James Author / Designer / Brand Re-thinker / Helping You Turn Raw Ideas Into Real Brands I see my role less as a “designer” and more as a liberator of ideas.
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I’ve spent the last two decades building brands, communities, and ideas — not just for clients, but for myself. Whether it’s a founder with a half-formed concept, or one of my own restless sparks, my obsession is taking something raw and turning it into something real. That curiosity has taken me into partnerships and advisory roles with some of the biggest players in design — as an advisor to Aff

inity, on the Design Advisory Board at Canva, and as a partner at Lincoln Design Co. Alongside that, I’ve built my own ventures: a design studio, bestselling books, courses, communities, SaaS tools, Live events and stages where I share what I’ve learned. Each one is a way of testing, shaping, and proving that ideas matter most when they’re given the chance to breathe. I don’t buy into complexity for the sake of it. Design and branding should empower, not gatekeep. My contrarian streak pushes me to strip away jargon, challenge the defaults, and make the creative world more accessible. Today, as well as all the above, I’m a builder of frameworks like the Five Idea Keys, and I am focused on helping people build their MVB - Minimum Viable Brand - to help people launch without panic. I work with creatives, founders, and anyone with a dream who shares the same mission: bringing ideas into the world with clarity, confidence, and no bullsh*t.

01/09/2026

You have to try this!!!

This is another sneaky trick I use to balance my logos.

1. Get your type and rotate it

2. Use the rule of three

3. This dictates the width of your icon

4. This then automatically gives you the correct width of your type

Super simple and super effective for most logos.

While it won’t work for all it will give you a good starting point.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Have a great day.

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If you’re a founder looking to scale your business and you are in need of some brand identity work… hit the link in my bio ☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼

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branding

Even the Library Journal thinks I am “effortlessly cool”... I will be sharing this with my wife, who thinks I am not coo...
30/08/2026

Even the Library Journal thinks I am “effortlessly cool”... I will be sharing this with my wife, who thinks I am not cool at all.

Big shout out to the Library Journal for the review on my new book below:

“Graphic designer Martin (Made by James), who has worked with big names like the Chainsmokers and Canva, takes a no-nonsense approach to branding. He speaks directly to new designers, offering guidance not only on building brands for themselves or clients but also on the reality that most clients won’t be huge companies with endless budgets. Instead, he focuses on getting started the right way and fostering relationships that can grow on both sides. His practical marketing advice is refreshing in a field often buried in corporate speak and jargon. This is the opposite of a dry, graph-heavy textbook. It’s effortlessly cool, packed with visuals and styling that feel like a blend of street art and tattoo culture. Even experienced designers will find value in his advice.

VERDICT: Highly appealing for academic libraries supporting design, business, and marketing programs and equally useful for anyone starting a business or exploring a side hustle for extra cash.”

Get your pre-order in by tomorrow (31st August) to get a bonus workshop with me… link is in my bio my friends 🖤





This is Crusty Boys.Pizza, skulls and a hint of the ’tude.I mean… what’s not to like?Enjoy Thirsty Thursday, team.PEACE-...
27/08/2026

This is Crusty Boys.

Pizza, skulls and a hint of the ’tude.

I mean… what’s not to like?

Enjoy Thirsty Thursday, team.

PEACE-ZA

25/08/2026

Have you tried this before?

Now many humans on the old instagram mention on my reels “I just use my eye”

Well that’s awesome - and I love that.

But for me, even when I can tell it’s not quite optically balanced, I’ll try to find a rule within the design to help.

Hope you enjoy this my optically awesome humans of the internets.

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If you are a founder and looking to scale your business and are in need of some brand work… hit the link in my bio ☝🏼

18/08/2026

DESIGNERS: try this 3-2-1 logo balance method

Now it won’t work for all of your logos, and you may need to use your eye to tweak a little… but it might just come in handy one day when your are trying to find a nice balance in your clients logo.

1. 3x the height of the ‘genetics’ type gave me the height of the symbiotic type.

2. 2x the height of the ‘genetics’ type gave me the spacing inbetween all the elements

3. 1x the height (rotated) gave the icon height

What not try this the next time you are having trouble balancing your logo?

It might just be the unlock you need.

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If you are a founder looking to scale your business and you need a new logo and identity system built for your brand… hit the link in my bio.☝🏼

Super stoked about this book.We are just a month away from it being in people’s hands and I am getting all the excited j...
16/08/2026

Super stoked about this book.

We are just a month away from it being in people’s hands and I am getting all the excited jitters.

I put my all into this and held noting back.

If you are a designer, business owner, or creative human with an idea you want to start… this book is your new best friend.

Ain’t she pretty.

There’s still time to grab it early and get a bonus workshop with me… pre-order at the link in my bio.





**tbranding

13/08/2026

HOW TO USE THE RULE OF THREE.

It was pretty awesome to work on a cricket logo as I used to play a lot as a kid and this little number for Cobra Cricket was a giggle.

The icon was the main focus and in needed to scale across bats / pads / gloves / bags and all the other gear a cricketer might need.

The rule of three allowed for a great balance here all the way through whilst allowing enough white space to be provided when scaled down.

1. The width of the type is 3x the icon width

2. The gaps between the elements are dictated by 3x the type height.

3. The word ‘cricket’ is 1/3 of the cobra height

Hope you find this useful on your next project.

——

If you are a founder and looking to scale your business and need a new identity… hit this link in my bio ☝🏼🔥

You don’t need to build your life around content.I hear so many of my friends and fellow creatives say they’re fed up wi...
11/08/2026

You don’t need to build your life around content.

I hear so many of my friends and fellow creatives say they’re fed up with the whole content sizzle and ready to give up on it altogether.

I get it.

But what if there was another way?

What if, instead of creating content and hoping it leads somewhere, you decided where you wanted to go first?

Choose the people you want to build relationships with.

Think about the opportunities you’d love to create.

Then use your content to support that direction.

I don’t think “more attention” is the answer…

You just need a little more intention, Mo Fo.

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If you want to know more about how I’ve been building opportunities, head to my bio and sign up for the newsletter.☝🏼

I share some mad cool stuff over there for creatives looking to find a different way.

06/08/2026

It’s easy to forget what life was like before social media.

Especially if you were born into a generation that has never known anything different.

But I want to remind you… every friendship, client, opportunity and life-changing moment started the same way…

With one conversation between two real humans.

The internet is a brilliant tool.

Just don’t mistake attention for connection.

Real opportunity happens when real people collide in person.

Go be more human and s**z.

I recently went and had some fun coffee time with my mate Sammi - HQ - to talk about the creative world and our ideas for helping more people in our industry.

At the moment they are accepting applications for their Shift programme.

Shift is a free, award-winning, industry-led night school that helps those without a university background to enter the creative industries.

Across six cities, Shift has launched hundreds of careers. So do go and check it out on their website.

I’ll show what my little gift to Sammi was another day.

Do the most you can… not the least you can.

How’s all that content creation working out for you?Are you a zillionaire yet?No... me neither.This one is for all the c...
04/08/2026

How’s all that content creation working out for you?

Are you a zillionaire yet?

No... me neither.

This one is for all the creative people who are sick of the dopamine drug train that is social media.

If you’ve ever felt like you have to chase trends, master hooks, gobble up algorithms and endless attention just to be seen…

…this one’s for you.

I don’t think the answer is more attention.

I think it’s becoming easier to understand, trust and choose.

I’d love to know what you think.

Have a spunky day.

Go be human and s**t.

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Shedfield
SO322JF

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