A logo on its own is not an identity

One business, five different looks

This picture is familiar in many businesses: the red on the sign is not the same as the red on the menu. The Instagram posts use one typeface, the business card another. The logo is on all of them, but placed side by side it is not obvious they belong to the same business.

It is usually not carelessness. A logo was designed, but the rules around it were never written down.

Three things that turn a logo into an identity

Colours. Saying "our colour is navy" is not enough. For the printer, the sign maker and the social media designer to use the same navy, you need the colour's code: HEX or RGB for screens, CMYK for print.

Typeface. Which typeface is used for headings and for text. When this is not decided, everyone uses whatever is on their computer.

Logo rules. Versions of the logo for light and dark backgrounds, the space to leave around it, its smallest size. Our own logo has separate versions for light and dark backgrounds; otherwise it would disappear on a dark photo.

Together, these three make up what is called a brand guide. Even a guide of a few pages means everyone who works with you works from the same file.

You can check this yourself

Put five pieces from the last six months side by side: a photo of the sign, the menu, the business card, two Instagram posts. Are the colours the same? The typefaces? Does the logo sit the same way on each?

If not, the same questions are being answered from scratch with every new piece. That costs time and produces an inconsistent look.

How we handle it

Our brand identity work starts with the logo but does not end there. The colour and type system, the brand guide, printed materials and social media templates are all part of the same job.

Once the templates exist, a new post or poster does not need a design from scratch every time. The business can produce consistent materials on its own.