What Should Your Brand Kit Include?

Designer looking at Brand Kit

When you started your business you had your logo professionally designed. You wanted to build a strong and memorable brand, so you didn’t bother with online logo competitions or ask your best friend’s mate who won the art prize in high school to help out. No, you did things properly. You went straight to a real Graphic Designer and parted with some real cold, hard cash.

And once they’d done their thing and you were happy, you asked for a copy of your logo that you could hand out to people when needed for various applications (taking it down to the local printer so he could do a run of business cards, getting team shirts screenprinted, logo for the ute) and you embedded a copy in a word document that you could use for letterhead. You even dropped a small copy of your new logo into your email signature. And that’s about the end of it, right? You just created a brand!

Not so fast! A logo is just a small part of ‘branding’ your business.

Wait up! So what exactly is a Brand?

I’m glad you asked me that! A brand is basically your business’s personality outfit, it’s the combination of visuals, words, and vibes that tell people who you are before you even say ‘hi’. More than just a logo slapped on everything, a brand is the values, promises, and reputation that make people choose you over the competition (kind of like picking a favorite coffee shop, even though they all technically sell coffee). Done right, it’s what makes your audience feel something real (besides just ‘oh look, another ad’).

If you’re serious about building, and amplifying,  a brand for your business, you’re going to need a plan. A key part of this plan is having a guide that you can follow that ensures your business is consistently represented wherever it is seen, both in the ‘real’ world and online. And this is where a brand kit comes in.

A brand kit (sometimes called a brand style guide or brand identity kit) is a toolkit that ensures your brand is represented consistently across all channels. That covers a lot of instances where your business will be seen.

At the minimum, every solid brand kit should contain:

1. Logo Guidelines

  • Primary logo (full-color version)

  • Alternate versions (black/white, horizontal/vertical, icon-only)

  • Clear space & minimum size requirements

  • Improper use examples (what not to do with the logo)

2. Color Palette

  • Primary brand colors (with HEX, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone codes)

  • Secondary/supporting colors

  • Accent/highlight colors

  • Rules for usage (e.g., background vs. text colors, ratios for use)

3. Typography

  • Primary typeface (for headers/titles)

  • Secondary typeface (for body text)

  • Web-safe/backup fonts (because if you’re not online, you don't exist)

  • Hierarchy and usage guidelines (sizes, weights, styles)

4. Imagery & Graphics

  • Photography style (tone, mood, composition)

  • Iconography style (line thickness, color use, do’s/don’ts)

  • Illustration guidelines (if used)

  • Patterns, textures, or graphic elements unique to the brand

5. Voice & Tone

  • Brand personality descriptors (e.g., “friendly, confident, approachable”)

  • Writing guidelines (formal vs. casual, contractions, punctuation preferences)

  • Examples of messaging do’s and don’ts

  • ‘Brand values’ and ‘brand story’

6. Templates & Applications

  • Business cards, letterhead, and email signatures (your e-business card)

  • Social media templates (post layouts, story highlights)

  • Presentation templates (PowerPoint/Keynote/Google Slides)

  • Website or landing page mockups (optional but definitely useful)

7. Additional Elements (if relevant)

  • Motion/animation guidelines (logo reveal, video intros)

  • Sound branding (jingle, audio logo, voiceover style)

  • Packaging design rules (if you sell physical products)

  • Merchandising guidelines (apparel, signage, swag)

Think of a brand kit as a toolbox: it gives future designers, marketers, and partners all the pieces they need to create on-brand content without guesswork. Used properly potential customers will spot your business a mile off. They’ll know who you are, what you do and what you stand for (that’s called ‘brand reputation’).

If you need some help building or applying that brand kit, give me a shout!

Posted in Logos and Branding, Business Building, Small Business, Graphic Design, Tagged BrandImage, Visual Brand Identity, StyleGuide, BrandPalette, BrandVoice, Brand, BrandToolbox, by , Mike Henden
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