Brand Identity Checklist for a New Business

A logo is not a brand. A brand is what people remember when they see your name, your colours, your messages and the way you treat them. New business owners often pay for a logo and stop there. A week later they cannot find the right colour code or font for a flyer.

This checklist covers everything a new business needs to look consistent from day one. Work through it in order. You can do much of it yourself, and a designer can help with the rest.

Step 1: Get clear on who you are

Design comes second. Thinking comes first. Answer these questions in writing.

• What do you sell, and to whom?
• What problem do you solve?
• Why should a customer pick you over the shop next door?
• Which three words should customers use to describe you?
• Who are your main competitors, and how do they look?

Keep the answers on one page. Every design choice later should match this page.

Step 2: Name and tagline

• The name is easy to say, spell and remember.
• You checked that nobody in your field uses a similar name.
• The domain name and social handles are available, or close to your name.
• You wrote a short line that explains what you do, if the name does not.

Say the name aloud on a phone call. If people ask you to repeat it, think again.

Step 3: Logo

A good logo is simple. It works small on a phone and large on a signboard. Ask your designer for these versions.

Version	Where you use it
Full colour, horizontal	Website header, documents
Full colour, stacked	Social profiles, square spaces
Single colour, dark	Stamps, black and white print
Single colour, light	Dark backgrounds, photos
Icon only	Favicon, app icon, small spaces

Make sure you receive the files in formats you can edit later. A logo that exists only as a picture on someone else’s phone is a risk.

Step 4: Colours

• One main colour that people link with you.
• One or two support colours.
• A dark and a light neutral for text and backgrounds.
• Written colour codes for screen and for print.
• A check that text stays readable on each background.

Use fewer colours than you think you need. A small palette looks confident.

Step 5: Fonts

• One font for headings and one for body text.
• Fonts that work on a website and in documents.
• A licence that covers commercial use.
• Rules for sizes, so every flyer does not look different.

Step 6: Voice

Your words are part of your brand. Decide how you speak.

• Pick three traits, such as friendly, direct and clear.
• List words you always use and words you avoid.
• Decide whether you say “we” and “you”.
• Write a short example of a good message and a bad one.

When a new team member writes a post, they should sound like the rest of the team.

Step 7: Photos and graphics

• Choose a style for photos. Real people, real places, natural light.
• Decide how to crop and edit them.
• Pick one style of icons and illustrations.
• Keep a folder of approved images.

Real photos of your own work beat stock images. They also help your site look unique.

Step 8: Templates you will use every week

Template	Why it matters
Business card	First impression in person
Invoice and quote	Customers see these when they pay
Email signature	Seen in every message you send
Social post frames	Makes your feed look like one voice
WhatsApp profile and catalogue	Where many customers first meet you
Presentation or proposal	Shows professionalism to larger clients

Step 9: Online presence

• A website that uses the same logo, colours and fonts.
• A Google Business Profile with your logo and photos. See our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile.
• Social profiles with matching pictures and bios.
• The same business name, address and phone number everywhere.

Step 10: The brand guide

Put it all in one short document. It should include your one page summary, the logo versions, colours, fonts, voice notes and examples of correct and incorrect use. Share it with everyone who makes something for your business, including printers, freelancers and your own staff.

How much does a brand need at the start?

You do not need everything on day one. A new business can start small and build up.

• Week one: name, logo files, two colours, one font.
• Month one: voice notes, photo style, invoice and social templates.
• Month three: a full brand guide after you have learned what your customers respond to.

The key is to write each decision down. A choice that lives only in your head will change every time you design something.

Keep the brand alive

A brand guide only works if people use it. Put the files in one shared folder, tell your team where to find them and review the guide once a year. When you change something, change it everywhere on the same day. Ask a friend to look at your website, your Business Profile and your latest invoice side by side. They should look like they come from the same business.

Test your brand

Before you print or launch, run three quick tests.

1. Show the logo to five people for five seconds. Ask what the business sells.
2. Shrink it to the size of a phone icon. Is it still clear?
3. Place your page next to two competitors. Do you look different, and do you look trustworthy?

If the tests fail, fix the problem now. It costs less than reprinting a thousand flyers.

Who should do what

You can handle some tasks yourself and hire help for others.

Task	Do it yourself	Hire a designer
Clarify who you serve and why	Yes	Optional workshop
Choose a name	Yes, with feedback	Optional
Logo and icon	Rarely	Yes
Colours and fonts	Possible	Recommended
Voice notes	Yes	Optional
Templates and brand guide	Hard	Yes

Common mistakes

• Choosing a logo before you know your audience.
• Copying a competitor.
• Using too many colours and fonts.
• Paying for a design and not asking for the source files.
• Changing the look every few months.
• Forgetting to apply the brand to invoices and social pages.

For an example of what good logo design can teach, read what 20 luxury brand logos teach about design.

Working with us

We design brand identities and websites together, so the colours and type you choose work on the screen from the first day. Our pricing page shows the tiers for websites. A starter website is $500, a business website is $800 to $1,500 and custom work starts from $2,000. Branding is quoted after a free call. Payment is 50% to start and 50% on delivery, with 2 to 3 revisions.

Our studio is in Buea, Cameroon, and we have shipped over 100 products for clients on four continents. Message us on WhatsApp with a short description of your business, and we will suggest where to start.

Next step: Starting a brand? See our branding and logo design service.