Methodology

The Averello Process™

A structured, repeatable, decision-based methodology that moves an idea from purpose to a production-ready experience. Five stages, each closed by an approval gate, so every choice is deliberate and traceable.

Overview

Five stages, one continuous line of reasoning

Each stage has a defined objective, a defined client role, and a defined approval gate. Work does not advance until the gate is closed.

01
Discover
Understand the brand, the audience, and the journey as it exists today.
02
Define
Set the strategy, the priority moments, and the criteria for success.
03
Design
Design the brand system, the artifacts, and the moments together.
04
Develop
Make it producible: specifications, samples, and implementation planning.
05
Deliver
Land the experience, document the system, and prepare the next phase.

Stage 01

Discover

Establish a shared, evidence-based understanding of the brand, its audiences, and the journey people already experience — before anything is designed.

Key questions

What does the brand promise, and where is that promise currently felt?
Which audiences matter most: customers, employees, guests, members, or donors?
Where does the existing journey lose warmth, clarity, or consistency?
What constraints — operational, budgetary, seasonal — must the work respect?

Activities

Stakeholder interviews and internal alignment sessions
Review of existing brand assets, printed materials, and physical touchpoints
Audience and journey-context research
Audit of current suppliers, formats, and production realities

Typical deliverables

Discovery summary
Current-state touchpoint audit
Audience and journey context notes
Constraints and opportunity register

Client role

Provide access to stakeholders, existing brand materials, and any prior research. Confirm which audiences and journeys are in scope.

Approval gate

Discovery Alignment — the client confirms the findings and the scope of journeys to be addressed before definition begins.

Stage 02

Define

Convert discovery into decisions: the positioning to express, the moments that matter most, and the criteria every later design choice will be measured against.

A printed journey-map diagram on heavy matte paper with pencil annotations and small sage markers. — Representative artifact from the Define stage.

Key questions

Which moments in the journey deserve intentional design first?
What should the brand feel like at each of those moments?
What must be true for this work to be considered successful?
What is deliberately out of scope for this phase?

Activities

Positioning and experience-principles definition
Branded Customer Journey Mapping and moment prioritisation
Scope framing: focused collection, full journey, brand system, event, or digital experience
Success criteria and decision-criteria definition

Typical deliverables

Experience strategy brief
Branded customer journey map with prioritised moments
Design principles and decision criteria
Defined scope and phasing recommendation

Client role

Review the prioritised moments, confirm the strategic direction, and identify internal owners for each phase of work.

Approval gate

Strategy Approval — the journey map, priorities, and success criteria are signed off. Design does not begin without it.

Stage 03

Design

Design the visual and material expression of the approved strategy so that brand, product, and experience read as one system rather than separate deliverables.

Blank cotton cards, an ivory paper stack, and a charcoal folder arranged in raking daylight. — Representative artifact from the Design stage.

Key questions

How does the identity system express itself in physical material?
Which artifacts carry the most meaning at each prioritised moment?
How will the system stay coherent as it extends to new touchpoints?
What must remain fixed, and what is intentionally flexible?

Activities

Identity system, typographic, and material direction
Artifact concepting: printed materials, packaging, signage, apparel, gifts
Environmental and moment-level experience design
Design system documentation for extension and reuse

Typical deliverables

Design direction and rationale
Artifact concepts mapped to journey moments
Material, finish, and format recommendations
Brand and experience system documentation

Client role

Consolidate feedback into a single reviewed response per round, and confirm which concepts advance to production planning.

Approval gate

Design Approval — the selected direction and artifact set are approved before any production specification is prepared.

Stage 04

Develop

Translate approved design into production-ready specification, verified through physical samples and a realistic implementation plan.

Material swatches, fabric, a blind-debossed prototype box, and specification sheets with a steel rule on a charcoal surface. — Representative artifact from the Develop stage.

Key questions

Can this be produced faithfully, at the required quantity and quality?
Which materials and methods hold up to real handling and real environments?
What sequence, lead times, and dependencies does implementation require?
Who executes each element, and against what specification?

Activities

Production-ready artwork and specification preparation
Material sourcing, sampling, and quality review
Supplier and production-partner coordination
Implementation sequencing and rollout planning

Typical deliverables

Production specifications and release-ready files
Reviewed physical samples or prototypes
Implementation and rollout plan
Quality standards for future reorders

Client role

Review samples, confirm quantities and timing, and approve specifications and any procurement decisions on the client side.

Approval gate

Production Approval — samples and specifications are approved in writing before release to production.

Stage 05

Deliver

Bring the designed moments into the real journey, document the system so it can be repeated, and identify the next phase of intentional touchpoints.

A ribbon-tied ivory gift box with tissue and a blank card resting on a stone plinth in warm light. — Representative artifact from the Deliver stage.

Key questions

Is the experience arriving as designed, at the right moment?
Do internal teams know how and when to use each element?
What did the first release reveal about the journey?
Which moments should be addressed in the next phase?

Activities

Production oversight and delivery coordination
Internal enablement materials and usage guidance
Post-release review of the designed moments
Next-phase recommendation and roadmap

Typical deliverables

Delivered artifacts and touchpoints in use
Experience and usage guidelines
Post-release review summary
Phase-two roadmap recommendation

Client role

Confirm receipt and internal distribution, share observations from the field, and decide whether to proceed to the next phase.

Approval gate

Delivery Sign-off — the release is confirmed complete and the next phase is either scheduled or closed.

Adaptability

One methodology, run at the level the work requires

The sequence does not change. The depth, duration, and number of touchpoints do.

Focused collection: A single, well-considered set of branded products or printed materials designed for one recurring moment.
Full journey: End-to-end Branded Customer Journey Mapping across a customer, employee, member, or donor journey.
Brand system: Positioning, identity, and material direction built to extend consistently across future touchpoints.
Event or hospitality experience: Arrival, wayfinding, in-room, and departure moments designed as one continuous impression.
Digital experience: Digital touchpoints designed to sit inside the same journey as the physical ones, not beside it.

The Averello Process™ is a design and implementation methodology. It does not include managing a client's marketing department, advertising, media buying, social media, or search campaigns.

Quality gates

Five gates, recorded in writing

Each gate is a decision point, not a status update. Nothing advances — and nothing is produced — until the preceding gate is closed.

01 · Discover
Discovery Alignment — the client confirms the findings and the scope of journeys to be addressed before definition begins.
02 · Define
Strategy Approval — the journey map, priorities, and success criteria are signed off. Design does not begin without it.
03 · Design
Design Approval — the selected direction and artifact set are approved before any production specification is prepared.
04 · Develop
Production Approval — samples and specifications are approved in writing before release to production.
05 · Deliver
Delivery Sign-off — the release is confirmed complete and the next phase is either scheduled or closed.

Collaboration model

Clear ownership on both sides

Engagements move quickly when responsibilities and review cadence are agreed before the work begins.

What Averello leads

Research synthesis and strategic direction
Journey mapping and moment prioritisation
Design of brand, product, and experience artifacts
Production specification and implementation planning

What the client provides

Access to stakeholders, existing assets, and prior research
A single decision-maker or consolidated approval group
Timely review at each approval gate
Internal distribution and day-to-day operational execution

How feedback is managed

Feedback is consolidated into one written response per round
Two structured review rounds are planned per design phase
Comments are resolved against the approved decision criteria
Approvals are recorded in writing before the next stage begins

Next step

Discuss which level of The Averello Process™ fits your project

A Discovery Call establishes the journey in question, the moments that matter, and the appropriate depth of engagement. Investment varies based upon project scope.

Start a Project Branded Customer Journey Mapping

The invitation

Begin with a Discovery Call

Investment varies based upon project scope. A Discovery Call is required, followed by a custom proposal. A private investment guide is available upon request.

Start a Project General Enquiries

The Averello Process™