Branding is often equated with logo design. In practice the logo is only one part of the work. Branding is a system of rules that shapes how a company is recognised by its customers — so that it looks the same on the website, on social media, on a business card and on the office door.
Branding is the system that shapes how a company is recognised: name, logo, colour, type, tone and rules of use. The logo is only one part of it.
How is branding different from a logo?
A logo is a mark; branding is the system that defines how and where that mark is used. When the same logo appears in different colours, with random fonts and next to copy in different tones, the company looks different everywhere. Branding prevents that scatter: logo, colour palette, typography, photo style and tone of voice are tied together.
Where the branding process starts
The process starts with questions, not with design: who the company serves, how it differs from competitors, and what words a customer should use to describe it. The answers become a written brief, and every visual decision after that rests on it. A logo made without a brief is chosen by taste; one made with a brief is chosen by purpose.
What the visual system includes
A typical system includes the main and alternative versions of the logo, minimum size and clear-space rules, separate colour codes for print and screen, a font pairing and supporting graphic elements. Each is tested in real use — on a business card, a social media template and the website.
The brand book
The rules are collected in one document — the brand book: how to use them and how not to. With a brand book the brand stays the same even when the designer or agency changes; the printer, the advertising contractor and a new employee all look at the same document.
When branding is needed
When a new company is founded, when the line of business changes, or when the company starts to look different on different platforms. Updating an existing brand is a separate topic — we cover it in the article on rebranding.
Good branding does not draw attention to itself — it makes the company recognisable in the same way everywhere. When ordering a logo, it is worth asking how it will be used as well.
Source: American Marketing Association
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