What's Actually Included in a Branding Project?

A logo is not a brand. It's one piece of a system that needs to work together — and a real branding project covers a lot more ground than most people expect going in.

Core deliverables

• Logo system — primary mark, secondary marks, and usage variations
• Color palette — primary and secondary colors with usage rules
• Typography — primary and accent typefaces for headings and body copy
• Brand voice — tone and language guidelines for written content
• Usage guidelines — a document showing how everything fits together

What it doesn't include

Branding projects typically don't include the website build or the first round of marketing content — those come after, built on top of the identity system once it's finalized.

A focused identity project usually takes three to five weeks, including two rounds of revisions before final delivery.