What is included in a basic brand identity package?
A minimum viable brand identity package: primary logo in vector format (SVG, AI, EPS), logo variants (horizontal and vertical configurations), a colour palette with hex and CMYK codes, and a primary typeface recommendation. This is the foundation that everything else — website, stationery, social media — is built from.
What is a brand guidelines document?
A brand guidelines document (sometimes called a brand bible or style guide) specifies how to use the brand identity assets correctly: logo usage rules (minimum size, clear space, what not to do), colour palette with all code formats, typography system with usage hierarchy, and tone of voice guidelines. It ensures the brand looks and sounds consistent whoever is applying it.
Do I need a brand identity package or just a logo?
A logo alone is not a brand identity. A logo is one element of a brand identity — the mark that represents the business visually. Without the colour palette, typography system, and usage guidelines, the logo will be applied inconsistently across different touchpoints, undermining the coherence that makes a brand identity work. For any business where the brand will be applied across multiple contexts (website, social media, print, merchandise), a brand identity package is necessary.
Ask ten designers what a "brand identity package" includes and you'll get ten different answers. The term covers everything from a single logo JPEG to a 60-page brand system with guidelines, asset libraries, and stationery suites.
This inconsistency is a real problem for buyers: it makes it difficult to compare quotes, evaluate what you're getting, and know whether you've received everything you actually need.
Here is the definitive breakdown of every deliverable in a brand identity package — what each is, what it's used for, and what a complete package should contain at different levels of investment.
Tier 1: The Minimum Viable Brand Identity
Every professional brand identity package, at any price point, must include these elements. If a quote doesn't include them, ask why.
Primary Logo (Vector Format)
The main configuration of your logo — typically the stacked or horizontal form that works best at medium sizes.
File formats you must receive:
- AI (Adobe Illustrator) — the editable source file; every other format is exported from this
- EPS — legacy vector format accepted by all professional print processes
- SVG — modern vector format for web use
- PDF — universal vector format accepted by all suppliers
- PNG (transparent background) — for digital use where vector isn't required
- PNG (white background) — for email signatures and applications that don't support transparency
If you only receive a PNG or JPEG, you have not received a professional logo. Read Why a Cheap Logo Costs More Long-Term for why this matters in practice.
Logo Variants
A single logo configuration rarely works in all contexts. Professional brand identities include:
- Primary logo — the main configuration
- Secondary/horizontal logo — for wide, landscape applications (website header, email signature)
- Stacked logo — for square or portrait applications
- Icon/logomark — the symbol or initial alone, for small sizes (favicon, social media profile photo, app icon)
- Dark version — logo in dark colours (black or dark brand colour) for use on light backgrounds
- Light version — logo in white (or light brand colour) for use on dark or coloured backgrounds
Not every logo requires every variant — the structure of the design determines which configurations are needed.
Colour Palette
A defined colour palette with codes for every application:
- Primary colour — the main brand colour used most frequently
- Secondary colour — supporting colour for accents, highlights, or secondary elements
- Neutral — typically black, white, off-white, or grey for backgrounds and body text
Colour codes you must receive:
- Hex — for digital use (web, screen design): e.g., #1A3A5C
- RGB — for screen applications: R:26 G:58 B:92
- CMYK — for print: C:72 M:37 Y:0 K:64
- Pantone — for specialist printing and brand consistency across suppliers
Primary Typeface(s)
The font(s) to be used across all brand communications. A well-specified type system includes:
- Display/heading typeface (the font for large headings)
- Body typeface (the font for paragraphs and supporting text)
- How to use each — sizes, weights, hierarchy
Important: If custom fonts are specified, confirm whether you receive a licence or whether the design uses free/open-source typefaces (Google Fonts, etc.). Licensed fonts have ongoing costs; open-source fonts are free to use.
Tier 2: Complete Brand Identity
A complete brand identity adds to the foundation above with application and guidelines:
Brand Guidelines Document
A designed document (typically 15–40 pages as a PDF) specifying:
- Logo usage rules: minimum size, clear space requirements, what not to do (stretch, recolour, add effects)
- Colour palette with all codes and usage proportions
- Typography system with size hierarchy, weight usage, and line height
- Photography and image style direction
- Tone of voice guidelines
- Application examples (business card, email signature, social media header)
This document is what you give to a web designer, a printer, a new employee, or any future contractor creating brand materials — so everyone applies the identity consistently.
Key Brand Applications
Most complete packages include designed applications showing the brand in use:
- Business card — print-ready artwork (PDF) or design file
- Email signature — HTML or image format
- Letterhead — A4 document template (Word or Google Docs, or PDF)
- Social media profile and header images — correct sizes for LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
- Presentation template — basic branded PowerPoint or Google Slides template
Icon Set or Supporting Graphic Elements
For brands that use icons as part of their visual language, a set of 10–20 custom or curated icons in the brand style. Not always included — depends on the brand's design direction.
Tier 3: Extended Brand System
For larger businesses, funded startups, or brands with complex multi-channel requirements:
Comprehensive Brand Guidelines
An extended guidelines document (40–100 pages) covering:
- Detailed photography art direction with example images
- Illustration style direction
- Iconography system with custom-designed icons
- Colour usage across complex applications (data visualisations, maps, product categories)
- Sub-brand or brand family architecture
- Motion and animation principles
- Environmental and wayfinding applications
Extended Asset Library
- Full custom icon library (50–200 icons)
- Illustration library in brand style
- Social media template library (stories, posts, cover images)
- Email template set
- Presentation template with multiple slide types
- Document templates (proposals, reports, invoices)
- Branded merchandise specifications
What to Ask Before You Hire
"What file formats will I receive for the logo?" If the answer doesn't include vector formats (AI, EPS, SVG), push back or find a different supplier.
"Will I receive the source files?" Some designers retain the source AI file and deliver only exported formats — giving them leverage over future changes. You should own the source file. Clarify this upfront.
"What colour codes will be documented?" At minimum: hex and CMYK. For any business doing specialist printing: Pantone.
"Is a brand guidelines document included?" If not, ask whether it can be added and at what cost. Without it, the brand identity is difficult to apply consistently by anyone other than the designer.
"Are the typefaces licensed, free, or custom?" If licensed, confirm who pays the ongoing licence fee and what the usage terms are.
Read How to Brand a Startup Fast for what a startup actually needs at each stage — not every tier is appropriate at every point in a business's development.
What Evoke Studio's Brand Identity Packages Include
Evoke Studio brand identity packages are built around the principle that you should have everything you need from day one, with no format surprises when you go to print.
Every brand identity project includes:
- Primary logo + all variants (horizontal, stacked, icon) in vector format (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF)
- PNG variants (transparent and white background) at 2x resolution
- Colour palette with hex, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone codes
- Typography system with primary and secondary typeface specifications
- Brand reference document (one-pager for the minimum; full guidelines for complete packages)
- Email signature and social media profile/header images
No JPEG-only deliveries. No vector file retention. No format surprises.
Ready for a brand identity package with every file you'll ever need?
Evoke Studio delivers complete brand identity systems — vector logos in every format, documented colour codes, typography system, and brand guidelines. Starting from $800.
A minimum viable brand identity (logo + colour palette + typeface): $300–$800. A complete brand identity with guidelines, variants, and key applications: $1,500–$4,000. An extended brand system with comprehensive guidelines and asset library: $4,000–$12,000+. The right level of investment depends on the complexity of the brand and how many contexts it needs to operate across.
Yes — this is called a brand refresh rather than a rebrand. Having the original source files (AI, EPS) makes a refresh far easier and less expensive than if you only have the exported PNG. With source files, a designer can update colours, adjust proportions, modernise the typeface, or create new variants without rebuilding the entire logo from scratch. This is one of the key reasons owning the source file matters.
For digital-only use, Pantone codes are optional. But most businesses eventually produce physical materials — business cards, merchandise, signage — and Pantone specifications are what ensure colour consistency across suppliers and substrates. Documenting Pantone codes at the brand identity stage costs nothing and is worth having even if you don't immediately use them.
A brand identity is the complete system of visual assets. A style guide (or brand guidelines document) is the document that specifies how to use those assets correctly. One is the assets; the other is the rulebook. Both are part of a complete brand identity package.
Absolutely — this is exactly what a brand guidelines document is for. A web designer receiving a complete brand identity package (logo vector files, colour codes, typeface names, guidelines) has everything they need to build a brand-consistent website without having to invent any visual language. This is the correct workflow: brand identity first, website second. Read [Brand Before Website: Why Order Matters](/blog/brand-before-website-why-order-matters) for the full explanation.