Logo and brand identity: how to order and what to receive
A good logo is recognised at a glance, and a brand identity makes a company consistent — from the website to business cards. How to brief a designer and what to demand at the end.
Customers notice how you look before they read a word. A consistent style across the website, social networks and documents builds trust — the company looks reliable.
Logo, brand identity and brand book
- Logo — a mark and/or the written name.
- Brand identity — colours, fonts, graphic elements and how they are used together.
- Brand book (guidelines) — a document with rules: how to place the logo, which colours and fonts to use, examples of applications.
A small business often needs only a logo and short guidelines of a few pages.
How to brief a designer
Tell the designer:
- what the company does and who its customers are;
- what impression to create: reliability, speed, premium quality, friendliness;
- what you like and dislike — examples of other logos;
- where the logo will be used: website, signage, uniforms, packaging, social networks;
- which scripts the name uses — Cyrillic, Latin or both.
What to receive at the end
- the logo in vector formats (SVG, PDF or AI) — for printing at any size;
- PNG versions with a transparent background;
- colour, black-and-white and inverted versions;
- an icon for social networks and the website (favicon);
- colour codes and font names;
- examples: business card, letterhead, avatar, social media post.
Rights and the contract
The contract should state that exclusive rights to the logo pass to your company. Otherwise you cannot freely register a trademark or use the logo anywhere. Also check how many concepts and revisions are included.
How to judge a concept
Look at the logo at a small size (a Telegram avatar), in one colour and on a dark background. If it is readable and recognisable everywhere, that is a good sign.
Who can help
The “Design, branding and UX/UI” section of GHOST.TJ lists verified designers and studios. They set their own prices and timelines, and portfolios are in the company profiles.