They weren’t just looking for better branding aesthetically. They wanted something to grow into and a strategy that positioned them as “the bug guys to remember.” That’s exactly why the Deluxe Package  was the right choice for them.

The brand strategy workshop was where the real work began

Before a single pixel gets designed or a word gets written for a website, we do the strategy work. This is the piece that separates better branding from just a prettier logo…and it’s my absolute favorite part of the process.

We spent three hours together in a Brand Discovery Strategy Session diving deep into everything that makes Preferred Pest who they are. We talked about:

• How to preserve the trust they’d already built in the community
• Where they wanted to grow their name recognition
• What their “wow-factor” really could be (more than just “good customer service”) but something that really set them apart
• Their ideal client and the emotional reality that person brings (spoiler: nobody likes bugs)
• The internal culture shifts they wanted to make alongside this rebrand
• The visual mood and market positioning that felt right for who they are

We found that this company is light-hearted, nostalgic, neighborly, professional, local, and genuinely unexpected. They had all this personality sitting right below the surface; we just needed to bring it out and make it work for them.

Copywriting & messaging that turned the brand's personality into words

Once the strategy was locked in, it was time to write. As part of Studio A’s Deluxe Package, I handle all the copywriting because your brand voice is only as good as how it reads on the page (and the screen).

For Preferred Pest, I leaned hard into the light-hearted, approachable side of who they are while still communicating trust and professionalism. The result was messaging that actually sounds like them:

“Your peace of mind lives where pests don’t.” — speaks directly to the customer’s emotional aversion to bugs

“Big enough to serve. Small enough to care.” — honors their small business Iowa roots and local reputation

“Pest control should be the easiest thing on your to-do list.” — meets the customer where they are

And then there were the fun/lighthearted brand phrases that really made this whole thing sing: “Leave the bug flicking to us,” “Buh-Bye Bugaboos,” “We bug bugs,” and “Protect Your Peace.” These aren’t throwaway taglines. Every single one came directly from the strategy work we did together.

Brand strategy goes beyond the logo (Yes, Really)

As I said before, I talk a lot with small business owners in Iowa who now know that better branding isn’t just what your brand looks like. It’s the essence and vibe of everything, including mapped-out customer touchpoints.

As part of the strategy, we mapped out customer touchpoints. The little moments that add up to a big brand impression. For Preferred Pest, that meant things like sending a short video recap after a service visit when the homeowner isn’t home, washing the customer’s front window as a finishing touch, and building in personalized follow-ups that feel neighborly, even down to messaging examples in an appointment reminder texts. These are the Ritz-Carlton moments I aspire to in my own brand, and so should you, regardless of your industry.

The visual brand identity & the color purple as a brand identifier

Only after all that strategy work did we move into the visual identity phase. The direction we landed on was bold, nostalgic, and completely unexpected for a pest control company, which was exactly the point.

The new brand features:

• A nostalgic patch-style logo designed to work beautifully on uniforms, hats, and truck wraps
• Unexpected and memorable, bold purple as the signature brand color
• A custom brand pattern loaded with all the fun messaging elements we developed in strategy
• An enamel pin to signal expertise and professionalism (the details matter!)
• A full truck wrap that turns their fleet into a moving billboard for the Purple Pest Pros
• The nickname “The Purple Pest Pros”, which emerged naturally from the brand work. That’s what sticky brand recognition looks like.

SEO-Driven strategy meets website design & development

The last piece of the Deluxe Package is where everything comes together: the website. And as an SEO specialist serving small businesses in Iowa, this is where I get to nerd out a little.

The new Preferred Pest Management website wasn’t just designed to look good. It was built with SEO strategy baked in with the right keywords, the right structure, and the right content to help local homeowners and property managers actually find them when they’re Googling for pest control help in Iowa.

The website copy carries all the brand personality we developed together. The messaging is clear, the calls to action are obvious, and the whole experience guides visitors exactly where they need to go.

Frequently asked questions about brand logos.