Creating a brand kit: all brand elements in one place

If you create designs regularly, you know the problem: the logo is in several folders, the right colour has to be searched for, and the last social media post suddenly used a different font. A brand kit solves exactly this organisation problem.

A brand kit is a clear collection of the most important brand elements. It makes sure that you – and everyone who designs with you – work from the same foundations.

Which components belong in a brand kit?

Logo files and variants

Store the main logo and sensible variants for light and dark backgrounds. Depending on the design, a compact icon can also belong here. Where possible, keep suitable vector files and common export formats. Give files understandable names so that nobody accidentally uses an old version.

Brand colours

For each colour, record at least the HEX value and its role: primary colour, accent colour, background or text. If you use print products, additional matching colour specifications may be needed. Important: values for different output media do not always carry over without colour deviations. For tips on choosing, see the guide Choosing brand colours.

Typography

Note the font families, font weights and typical uses – for example bold headlines, regular body text and small captions. Only store font files if their licence allows passing them on and storing them.

Image style and graphic elements

Which kind of photos suits the brand? Are illustrations reduced or playful? Are there recurring shapes, lines or patterns? A few concrete positive examples help far more than vague rules such as “design modern”.

Design rules

Document minimum spacing around the logo, suitable backgrounds and typical misuse. Keep the rules compact enough that they are actually read.

Creating a brand kit in five steps

1. Gather all existing brand materials.
2. Remove duplicate or outdated variants from the active selection – keep the original archive safe.
3. Define binding versions for logo, colours and fonts.
4. Add short usage rules and examples.
5. Test the kit against a real design and update it when things change.

Brand kit or brand guidelines?

A brand kit is mainly the practical collection of assets. Brand guidelines explain in more detail how a brand should be designed and communicated. For many smaller teams, a compact brand kit with a few clear rules is enough to start. It can be extended as complexity grows.

What makes a good brand kit?

It has to be quick to understand and easy to keep up to date. A perfectly designed document is of little use if, in practice, nobody can find the right files. A central place for brand materials can therefore be helpful. Grafikbuddy brings logo variants for light and dark surfaces, brand colours with their values and fonts together in one place – if needed you download the logo pack as a ZIP.