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Frequently Asked Questions

What do you actually do?

I help people and institutions clarify who they are and how they show up — before design, before a website, before a launch. In practice, this means working through diagnosis, positioning and narrative: naming what's really happening, defining a clear direction, and building the language to sustain it. The outcome varies by project, but what stays is a shift in how the client sees and speaks about their own work.

Where do we begin?

Every engagement starts with a paid diagnostic session — 90 minutes where I listen, ask questions, and name what I hear. By the end, you'll have a clearer picture of the real problem and a sense of whether and how to continue. There's no commitment beyond that first conversation.

Is it too early to work together if my project is still vague?

No — this is often the most valuable moment to begin. Vagueness is usually a sign that the underlying questions haven't been named yet, not that the project isn't ready. That's exactly what the diagnostic is for.

I came looking for a website or visual identity. Is that what you do?

Not directly. What I do is the work that makes a website or visual identity coherent — clarifying what you're trying to say before saying it visually. Then, I move to your side of the table, recommend people I trust or work with your team to garantee that the outcome of the brief translates your identity in the best, most honest way. I don’t project manage, I act as a strategic thinking partner and gatekeeper to the identity we uncovered together.

What does working together actually look like?

Every project begins the same way: a diagnostic, then a brief — a document that names what you are, what you're trying to say, and the language to sustain it. What happens after depends on what you need.

If you have a team or external partners executing the work, I can stay on as a thinking partner — available on a retained basis to make sure the brief translates honestly into what gets made. I don't project manage; I act as a strategic gatekeeper to the identity we uncovered together.

If you're the one doing the work — or close to it — we continue differently: regular sessions and concrete exercises aimed at building your own capacity to think and communicate from that foundation. The goal is your autonomy, not your dependency on me.

In both cases, the brief is the anchor, and everything after it is about making sure it holds.

I’m not starting anything new, I have a strong legacy but struggle to make it feel relevant today. Can you help?

Yes. This is one of the most common situations I work with — particularly with cultural institutions, artists, and organisations that have built something real but can't quite articulate it to the outside world. The work isn't about reinvention. It's about making what already exists legible.

Our communication feels fragmented — different people say different things. How do you approach that?

By developing shared language and criteria that people can internalise and express in their own way. The goal isn't to standardise how everyone speaks, but to build a common foundation that holds across contexts.

We operate in a cultural or social context. Does that change how you work?

It shapes the sensibility, but not the process. I've worked across arts, culture, social impact and education — contexts where the stakes of communication are high and generic approaches tend to fail. Specificity and integrity matter more than reach.

How do I know if this is right for me?

If you're in a moment of transition, starting something new, or struggling to articulate something you know is there but can't quite name — this is probably useful. If you need execution, production, or someone to run your communications day-to-day, I'm not the right person. But I'm happy to point you toward someone who is.

If this resonates,
I’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch

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Benedita Pinto Gonçalves