You’ve secured funding for your new company, picked a name, and are ready to launch your website. Before you can, though, you’ll need to determine your brand identity—complete with an eye-catching logo, a distinct color palette, and a font that you can use on your ecommerce site, plus business cards, stickers, and, potentially, package design.
To do so cohesively and efficiently, you can choose to invest in a branding package, which will tackle all of these elements together. Effective branding packages can help boost your sales and revenue, since customers’ purchasing decisions are often influenced by well-designed branded websites and packaging. Here’s what a branding package is and the elements that go into one.
What is a branding package?
A branding package is a set of visual and messaging elements—including a logo, fonts, color palette, and other components—that establishes a cohesive brand identity for your company. This comprehensive toolkit forms the basis for your marketing materials, and helps your company stand out, attract new customers, and build loyalty.
In addition to visual assets, a branding package can also include messaging components like your company’s mission statement, value proposition for your products, and a tagline or slogan. Using the same logo, colors, typography, and messaging on your website, packaging, and marketing materials provides brand consistency.
What to include in a branding package
- Logo
- Color palette
- Typography
- Messaging
You may not need everything offered in a branding package. For example, if you operate solely online, you likely won’t need to create posters or signage. Here are four elements a complete branding package typically includes:
Logo
A good logo design can distinguish your company from the competition and even drive sales up or down. Research shows that consumers buy from recognizable logos and many would avoid brands that have unappealing ones.
Color palette
Color conveys emotion, and using color psychology can help your business appeal to target audiences and build your brand’s aesthetic.
Typography
Similar to color, typography can communicate the energy and emotion behind your brand and build positive associations. For example, a fitness brand that promotes an active and energetic lifestyle might choose a large, bold typeface, while an online bookseller might choose a modern serif-style font.
Messaging
Messaging typically includes your company’s mission statement, value proposition, and slogan. While the visual elements of a custom branding package appeal to your audience’s subconscious, messaging will more directly dictate what you are as a brand and what value you provide.
How much does a branding package cost?
Business branding packages can cost anywhere from $1,000 to more than $100,000 depending on the entity doing the work and what the package includes. At the $1,000 mark, you will likely work with a freelance designer through a service such as Fiverr and will receive a baseline package.
At the top end of the spectrum, you will likely work with an agency that assigns you a design team of strategists, web developers, and professional designers. You’ll probably receive a full branding package, including brand style guides, complete website design, and in-depth research about how design choices may affect sales and engagement.
There are also several free software programs and apps to help you build your own branding package. For example, Shopify offers a free logo maker that includes a library of logo templates, and a brand design studio that allows you to add icons to your logo, customize brand colors, change fonts, and edit layouts. Shopify also offers pre-made website themes you can use to design and build out your web presence. These themes include menus, color swatches, custom product badges, product quick view, and other branding elements, and run from being free to $350.
How to measure the success of your branding package
To measure how successful your branding package is, you can start by looking at basic branding metrics like social media engagements, customer satisfaction, leads generated, and sales to gauge business growth after you’ve implemented the assets of your branding package.
You can then compare the data you have from before your new branding package with the data from after your branding package. For example, if your goal is to increase sales with your branding package, you can see what your sales were before implementing your branding package and what they were after you put your new branding efforts into place. Set an equal time frame (one month’s worth of sales preceding the brand package and one month following, for example) and compare the differences.
Branding package FAQ
How long does it take to create a branding package?
It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to create a branding package, depending on the complexity of your brand and what assets you want. You can often pay an agency extra to expedite the process.
Who should I hire to create my branding package?
Who you hire depends on what you’re hoping to get from your branding package. If you only want a logo for your business, using a single freelance designer might be sufficient. However, if you want consultation and design, as well as research-backed brand development and implementation of multiple assets, you might be better off hiring an established design agency.
Is a branding package a one-time investment or an ongoing expense?
Branding packages are typically a one-time investment. The firm or designer you hire will hand over a branding kit that includes all the branding elements and materials you requested—like logos, fonts, messaging, and colors—that you can then use in your marketing campaigns.
Is it necessary to have a branding package before launching a business?
It’s not necessary to have a branding package before launching a business. Creative individuals can design their own logos, websites, and messaging for free using online tools like Shopify’s logo maker.
Can a branding package be updated or modified over time?
Yes. You can continue to consult with the design company you employed to build your brand package after they deliver the package. They can help advise you on updates or complete rebrands, based on changes to your company or what’s been working and what hasn’t.