A brand identity is the set of choices that make your business look and sound like one business everywhere. For a small company it usually means a name, a logo, a few colours, a couple of fonts, ready-made templates and a short guide on how to use them. You do not need a thick manual. You need something your staff and suppliers will actually follow.
The name and how it is written
Start with the name itself. Decide how it is spelled, how it is capitalised, and whether you use a short form.
- Pick one full name and one short form, and use them the same way each time.
- Write a one-line description of what you do, to sit beside the name.
- If you are still choosing a name, check that it is easy to say, spell and find.
It sounds minor. Yet a business that appears under three slightly different names looks less established than it is.
The logo, in the right versions
Most problems start here. The logo exists in several versions, none look quite right, and nobody knows which file to send to the printer.
A usable logo set normally covers:
- A main version for light backgrounds.
- A version for dark backgrounds.
- A compact version for small spaces such as a social profile picture.
- Files suited to web and to print.
You might refine the logo you already have, or design a new one. Either is fine. What matters is that every version is clean and the right files are easy to find.
Colours and typography
Keep both small. A small palette is easier to use well than a large one.
- Choose a main colour, a supporting colour or two, and neutral shades for text and backgrounds.
- Choose one font for headings and one for body text, that read well on screen and on paper.
- Check that text stays readable against your colours.
Fewer choices means fewer mistakes when a new person makes a leaflet in a hurry.
Templates people can reuse
A guide helps. A template helps more. If the work starts from a ready file, it already looks right.
- Social media post layouts.
- A brochure or leaflet.
- A presentation.
- Business cards, letterheads and email signatures.
Your website should follow the same identity. A site that looks different from your cards and social pages tells customers they are looking at something unrelated.
Simple usage rules
Write down the rules people break most often. Keep it to a few pages at most.
- How much clear space to leave around the logo.
- What not to do with it: stretching it, recolouring it, placing it on a busy photograph.
- Which colours and fonts to use for what.
- Who to ask when something is not covered.
Who looks after it
A brand drifts unless someone owns it. Pick one person who holds the master files, answers questions and approves anything new. Keep the logo files, fonts and templates in one shared folder, and tell suppliers where to find them. When a printer or a freelancer asks for the logo, they should never have to guess which version to use. Review the guide once in a while, and update it when something real changes, such as a new product line.
Common mistakes
- Treating the logo as the whole brand.
- Letting each supplier and staff member improvise.
- Changing the look every time a new person joins.
- Skipping the guide because it feels like a big-company thing.
Where Teapot Techies fits
We tidy up your logo, colours and typography, write short brand guidelines, prepare marketing templates, and carry the identity through your website. We can start from the logo you have or design one, and we can help sharpen a name and a one-line description. See branding and visual identity, and our website work if you want the two done together.