Logo, identity or brand strategy: what you are actually buying
A logo is the mark people recognize. A brand identity is the system around it: typography, color, usage rules and templates, so everything you publish looks like it came from the same company. Brand strategy is the decision about who you serve, how you differ and how you speak, and it comes before design. If you look inconsistent, you need an identity. If you look tidy but interchangeable with competitors, you need strategy first.
“We need a logo” is one of the most common things a studio hears. Sometimes it is exactly right. More often it is shorthand for something bigger, and the difference only shows up when the logo is finished and the problem is still there.
Three different jobs
| Logo | Brand identity | Brand strategy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | a mark | the system around the mark | decisions before design |
| You receive | the mark in formats | type, color, rules, templates | audience, positioning, voice |
| It solves | “we have no mark” | “we look inconsistent” | “we look like everyone else” |
The logo
A mark: a symbol, a wordmark, or both. It has to work small and large, in color and in one color, on light and dark backgrounds.
A logo alone is enough when the company is new, the budget is small and one person makes every piece of material and will keep it consistent.
The identity
Identity answers what happens after the logo. Which typeface goes on the proposal? Which blue? Where does the mark sit on a social post? What does a table look like in a pitch deck?
Without rules, everyone decides for themselves. The print shop picks one font, the sales team another, the ad agency a third. A year later the company looks like five companies.
An identity typically includes the mark in every format and variant, one or two typefaces with rules for headings and text, a palette with exact values, usage rules, and templates. The templates are the most valuable part. Rules nobody reads don’t help. A template where you replace the text helps every day.
The strategy
Strategy comes before design and answers questions design cannot:
- Who exactly are you for?
- How are you different, in a way the customer notices?
- How do you speak: formal or plain, technical or simple?
- What do you promise, and what don’t you?
You need it when competitors offer the same thing at a similar price and look the same. At that point the best logo in the world won’t help, because the problem isn’t appearance. It’s that you don’t have a clear message.
Which one you need
Ask what isn’t working right now.
- We have nothing. Start with a logo plus palette and type, or a compact identity.
- We have a logo, but everything looks different. You need an identity.
- We look polished, but buyers confuse us with competitors. Strategy first, then probably a new identity.
- We’re changing our offer or market. Strategy first.
What to ask a designer
Whatever the scope: ask for source files, not just images. Ask for unrestricted usage rights. Ask to see the mark on real applications, not only on a white background. And ask how many concepts and revision rounds are included, because in identity work most of the time goes into agreement, not drawing.
For agencies that need identity work delivered under their own name, our white label identity starts at €1,800 with a two- to three-week timeline. For direct clients, see branding.
Common questions
Is a logo enough for a new company?
For a very early company on a tight budget, a logo with a basic color palette and one typeface is a reasonable start. The problem appears within months, when everyone making a slide, an ad or a proposal picks their own fonts and colors. That is the point to invest in an identity.
What should I receive at the end of an identity project?
The mark in every format and variant, the typography system, a color palette with exact values for screen and print, usage rules, and templates for what you produce most often. All source files should be yours.
How long does a brand identity take?
Typically four to six weeks for a complete identity, depending on the number of applications and how fast feedback comes back. The mark itself is usually resolved in two to three weeks; the rest is the system. The longest part is rarely the drawing; it is agreeing on direction.
