The Ultimate Visual Identity Checklist
Having a scalable and bulletproof visual identity will allow you to make the most out of your brand. Are your visual identity assets comprehensive and not missing anything? Keep reading to find out Hueman’s essentials and download our checklist below!
Logo Icon and Wordmark
An icon is just the graphical element of your logo. An icon is usually meant to represent the brand in places where there isn’t a lot of visual real estate. Some examples of icons are favicons, which is the little icon in your browser that signifies what website you are on, and social media profile pictures. Due to the size constraints, using a Wordmark logo (or a version of your logo that includes your icon, business name, and potentially your tagline), would not be beneficial. Wordmark’s work best in the navigation of your website to fully introduce the brand, and on branded items like letterheads.
Primary and Secondary Color Palette
A Primary Color Palette typically includes a dark color (as close to black, if not black), a light color (as close to white if not white), and one or two brand colors that communicate the ethos of the brand. These colors are meant to offer usage, flexibility, and creativity when creating visual assets related to the brand. A Secondary Color Palette adds on to the primary palette, but explores colors that could be used as accents in compliment to the primary palette. All together, these colors should create a cohesive and accessible color palette that can be used for digital and print materials.
Dark and Light logos
When creating digital assets, depending on the background color, a dark or a light logo may be needed. For example, if you need to make a social media post with a dark blue background, adding a black logo would result in illegibility. A light version of your logo is needed to stand out and pop on a dark background.
Typography Hierarchy
A typography hierarchy allows for consistency in fonts, sizes, and styles. Typically, a hierarchy follows a certain ratio to ensure alignment and accessibility. Check out our Squarespace Circle Day talk from 2023 where we discuss our best typography tools, including ones we use to create the perfect hierarchy.
At a minimum, try including a Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, and Body copy font sizes, as well as font styles. Some fonts chosen aren’t “web safe” (meaning their pixels don’t scale well on a digital format), so make sure your font pairings have web safe alternatives.
Social Media Templates
Advertising your business on social media and maintaining a social presence is vital these days to brand and business management. Social media templates allow for streamlined designs that all have visual cohesion. This will lead to increased brand recognition and an overall elevated and professional look. Templates can be easily made on whatever software you use for designing: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Express, Canva, etc.
Exports of All File Types
Different file types are used for different things. For example, need a transparent version of your logo? PNG! Is a printer asking for a vector version of your logo? EPS, PDF, or AI! Consider adding all of the following file types to your logo exports:
PNG
JPG
PDF
EPS
AI
Missing any of these or interested in upgrading your current visual identity to be scalable and fool proof? Contact us!
