Logo & Brand Identity
Branding is not the logo. The logo is the shortest version of it.
An identity is the set of decisions that lets someone recognize you without reading the name: the mark, the type, the colors, the way photographs are treated, the tone of the writing, and the rules that keep all of it steady across a website, a sign, an invoice and a work shirt.
Most of the identity projects we take on are not first logos. They are organizations that grew past the mark someone drew years ago, or that have four versions of it in circulation and no vector file for any of them.
What we make
01Logo design
New marks developed and tested where they will actually live: small, single color, embroidered and lit from behind.
02Logo refresh
Careful modernization that keeps hard-won recognition instead of throwing it away.
03Brand development
Name presentation, positioning and the plain description of what the organization does.
04Color palettes
Primary and secondary colors specified for print, screen, vinyl, paint and thread.
- 05
Typography
Type families chosen for legibility and licensing, with sizes and pairings documented.
- 06
Visual identity
Photography direction, graphic devices, iconography and layout patterns.
- 07
Brand standards
A usage document short enough that staff and vendors will actually read it.
- 08
Consistency
Auditing what is already in circulation and retiring the versions that should not be.
- 09
Supporting graphics
Sub-marks, department lock-ups, badges and anniversary variants.
- 10
Brand strategy
Where the identity is going, what stays fixed, and how new materials should be judged.
Identity first, then everything that carries it
Sequence matters. When an identity is settled before the website is designed and before signage is ordered, the work is done once. When it is not, organizations pay for the same page twice and live with a sign that no longer matches.
Because the same team handles signage artwork, print, apparel and the website, the identity is proven against real production constraints rather than only against a presentation slide.
What you receive
- Vector master artwork (EPS, SVG, PDF)
- Raster exports at usable sizes
- One-color, reversed and small-size variants
- Print and screen color values
- Clear-space and minimum-size rules
- A short misuse guide
Where it has to hold up
- Website and social profiles
- Business cards and letterhead
- Building and roadside signage
- Vehicle doors and wraps
- Embroidered apparel
- Forms, invoices and public notices
How the work goes
- 01
Inventory
Every version in circulation, including the ones on trucks and buildings nobody remembers approving.
- 02
Direction
A small number of genuinely different directions rather than twelve variations of one idea.
- 03
Test
The finalist is proofed small, in one color, on a photograph and at sign scale before it is approved.
- 04
Document and hand off
Files organized by use, so a vendor gets the right one without asking us.
Do we own the logo?
Yes. Final artwork and source files are delivered to your organization.
Should we keep our current logo?
Frequently the right answer is yes, cleaned up and properly rebuilt in vector. Recognition is expensive to replace and we will say so.
Do you produce the signs and shirts?
We produce the artwork and specifications. Fabrication, printing and embroidery are done by production vendors working from files built for their process.
How many concepts do we see?
Typically three developed directions, then focused revisions on the one you choose.
Related creative services
- Signs & Large FormatWhere an identity is tested hardest
- Promotional ProductsEmbroidery and imprint files
- Graphic Design
- Website Design & Development
Imagery on this page is illustrative. Client work is shown in Our Work as projects are cleared for publication.
Talk with Mayer Branding
Bring the logo files you have, even the bad ones. That is usually the fastest place to start.