“I need a logo” is where most clients start. It’s rarely where a brand does its work.
When someone asks for a logo, they’re usually asking for something bigger — a way to look like the business they already are. What I actually aim for is something more: let’s brand the business to where you want to be. A logo is one part of that. On its own, it can only carry so much.
The bones: logo mark, type and colour
Every identity starts with the same three elements. The mark is what people recognise first. The typefaces give the brand a voice on the page. The colour palette makes it recognisable from across the room. Two of those three need to work without the logo in sight — so someone can know it’s you before they even see your mark. That’s branding.
The bones have to be designed together. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your logo is if it’s set in the wrong typeface, or if your palette only works on screen. It will work against you every time.
A brand tells the story of the business through every aspect of your design. When the foundation is right, it can evolve and grow with you.
What turns a set of assets into an identity is the rules — logo variations for different spaces, a type scale with clear roles for headings and body copy, support brand assets, photography direction, and stylised templates for the things you make most often. These let anyone in your business produce something consistently on brand that feels like you.
Why this matters
Consistency builds trust. When your website, your proposals and your signage all look and feel the same, people stop noticing the design and start noticing the business. That’s the brand doing its job.
Design is often underestimated. But businesses that invest in their brand get repeat clients, because a strong brand is one people feel they can trust.
