So you’ve finally decided it’s time to brand your business. You start looking for a graphic designer to work with and you realize you don’t understand all the designer lingo. As a designer, I’ve definitely been guilty of not explaining each of the brand elements or how they’re used. I’m going to break down the difference between a logo, a submark, and a brand guide — and more importantly how you can use each of these brand elements!

Primary Logo

Let’s start with the logos. Your primary logo is the brand element you’ll use the most. This logo will be on your website, business cards, packaging, contracts, etc.

Secondary Logo/Tagline Logo

A secondary logo is a variation of your primary logo that includes many of the same components but they’re rearranging. A secondary logo might include a tagline or an additional graphic element. I typically recommend my clients have a horizontal logo and a stacked or circular logo variation so they have some flexibility in their branding.

Submark

A submark is a condensed/simplified version of your logo. My clients like to use their submarks for website favicons, watermarks, or social media profile pictures. Submarks are great for businesses with longer names or unique graphic elements.

Additional branding elements include icons and patterns which can be used for social media graphics, website details, price sheets, business cards, and more! If you have any questions on what you might need for your brand or how to best use your brand elements, I would love to walk you through it!