Most small businesses in Bendigo start with a logo. Someone draws one up, it goes on the business cards, and a few years later it’s on the van, the shirts, the website and the sign, each version a little different from the last.
That’s the gap between a logo and a brand. This guide explains the difference, what a brand package should include, and when it’s worth doing properly, with a real local example.
Logo vs brand: what’s the difference?
A logo is a mark. A brand is the whole system around it: the colours, the typefaces, the way you write and the rules that keep all of it consistent on every sign, shirt, post and page.
A logo on its own leaves the rest to chance. The printer picks a blue that looks close enough. A staff member makes a social post in whatever font is handy. Each choice is small, but together they make a business look less established than it really is.
Think of the places your business shows up in a normal week: the sign above the door, the van in the car park at the footy, the quote you email, the Instagram post. A brand is what makes all of those feel like one business.
Rule of thumb: if two suppliers could make your business look like two different businesses, you have a logo but not yet a brand.
What does a brand package include?
A useful brand package gives you everything needed to apply the brand without guessing:
Logo versions. Full colour, one colour, reversed for dark backgrounds, and stacked or horizontal versions for different spaces.
Logo files in every format. Vector files for signs, vinyl and embroidery, and image files for the web and social media.
A colour palette with values for print and screen, so the green on your shirts matches the green on your website.
Typefaces for headings and body text, so everything you write looks like it came from the same place.
Templates for the things you make most often, such as social posts.
Guidelines that show how it all fits together on real items.
Our guides to what to include in brand guidelines and brand colours that work in print go deeper on the last two.
A local example: That Foliage Life
That Foliage Life is Judie’s plant business in Kennington. We put together a full brand package for her: 4 design directions to choose from, 8 logos, 90 logo files ready for any use, 11 Canva templates, 5 colours and 3 typefaces.
The Canva templates matter as much as the logo. They let Judie make her own posts and keep them on brand without starting from a blank page every time. Starting from four directions meant Judie could compare real options side by side before settling on one. You can read more in That Foliage Life’s story.
Why it helps to brand and print in one place
Bendigo Graphics is one team for web, brand, marketing and print. We bought a 30-year-old print business, so the people who design your logo also make the signs, shirts, cards and vehicle graphics it ends up on.
That means a brand is drawn with the sign, the shirt and the van in mind, not only the screen. A logo that looks lovely on a website but falls apart when it’s stitched onto a polo or cut from vinyl for a window isn’t finished yet.
It also means the brand is ready for the next job. When it’s time for new uniforms, vehicle graphics or a sign for a second location, the files, colours and rules are already there, so the new item matches the old ones from the first print.
When is it time to rebrand?
You don’t always need to start again. Most businesses have something worth keeping. It’s worth a proper look if:
Your logo only exists as a blurry image or a screenshot.
Everything you’ve had made looks slightly different.
You’re about to spend on signage, vehicle graphics, uniforms or a new website.
The business has grown past what the original logo says about it.
If you’re about to invest in signs or a website, sort the brand first. Getting it right once costs less than redoing everything twice.
Common questions
Do I need a full brand or just a logo?
If more than one person makes things for your business, such as a printer, a web designer and staff posting on social media, a full brand package saves time and money. If you’re just starting out, a logo with your colours and fonts written down is a sound first step.
How much does branding cost?
It depends on how much you need, from a logo on its own to a full package with templates and guidelines. Get in touch and we’ll talk it through and quote it up front.
Can I keep using Canva?
Yes. Templates made for Canva, like the 11 we made for That Foliage Life, let you make your own posts and still stay on brand.
Who should own the logo files?
You should. Every logo file and template should be yours to keep and share with anyone who makes something for your business.
Ready to talk about your brand?
See how our branding and logo design service works, or start a design request. Get in touch at bendigographics.com or call (03) 5441 7900.
