“Brand identity” is often used to mean “logo”. In practice, it’s the full toolkit that makes a brand recognisable everywhere it appears. Here are the twelve elements professional studios deliver, and what “good” looks like for each.
Core elements
1. Logo suite
Primary lockup, alternative layouts (horizontal and stacked), a compact symbol or monogram and a favicon, each in full colour, one colour and reversed.
2. Colour palette
Defined roles — primary, secondary, accent, neutrals — with HEX, RGB, CMYK and, where needed, Pantone values, plus accessible text pairings. Build one with the palette builder.
3. Typography
A headline face and a body face with a clear hierarchy of sizes and weights, and licences that cover web, apps and print. See the font pairing tool.
4. Voice and messaging
Tagline, voice principles, key messages and boilerplates — the verbal identity that makes copy recognisable. Start with the tagline generator.
Supporting elements
5. Imagery
A defined photographic style — subject, lighting, framing, colour treatment — or an illustration style, with examples of what’s in and out.
6. Iconography
A consistent icon set: line weight, corner radius, fill style and grid.
7. Graphic devices
Shapes, patterns, frames or textures derived from the logo or strategy that make layouts recognisable even without the logo.
8. Layout system
Grids, margins and spacing rules that keep pages, slides and posts consistent.
Extended elements
9. Motion
How the logo animates, transition styles and timing — increasingly important for video and digital products.
10. Sound
A sonic logo, notification sounds or a music direction for brands that live in audio and video.
11. Templates
Ready-made files for presentations, documents, social posts, email signatures and ads, so everyone can produce on-brand work.
12. Brand guidelines
The rulebook that ties it all together. Small brands can start with a single page — try the brand guide builder.
What you need at each stage
| Stage | Must have | Add when you can |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-launch | Wordmark, palette, fonts, tagline, one-page guide | Imagery direction |
| Growing | Full logo suite, templates, icon set | Graphic devices, layout system |
| Established | Comprehensive guidelines, asset portal | Motion and sound identity |
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This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. See our editorial policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.