Senior Brand Designer (Freelance)

About Aura

Aura is transforming how people in the United Kingdom navigate end-of-life services. Rather than treating death as a mere transaction, Aura approaches it with compassion, understanding the profound significance this time holds for families. Starting with direct cremation and prepaid funeral plans, Aura aims to provide comprehensive support before, during, and after the end-of-life journey. Recognized for its care and quality, Aura is family-run, FCA-regulated, rated 4.9 on Trustpilot, awarded 5 stars by Fairer Finance, and has won Gold at the UK Customer Experience Awards.

Project Overview

Aura is currently undergoing a comprehensive rebranding initiative involving new positioning, verbal identity, and visual identity development, based on detailed customer research and industry analysis. The goal is to establish a distinct and memorable brand that stands out in a sensitive industry.

Role and Responsibilities

The challenge is to craft a unique brand identity that differentiates Aura from well-established competitors with decades of trust. The role demands a careful balance of sensitivity regarding themes of death, grief, finance, and family while achieving clear brand distinction.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior leadership and marketing to collaboratively shape and implement the creative strategy.

Who We Seek

• A creator capable of developing brand identities with unmistakable and unique assets that are immediately recognizable and distinct within their sector.
• An individual with an exceptional eye for detail and mastery in typography, color, and art direction, ensuring consistency from overarching ideas to minute applications.
• Experience in consumer brands within sensitive or trust-critical industries such as healthcare, charity, later life, or finance, delivering warmth and gravity without clichés or coldness.
• A systems thinker showcasing comprehensive identity systems rather than isolated logos or UI elements, with thorough documentation.
• A proactive partner who can engage with strategic input, challenge ideas constructively, and inspire elevated ambitions in the team.

Working Approach

• Begin with full immersion through access to strategic documents, customer research, and competitor analysis.
• Engage collaboratively in creative direction meetings, leading the design development.
• Maintain close weekly collaboration primarily with the brand and marketing lead and the CEO.
• Work with warmth, honesty, treating customers empathetically, and demonstrating high ownership, rapid execution with craftsmanship, and humility.

Main Deliverables

• Create a comprehensive brand identity including wordmark, color palette, typography, art direction, and core brand devices with layout principles to ensure Aura's distinctiveness.
• Develop proofs showing application across key channels such as web, paid social media, and print materials.
• Produce functional brand guidelines that serve as practical tools for internal teams rather than static PDFs.
• Collaborate closely with the in-house designer to ensure smooth execution and rollout of the new identity, including the launch of the forthcoming website.