The short version
A brand identity is a set of decisions that make your business recognisable and consistent. A good one has five parts: a logo with its variations, a colour palette, typography, a voice and tone, and usage rules.
Logo and variations
Your logo is the mark that stands for your business. A logo rarely appears in only one form. You usually need a full version, a compact version for small spaces such as a profile picture, and versions that work on light and dark backgrounds. If someone gives you a single image file and nothing else, you will run into trouble.
Colour palette
A palette is a small, named set of colours: one or two main colours, a few supporting ones and a neutral. Having fixed colours saves time and keeps everything looking related. Check that text colours have enough contrast against their backgrounds so people can read them, especially on phones outdoors.
Typography
Choose one or two typefaces and decide where each one is used: for headlines, for body text. Fewer is better. Typography does a surprising amount of the work of making a brand feel confident or casual, serious or friendly.
Voice and tone
Voice is how your business sounds in words. Are you formal, warm, witty, direct? Write down three words that describe it and one example sentence that sounds right and one that does not. Tone is how that voice adjusts: you sound different in a celebration post than in an apology.
Usage rules
Rules are what keep it all together over time. How much space around the logo? Which colours for buttons? What never to do? Without rules, everyone improvises and the brand slowly drifts. A one-page guide is better than none.
Remember: not every business needs every part on day one. A startup may begin with a palette, two typefaces and a few rules, then add the rest. What matters is that the parts you have are written down and used the same way.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Which of the five parts are included?
- Which file formats will I receive?
- Will I get the usage rules in writing?
- Who owns the files when the work is complete?
You can see how we documented our own identity in the LUKBRANDED rebrand walkthrough.
Want a hand? Message us and tell us where you are stuck.