A brand identity project should give your business a clear direction and a usable set of assets, not just a logo presentation. The right scope depends on where the identity needs to work: a website, a product interface, packaging, documents or a combination of these.
This guide explains the decisions and deliverables to agree before commissioning the work, using our Ignition One identity project as a practical example.
Start with the business brief
Before comparing visual directions, write down who you need to reach, what you offer and what is changing. A new business may need a first identity. An established company may need to explain a broader service, resolve inconsistency or make an existing identity easier to use.
Bring examples of current materials and describe the problem with each. “Our proposals look unrelated to our website” is a more useful starting point than “we want something modern”. Agree who approves the work and which applications matter at launch.
The core brand identity deliverables
- Positioning and messaging: a clear description of the audience, offer and central idea. Agree whether naming, tone of voice and website copy are included.
- A logo system: the main mark and the variations genuinely needed for small screens, dark backgrounds and other agreed uses.
- Colour and typography: a palette, type choices and practical rules for combining them. Confirm font licences and permitted uses.
- Supporting visual language: relevant imagery, graphic elements, icons or layout principles that help the identity extend beyond the logo.
- Priority applications: agreed examples such as a website direction, presentation template or business stationery.
- Guidelines and files: clear usage instructions, organised exports and the editable source files specified in the agreement.
A full website, product design system, photography shoot or extensive copywriting programme is not automatically part of an identity project. Name those deliverables explicitly rather than assuming they are included.
Example: giving Ignition One a coherent visual direction
Ignition One was a client brand identity commission for a clean energy business. The identity combines the familiar power-button form with the numeral one. Its warm red-to-orange direction carries the energy theme across the mark and its applications.
The useful lesson is how one idea can connect a symbol, colour system and supporting materials. Review the case study for the actual visual work. We do not have verified lead or revenue measurements to attribute to this identity, so the project should be judged on the brief and the design deliverables shown.
How to review the work
Check the identity in the situations your customers will encounter. Can someone recognise the mark at a small size? Is the company name legible? Does text remain readable against the chosen colours? Can a colleague build a document using the guidelines without recreating the design?
For digital applications, test actual text and controls as well as the logo. The W3C guidance on form labels, for example, shows why clear labelling belongs in the implementation brief. A strong visual identity does not replace accessible interface design.
What affects the fee and timeline?
Research depth, stakeholder involvement, number of applications, revision rounds and implementation support all affect scope. Ask for a proposal that lists deliverables, dependencies, review points and exclusions. Two quotes for a “brand identity” may describe very different amounts of work.
A checklist for your first conversation
- Who is the audience, and what should they understand about the business?
- Which materials need to be ready for launch?
- What should be retained from the current identity?
- Who approves the direction and supplies feedback?
- Which editable files, licences and training are required at handover?
Explore our brand strategy and identity service, or tell us about your project. We can then agree a scope around the work your business actually needs.
Contrivea studio notes · Updated 17 October 2026. About the studio.