What does a brand identity project include?
Define the scope of your brand identity project: logo, colour, typography, brand guidelines and handover files, with practical questions for your agency.
A brand identity project establishes the visual decisions and usage rules that help a business appear consistently across different settings. The logo, colour and typography are parts of that system. Define the right scope by identifying where the brand will appear, who will use it and which files they will need.
The difference between a logo and an identity
A logo is the mark that represents the brand. An identity also defines how that mark is used in a presentation, website, sign or package. When a team receives only a logo file, it may have to make colour, typography and layout decisions again for every new application.
Do not assume brand strategy is included. Audience research, value proposition, positioning, naming and messaging may require separate work. The proposal should distinguish what will be researched from what will use information supplied by your team.
Choose the scope around actual use
For example, a consultancy may use proposal presentations, report covers, email signatures and web components every day. A physical product business may place more weight on packaging legibility and print applications. Prioritise the surfaces you will actually use instead of applying the same extensive delivery list to every business.
- Core system: primary logo, alternative layouts, colour palette, typefaces and spacing rules.
- Visual expression: a shared approach to photography, illustration, icons and graphic elements.
- Everyday templates: presentations, documents, social posts and print applications where needed.
- Usage guide: correct and incorrect examples, file selection and application instructions.
Evaluate how the design will be used
When reviewing a portfolio, look beyond its cover images. Examine how one identity works across different surfaces and how the design decisions are explained. Clear labelling of client work, studio projects and concepts helps you assess the evidence.
Choose a real application from your business: a long product name, a detailed presentation or a small label. Seeing the proposed direction with that content provides a more useful assessment than an empty mockup. Our Kitabe article documents Shibagency’s own visual language; it is not presented as an external client result.
Clarify handover files and usage rights
Digital and print applications have different file requirements. List scalable logo files, transparent versions, light and dark background examples and editable templates separately. If a template is made in software your team does not use, discuss how it will be edited in everyday work.
Ask who will obtain licences for fonts, photography and other third-party assets, and how source files, permitted usage and future adaptations are addressed in the agreement. Discuss these points at the proposal stage rather than leaving them until handover.
A new identity or a refinement of the existing one?
Inconsistency does not always require a new logo. If the existing mark works, missing templates, colour rules or guidelines may be the right starting point. A change in audience, business model or brand name calls for a broader review. First determine whether the issue is recognition, legibility or incomplete implementation.
Bring existing files, frequently used applications and examples your team finds difficult to the first meeting. Knowing where and by whom the identity will be used makes it possible to define scope and handover around actual needs.
An identity proves its usefulness in the team’s everyday work.SHIBAGENCY
Define the scope for your business
Explore the service scope, then share your current situation, the outcome you need and any target date to begin.
