Building BEMS through the work
I founded Brand Elevate Marketing Solutions in Chicago in 2023. It started with one designer whose work I trusted, and it grew one project and one client at a time into a small bench of senior designers.
My role is to lead the client relationship and the creative process. I define the purpose of each project, write the brief, coordinate the right designer, review the work and bring it into the website, campaign, presentation or sales process it was made for. The designers shown below created the visual work; this page shows how I assembled and directed the operation behind it.
How the team came together
- June 2021Meeting Scott at IAA
When I started at IAA, Scott Allen was the contractor behind the graphics department. His work was always outstanding.
- June 2023Working together
When I left IAA, I asked Scott if he wanted to work together. We started with my own portfolio, and he watched me go from project to project.
- 2024Viviana joins at The Hill Group
As the clients got bigger, the work needed more designers. I met Viviana Vergara on a project at The Hill Group. The project was short-lived, but she became part of the bench.
- 2025Starr and Canopy Service Partners
Scott introduced me to Starr Hansen, and together we took on Canopy Service Partners, a group of tree-care brands. The project was completed in six months.
Three designers, each with a lane
Scott has been there from the start. Viviana joined through The Hill Group in 2024, and Starr came in through Scott in 2025.
Scott Allen
Art Director & DesignerThe studio's longest-running designer. Print, stationery, trade-show booths, packaging and brand books, much of it for aerospace and industrial clients.
Starr Hansen
Senior Graphic DesignerNearly 20 years in design, starting in traditional print. Logos, brand standards, infographics and collateral built to work across several brands at once.
Viviana Vergara
Creative ManagerDesigner, photographer, videographer and editor. At BEMS she built the studio's first identity pieces and its social launch.
2024 was the launch year
Most of 2024 went on launching BEMS itself (logo, brand book, website imagery, business cards) and on a full rebuild of Dicronite Southwest's internal documents. 2026 runs through September.
One account lead, a bench around him
Clients deal with BEMS. Designers get a written, sized brief and answer to me. Every file is reviewed before a client sees it.
Founder & Director of Marketing
Creative direction · Client strategy · Project review- Owns every client relationship
- Writes each brief, down to pixel size and file limit
- Reviews every file before delivery
- Handles copy, web, email, CRM and video
How a job moves through the studio
- Intake
A request comes in through the website, live chat or a referral, and becomes a deal in the CRM.
- Brief
One Asana project per job and one task per deliverable, each with its exact size and file limit, for example "Email Header, 800 × 200, under 500 KB".
- Designer quote
The designer estimates hours before any work starts, so the client sees the cost up front.
- Design and review
The designer uploads to the task, and I review before the client sees anything.
- Delivery
Final files go to the client and are archived by client and project.
The designers behind the work
Scott Allen
Brand identity
- Dicronite Southwest logo refresh 2023
- The Hill Group logo 2023
- BEMS logo and brand book 2024
- Canopy Service Partners logo, collateral and brand standards 2025
Print & stationery
- Dicronite Southwest 9×12 brochure 2023
- Letterhead and business cards for about 20 people across BEMS and DSW 2024–25
- BEMS 9×12 folder and printed portfolio 2024–25
- Six service sheets with trackable QR codes 2025
- Co-branded partnership brochure for DSW 2025
Trade shows & environment
- Booth concepts, including a backlit 10 ft L-shape 2024
- International Fastener Expo and Commercial UAV Expo graphics 2024
- Space Tech Expo graphics 2025
- Shop signs, office artwork and branded apparel 2024
- Dicronite shipping boxes and labels 2026
Digital
- Portfolio imagery for brandonxleon.com 2023–24
- 27 service images for the BEMS website 2024
- Email headers, footers, signatures and favicons for several brands
- Holiday and awareness-month content calendars, about 40 posts
- Dicronite blog, technical bulletin and application imagery 2025–26
Documents
- A 14-form new-hire and compliance packet for Dicronite Southwest 2024
- Company PowerPoint template and training deck 2024
- Employee of the Month template and monthly editions 2024
- Organizational chart 2025
Starr Hansen
Multi-brand collateral
- Canopy Service Partners: a 5×7 infographic and an 8×11 redesign built to flex across its eight tree-care brands 2025
- Canopy Service Partners: regional sales binders for its West Coast tree-care companies 2025
Logos & brand standards
- Logo for a neighborhood news publication 2025
- Logo and full social icon set for a Bay Area coaching startup 2025
- A four-page brand standards guide for the same startup 2025
BEMS & Dicronite
- Graphics for the BEMS paid-media social series 2025
- Dicronite.com email headers 2025
- Technical bulletin artwork, including an EDX spectrum graphic with Scott 2025–26
Viviana Vergara
Studio identity
- BEMS business cards for the founding team 2024
- Email footers and team-page imagery for the BEMS website 2024
Social
- The BEMS social media launch posts 2024
- A Pride logo set for the website, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram 2024
Ten service areas, each with a lead
| Service area | Lead | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media | Scott | Starr |
| Branding | Scott | Starr |
| Video & Photography | Brandon | Viviana |
| Print Design | Scott | Starr |
| Presentations | Scott | Brandon |
| Packaging | Scott | Starr |
| Trade Shows | Scott | Starr |
| Corporate Events | Brandon | Viviana |
| Sales & Business Development | Brandon | — |
| Marketing (web, SEO, email) | Brandon | — |