Silverbullet's founder, Charles Erasmus
Founder Charles Erasmus reflects on the consultancy’s beginnings: "Having worked across South Africa, Africa, and the Middle East, I've witnessed the powerful impact a well-crafted brand story can have. When a brand story connects emotionally, it influences more than just design or communication – it fundamentally shapes a company's actions and culture."
Silverbullet was established to collaborate closely with its creative partner, Sunshinegun. It focuses on uniting how brands look, communicate, and deliver experiences. Unlike traditional branding strategies that concentrate mainly on visuals or messaging, Silverbullet's approach includes aligning the customer experience and developing brand ideas that impact products, services, user experience, and corporate responsibility.
Over the past year, Silverbullet has collaborated with various clients, including well-known brands. Notable projects include:
- Imperial London Hotels: Silverbullet helped define the group's brand concept as 'Curiously Characterful', creating unique personalities for each of the seven hotels. This collaboration led to a more engaging and memorable guest experience in the heart of Bloomsbury, London.
- Nedgroup Investments: Silverbullet assisted in creating an intuitive, self-guided experience for new investors. The team developed a personalised approach by mapping the user journey and addressing challenges, encouraging customers to start their investment journey confidently.
Reflecting on these projects, Erasmus says: "These collaborations show how Silverbullet can enhance the customer experience. We help our clients influence people's feelings about their brands at every interaction."
Silverbullet excels at capturing a brand's essence and bringing it to life. From shaping visual identities to developing brand voices and enhancing user experiences, their approach covers how brands look (using design principles), how they communicate (through messaging), and how they deliver experiences (by applying UX and CX principles at key moments of truth).
Looking forward, Silverbullet plans to expand its services by exploring multi-sensory branding. In a current project, they are helping a corporate client with not just how the brand looks but also how it sounds, smells, tastes, and feels, adding a new dimension to brand experiences.
One challenge in their first year was encouraging clients to think beyond traditional visual identity. "People often think branding is just logos and colours," says Erasmus. "But true brand value lies in the whole experience – the emotions it stirs, the stories it tells, and how consistently it's delivered. We're proud to have helped brands like Nando's and SAB extend their impact beyond visuals."
As the company enters its second year, its goal is to align brand expression and customer experience more closely than ever. "When a brand works right, looks right, and feels right, it creates a lasting emotional connection," says Erasmus. "We're here to help craft brand stories and experiences that drive businesses forward."
