Logo, identity, brand: which one, and when?

These three words get used interchangeably, yet they are different jobs with different budgets. Knowing which stage you are at prevents wasted money.

The logo

The logo is your mark. It appears on your sign, your card, the corner of your site, your invoices.

A good one passes these tests:

• It still reads when printed in a single colour
• It is recognisable when shrunk to the size of a browser tab
• It needs no explanatory text beside it

If all you have is a screenshot or a low-resolution image, that is not a logo file. You need the vector version — the one that does not degrade when enlarged.

The identity

The identity is the set of rules around the logo: which colours, which typeface, which layout. It exists so that your card, your quote document, your vehicle livery, your social posts and your site all speak the same language.

For a small business an identity can be four things: two core colours, one typeface, rules for using the logo, and a business card layout. You do not need a thick manual.

The brand

The brand is how people remember you, and it is built by behaviour rather than design: finishing on time, answering the phone, keeping your word. Design supports that; it does not replace it.

The right order

If you are starting out:

1. A legible logo. It does not need to be perfect, it needs to be usable.
2. Pick two colours and one typeface and use them everywhere.
3. The site and the Google Business Profile.
4. Revisit the identity once the business has settled and you know what you sell.

Doing it in reverse is common: months are spent on a logo, the site is postponed, and during that time nobody can find the business. A logo can be redone later. The months of being invisible do not come back.

What your designer actually needs

To build the site, three things are enough: the vector logo, two brand colours as codes (not "blue" but "#1668ff"), and a version of the logo for dark backgrounds. With those, your site looks consistent from day one.