Free Business Branding Checklist

A brand is only as strong as its weakest touchpoint. A beautiful logo loses its impact if your Facebook cover is stretched, your email signature uses a different font, and your invoices still have a placeholder template. Consistency is what makes customers recognise and trust you.

Use this checklist when you launch a new business, refresh an existing brand, or hand your brand to someone new. Work through it section by section and tick off each item. You can print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser.

1. Brand foundations

• Ideal customer described in one or two sentences
• The problem you solve, in one sentence
• What makes you different from competitors
• Three brand words that describe how you want customers to feel
• A short tagline or positioning line (optional)
• Business name checked for existing trademarks and confusingly similar names
• Matching domain name and social handles secured

Need help with these? Steps 1 and 2 of our guide to creating a brand identity on a budget walk you through them.

2. Logo files

• Primary logo
• Secondary layout (stacked or horizontal)
• Icon or monogram for small spaces
• Full-colour, solid black and solid white versions
• Vector files (SVG, PDF or EPS) for print and signage
• Transparent PNG files for web and social
• Logo tested at 32 px wide and still recognisable
• Minimum size and clear space rules written down
• All files saved in one shared, backed-up folder

3. Colour

• Primary colour chosen
• One or two secondary or accent colours chosen
• Dark and light neutrals chosen for text and backgrounds
• HEX and RGB values recorded for screens
• CMYK values recorded for print, checked with a printed proof
• Text colours pass a contrast check against backgrounds

Looking for inspiration? See our 15 luxury brand colour combinations.

4. Typography

• Heading font chosen
• Body font chosen
• Font licences checked for commercial use and saved
• Font weights and sizes recorded
• Fonts installed on every computer that creates brand materials

Our list of the best fonts for professional business logos includes free, commercially licensed options.

5. Brand guide

• One-page brand guide created (logo, colours, fonts, imagery, voice)
• Example imagery style saved
• Tone-of-voice rules written with sample captions
• Guide shared with everyone who creates content

6. Website

• Logo in header, linked to the homepage
• Favicon (browser tab icon) uploaded
• Brand colours and fonts applied consistently
• Social sharing image set, so links look good when shared
• Contact page and details up to date
• Privacy policy and any required legal pages published
• Every page checked on a phone

7. Social media

• Same handle used on every platform where possible
• Profile picture uses the icon version of your logo
• Cover and banner images sized correctly for each platform
• Bios written in your brand voice, with your website link
• Highlight covers created for Instagram
• Post and Story templates set up in your brand style

Set this up once with our guide to creating a social media brand kit, and see our pick of Instagram templates for small businesses.

8. Email and documents

• Email address on your own domain
• Branded email signature with logo, name, role and one link
• Invoice and quote templates branded
• Letterhead or document template
• Presentation template
• Newsletter template, if you send one

9. Print and physical

• Business cards designed and proofed (see our business card ideas)
• Flyer template ready for promotions (see how to design a professional flyer)
• Signage, window decals or vehicle graphics
• Packaging, labels, stickers or swing tags
• Uniforms or merchandise
• Printed proofs checked for colour accuracy

10. Launch and maintenance

• Old logos and outdated materials removed everywhere
• Google Business Profile updated with logo, photos and details
• Directory and marketplace listings updated
• Launch announcement planned for social media and email
• A reminder set to review the brand every six months

Short on time?

If you only do five things, make them these: a vector logo in black and white versions, a recorded colour palette, two chosen fonts, a consistent profile picture across social platforms, and a branded email signature. Those five cover most of the places customers see you every day.

Need templates to speed things up? Browse our editable business templates, or ask us to match you with a designer if you would rather have it done for you.