Develop your brand identity

Guide summary

Check your name is available as a company name, a domain and, where you can check it, a trade mark
Agree in writing before work starts: files you receive, rounds of changes, fee and payment dates
Ask the designer for vector and image versions of the logo, plus the editable source files
Employers own copyright in work an employee makes in the course of employment, unless agreed otherwise
Use contracts that assign IP to your business when co-founders or directors create IP before the company exists
A designer keeps moral rights after assigning copyright, unless they waive them in writing
Write short guidelines: logo versions, colour codes for screen and print, fonts and their licence terms
Keep master files and guidelines in one shared place

Work in this order:

Settle the elements of the identity.
Brief and pay a designer, if you use one.
Have the copyright assigned to you in a signed document.
Record the rules for using the identity in short guidelines.

Decide what your brand identity includes

Settle your business name, logo, colours, typography and tone of voice before you brief anyone. Pick a name that is available as a company name, a domain and, where you can check it, a trade mark.

Brand Identity Elements

Essential components of your business brand identity including name, logo, and visual standards.

Your brand identity is how customers recognise and remember your business. A consistent brand builds trust and helps you stand out from competitors.

Establishing your brand identity early helps you create professional marketing materials, websites, and communications that work together effectively.

Business name: Memorable, appropriate, and legally available to use
Logo: Visual symbol representing your brand
Colour palette: Consistent colours across all materials (typically 2-4 colours)
Typography: Font choices for headings and body text
Brand voice: Tone and style of written communication
Visual assets: Templates, photography style, icons, imagery

Key considerations when developing brand identity

Business name availability: Check Companies House register, domain name availability, and existing trademarks before committing to a name
Trademark protection: Consider registering your business name and logo as UK trademarks (£205 online for one class, plus £60 for each additional class) to prevent others using them
Scalability: Ensure your logo works at different sizes - from business cards to billboards
Digital formats: Create logo files in vector format (SVG, EPS) for scaling and standard formats (PNG, JPG) for web use
Accessibility: Ensure colour contrast meets accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) for text and backgrounds
Cultural sensitivity: Research whether your brand name, colours, or imagery have unintended meanings in other languages or cultures

Business name restrictions

If you're registering a limited company, your business name must not:

Be the same as an existing registered company name
Contain sensitive words (such as 'Royal', 'British', 'Authority') without permission
Suggest connection to government or local authorities without permission
Be offensive

Sole traders and partnerships have more flexibility but should still check trademark conflicts to avoid legal disputes.

Search the register (Companies House) (opens in a new tab)

Apply for a trademark (opens in a new tab)

Search for a trademark (opens in a new tab)

Choose a company name (opens in a new tab)

Brief and pay a designer

Look at portfolios for work in your sector, ask for quotes from a few designers, and speak to their past clients. Agree these points in writing before work starts:

what you will receive, including the file formats, such as vector and image versions of the logo
how many rounds of changes are included
the fee and when each payment falls due
who owns the finished work, covered in the next section

Get the copyright assigned to you

The designer who creates your logo is its first owner, whatever you pay. You become the owner only if the designer signs a written assignment. The same goes for a design right in a design they create for you.

Who owns IP created by employees, freelancers and contractors

First-ownership rules for copyright, designs and inventions - when the employer owns what an employee creates, and why commissioned work needs a written assignment.

The person who creates a work, design or invention is usually its first owner. The main exception is work an employee creates in the course of their employment, which belongs to the employer. Paying a freelancer, agency or contractor does not by itself give you the IP in what they make for you.

Copyright - general rule: The author is the first owner
Copyright - employees: The employer is the first owner of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works and films made by an employee in the course of employment, unless agreed otherwise
Copyright - freelancers and commissioned work: The creator keeps the copyright unless it is assigned; an assignment only works if it is in writing and signed by or for the person assigning it
Designs - employees: The employer owns registered designs and UK design right in designs created by an employee in the course of employment
Designs - commissioned work: The designer, not the person who commissioned the design, is the first owner for commissions agreed on or after 1 October 2014, unless the design is assigned in writing
Inventions - employees: The employer owns an invention made in the course of the employee's normal or specifically assigned duties where an invention might reasonably be expected to result, or where the employee has a special duty to further the employer's interests; otherwise it belongs to the employee
Moral rights: Authors keep moral rights even after assigning copyright, unless they waive them in writing. The right to be identified as author only applies if it has been asserted, and some moral rights do not apply to work made by employees

What to put in writing

Use contracts that assign IP to your business when you commission logos, websites, software, product designs or content, and when co-founders or directors create IP before the company is formed. Check employment contracts cover IP created by staff.

Write a short brand guidelines document

Once the identity is settled, record how to use it so that anyone who produces material for you gets it right. A short document is enough. It should show:

the logo in its approved versions, with the space to leave around it and the smallest size to use it
the colour palette with the codes for screen and print
the fonts for headings and body text, and their licence terms
your tone of voice, with two or three examples of how to write
the style of any photographs or illustrations

Keep the master files and guidelines in one shared place, and ask your designer to hand over the editable source files as well as the finished artwork.

How copyright protects your work (opens in a new tab)

Legal basis

Primary legislation and key regulations

Intellectual Property Act 2014 Primary 2014 · UK-wide Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Primary 1988 · UK-wide Registered Designs Act 1949 Primary 1949 · UK-wide Patents Act 1977 Primary 1977 · UK-wide

Browse UK legislation legislation.gov.uk

Official guidance

License and sell your copyright (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UK

IPO

Search the trademark register (opens in a new tab)

IPO

Develop your brand identity

Decide what your brand identity includes

Brief and pay a designer

Get the copyright assigned to you

Write a short brand guidelines document

Legal basis

Official guidance

Related guides in Growth & Strategy

Register a trademark

Make sure you own the IP your staff and contractors create

Identify your intellectual property

Protect your copyright

Register a design