Branding is more than a logo or a color palette. It is the system that shapes how your organization is seen, understood, and remembered. A strong brand builds recognition, credibility, and trust. It also ensures continuity when leadership or design responsibilities change. Clear documentation helps student organizations, research labs, and teams maintain consistency over time.
Successful branding is not about design trends. It is about clarity, structure, and repeatable decisions. When visual and communication rules are defined early, future members can create materials confidently without reinventing the system.
Be sure to also check out our Design Tips and Tricks page for more on color and fonts.
Branding Basics
A style guide is the document that records your brand decisions. It translates abstract ideas into practical rules. Instead of relying on memory or personal preference, a style guide provides clear standards that anyone can follow.
A good style guide includes logo usage rules, color codes, typography specifications, imagery direction, and voice guidelines. It may also include templates for slides, social media posts, or documents. Even a simple one-page guide can prevent inconsistency.
You do not want your branding to collapse when a leader graduates or a designer leaves. Many student organizations and research labs struggle with inconsistency because assets are not centralized or documented. A good system protects your brand over time.
Here are some tips for a good style guide….
- Store all core assets in a shared drive, such a Google Drive or Box. This should include logos, font files, templates, and the style guide. Avoid keeping materials in personal drives or hidden folders. When assets live in one accessible location, transitions become much smoother.
- Try to create templates instead of expecting new members to start from scratch. For example, prepare ready-to-use templates for social media posts. Provide Google Slides templates for events and PowerPoint templates for conferences. Templates reduce guesswork and maintain visual consistency.
- Write a short handoff document. Even half a page is enough. Clearly state what the logo is, what the official colors are, and where templates are stored. Include direct hyperlinks to folders. Clear directions save time and prevent confusion.
- Explain the reasoning behind your design choices. If your color palette is based on school colors, document that decision. If a font was selected for accessibility and readability, state it. When future teams understand the purpose behind the design decisions, they are more likely to maintain them.
Here is an example of UW–Madison’s Brand and Visual Identity website, which houses the university’s style guide and templates:
UW–Madison also has a print/PDF style guide:
A logo is the visual anchor of your brand. It is often the first thing people recognize. The best logos are simple, clear, and easy to identify at small sizes. They should work equally well on a website, a slide, or a printed flyer.
Prepare at least two or three versions of your logo. You should have a full-color version, a black-and-white version, and a simplified icon version. The icon is especially useful for websites, social media profiles, or small digital spaces. Make sure all your logos have a transparent background.
Always keep your master logo files in vector format, such as AI, SVG, or EPS. Vector files can scale to any size without losing quality. PNG or JPEG files are suitable for daily use, but they should be exported from the original vector file.
In your style guide, it is important to document how your logo should be used. Specify which background colors are allowed. Define how much clear space must surround the logo. State what is not permitted, such as stretching, recoloring, or adding effects. Clear rules protect your brand from distortion.
Here are examples of UW–Madison’s Logos and Usage Guide:
Colors communicate mood and identity. Different color palettes create different impressions. A research lab might choose calm blues and grays, while an environmental organization might prefer greens and earthy tones. Choose two or three primary colors to maintain consistency. Add neutral shades such as black, white, and gray. You may also define one or two accent colors to provide variety while keeping structure.
Accessibility must guide your choices. Text and background colors should have sufficient contrast. Always test your combinations to ensure readability. Record exact color codes in your guide. Use HEX codes for web, RGB for digital screens, and CMYK for print. Without documentation, people may guess shades and create inconsistency.
Here is UW–Madison’s Color Palette from their style guide:
Typography shapes the tone of your communication. Fonts influence how professional, friendly, or serious your brand feels. Limit your brand to two fonts. Use one for headings and one for body text. Using too many fonts creates visual confusion.
Choose accessible fonts that everyone can download and use. Open-licensed fonts from sources like Google Fonts are practical options because they can be used across multiple platforms and do not require purchasing licenses. For example, DesignLab used to use Avenir Next, which required licenses, but we now use Figtree, a free Google Font.
Document how each font should be used. Specify heading sizes, subheading sizes, and body text sizes. Define when bold or italics are appropriate. Clear rules help maintain consistency across slides, documents, and social media.
Here is UW–Madison’s Typography Guide:
Images are powerful storytelling tools. Consistency in imagery strengthens your identity. Decide what type of images represent your organization. You might use candid event photos, professional portraits, illustrations, or abstract graphics. Avoid mixing unrelated styles.
Apply a consistent visual treatment. For example, you might slightly desaturate all photos or maintain a similar contrast level. Consistency creates visual unity. Document image dimensions for different platforms. Social media posts, presentations, and flyers all require different formats. If you use icons, select one style and stick with it.
In DesignLab, all of our staff photos use a consistent image style. All staff are in greyscale in front of one of DesignLab’s colorful hexagon logos. Here are a few examples below:
Voice and tone define how your organization communicates. They reflect your personality and values. Decide whether your tone is formal, conversational, or somewhere in between. Maintain the same tone across platforms. A highly formal website and a casual social media account may feel disconnected. Use inclusive language. Spell out acronyms before using them. Keep your language clear and accessible. Provide examples in your guide. Show how to write greetings, announcements, or hashtags. Also, define what to avoid, such as overly technical language in outreach materials. Clear guidance ensures consistency even when different people create content.
Here is UW–Madison’s Brand Messaging and example tonal words:
Below is a list of helpful graphic design software programs for making logos, social media content, and more:
Adobe Illustrator: This software is available to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff via all computer lab machines, both in the labs and for checkout. Using an Adobe ID will allow for easy transition from one computer to another. Illustrator is great for creating vector graphics for logos and large-scale designs.
Adobe Photoshop: This software is available to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff via all computer lab machines, both in the labs and for checkout. Using an Adobe ID will allow for easy transition from one computer to another. Photoshop is best for editing raster images. You can use the editing tools to create a consistent visual image identity.
Adobe InDesign: This software is available to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff via all computer lab machines, both in the labs and for checkout. Using an Adobe ID will allow for easy transition from one computer to another. InDesign is best for making print designs, like reports, magazines, etc. It can also be used to make social media content. By designing layout templates for your print designs, you can build a consistent visual identity.
Canva: This web-based program has a limited free option, as well as monthly and annual subscriptions at a cost. Many of the functions of Canva are free, but there are certain elements available via a subscription. Canva files are created online and can be downloaded as PNG, JPEG, PDF and other formats. Canva can be used for designing logos, but be aware that scalability will be limited unless you make a large logo to begin with. Canva is also a good alternative to InDesign for print projects using branding.
Adobe Express: This cloud-based media creation application makes it easy to create social media graphics, fliers/brochures, promotional videos, and single-page websites. UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff have premium access to Adobe Express via your free UW-Madison Adobe ID. This software is web-based and can be accessed from a browser.
Blog: 41 Cool Logos that are so Hot Right Now by Matthew Price from 99designs
Article: 10 Tips for Designing Logos that Don’t Suck by Joshua Johnson from design shack
Article: Brand Style Guide Examples by Jenny Romanchuk
Article: Color Psychology: The logo color tricks use by top companies by Amelia Marshall from Canva
Article: How to choose your brand colors by Sarah Marshall from Canva
Examples: Color Logo Combinations to Inspire Your Design from Tailor Brands
Examples: More Color Logo Combinations to Inspire Your Design by Nisha from Looka
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