I like the dither aesthetic and underlying message, but it's possible to compress the first image of the dog (123 kB) to 64 kB with MozJPEG and still maintain the same quality.

Modern compression algorithms with native lazy loading will probably offer the best of both worlds.

I agree with you, but not fully: if there is no need or budget, then yes, a brand may not be a 1st priority. But in my experience as a designer, an effective brand will be a necessary ingredient to grow, as this is an expectation for a lot of people.

Regarding your brand: You cannot not communicate. What I saw in [1] example it's called a "no-brand" aesthetics: it's very minimalist and very neutral. And to be fair, I like it.

5-year designer (1st) and front-end developer (2nd) here.

Those platforms are ok, but they won't do the work needed for a good brand that will project the company business values to its customers.

I just started a small studio in my hometown because I was tired of working for someone that only sees design for its face value. And it turns out that often the people needed a something new for a 1-year brand. This reminds me of "A poor's man pay twice".

People mistake the water for the river. In this analogy, design is the river: it's _how_ it works (perception, psychology, pragmatism), more than _what_ it is (images, colors, typography). Words only have sense because of their character arrangement, otherwise they have little meaning. Same with the design.

And to be fair, sometimes that may not be needed. To sum up, I would advise you to contact a couple of proper design studios and discuss your needs and budget. You'll be better served.