A brand kit is the small, practical bundle of files and codes that lets anyone make something that looks like your business. Your logo in the right formats, your exact colors, your fonts, a few rules about imagery and a handful of ready-made templates. That's it. It isn't a 60-page manifesto. It's the folder you send to the printer, the sign maker, the new hire running your Instagram and the developer building your website.
Most small businesses don't have one. They have a logo someone emailed as a JPG years ago, a color they "eyeball," and a different font on every flyer. A brand kit fixes that in an afternoon of organizing, and it saves you from re-explaining your brand every time someone new touches it.
Here's exactly what goes in a brand kit, how it differs from full brand guidelines, how you'll actually use it day to day, and how to put one together. We'll use our own kit as a worked example.
What is a brand kit, and why is it important?
A brand kit (sometimes called a brand identity kit or brand asset kit) is a collection of your core brand assets packaged for everyday use. It answers the questions people ask most often: "Can you send me your logo?" "What's your blue, exactly?" "What font do you use?"
Its value is consistency. When every touchpoint, from your storefront sign to your Google Business Profile photo to an invoice, uses the same logo, colors and type, people start to recognize you. Consistent brand identity reads as care and credibility. A business that looks the same everywhere looks established and trustworthy, even if it opened last month.
It also saves real time and money. Without a kit, every vendor guesses, and you pay for the corrections. With one, you hand over a single download and the work comes back right the first time.
What should a brand kit include?
A useful brand kit covers five things. Keep each one short and specific.
1. Logo files and variations
This is the heart of the kit. You need more than one file, because a logo that works on a storefront rarely works as a tiny social icon. Include:
- Primary logo. The full version you use whenever there's room.
- Secondary or compact variations. A stacked or horizontal lockup, plus a simple icon or mark for small spaces like profile pictures and favicons.
- Color versions. Full color, one-color, black, and white (reversed) for dark backgrounds.
- Every file format you'll need. Vector files (SVG, PDF, EPS) for print and signage, and PNG with a transparent background for screens and documents. If you're not sure which is which, our logo file formats table lays out when to use each one.
Add one line on clear space (how much empty room the logo needs around it) and a minimum size. Those two rules prevent most logo problems.
2. Color palette with HEX, RGB and CMYK codes
"Navy" isn't a color code. Your color palette should list each brand color with its exact values for every medium:
- HEX for websites and most design apps (for example, #0B0E1C).
- RGB for screens, video and presentations.
- CMYK for printed materials like business cards, menus and packaging.
- Pantone (optional) when you need an exact spot color on signage or merchandise.
Separate your primary colors from your secondary colors and accent colors, and note roughly how much of each to use. Brand colors also need to pass a basic readability check: the W3C's accessibility guidance asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, so note which color pairs are safe for text and which are for decoration only.
3. Typography
List your brand fonts, what each one is for and where to get them. Most small businesses need two: one font for headings and one for body text. A third display font is fine if it has a clear job. Include the weights you use, and a fallback font for places where your main typeface isn't available, like email.
4. Imagery, icons and graphic elements
This part defines your brand feel beyond the logo. Describe your photography style in a few lines (bright and natural, moody and close-up, people or products) and include five or six example images. If you use an icon set, patterns, textures or other graphic elements, add the files so nobody has to recreate them. Clear iconography and image rules keep your marketing from becoming a mix of random, disconnected visuals.
5. Templates
Templates turn the kit from a reference into a tool. Start with the pieces you make most often: social media posts and stories, a flyer, a presentation or proposal layout, an email header, and business cards. Each template should already use the right logo, colors and fonts, so the person filling it in only changes the words and photos.
Some kits also add a short note on voice: three or four words that describe how you sound, and a sentence or two of brand story. That's a nice extra, not a requirement.
A brand kit example: our own
Here's LunarVision's kit, the same way we'd hand one to a client. You can see it laid out visually in our own identity system on the homepage.
Logo. A circular badge as the primary logo, plus a compact helmet mark for small sizes where the badge would lose detail, like social profile pictures and browser tabs.
Color palette. Five colors, with Midnight and Lunar Gold doing most of the work:
| Color | HEX | RGB | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight | #0B0E1C | 11 14 28 | Primary background |
| Lunar Gold | #E9C46A | 233 196 106 | Primary brand color, the badge |
| Moonlight | #F7E3A6 | 247 227 166 | Light accent |
| Bronze | #B5872C | 181 135 44 | Deeper accent |
| Starlight | #EEF0F8 | 238 240 248 | Light background and text on dark |
Notice there's no CMYK column yet. That's deliberate. CMYK values depend on the paper and the printer's color profile, so we set them with the print vendor before the first job rather than guess. Your kit should do the same: get CMYK values confirmed, then add them.
Typography. Archivo Black for display type and the wordmark, Cormorant Garamond for headlines, and Manrope for body text. Three fonts, each with one job.
How is a brand kit different from brand guidelines?
People use the terms interchangeably, but they do different jobs. A brand kit is the toolbox. Brand guidelines (also called a brand style guide or brand book) are the instruction manual.
| Aspect | Brand kit | Brand guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Give people the assets to use | Explain how and why to use them |
| Contents | Logo files, color codes, fonts, images, templates | Usage rules, spacing, misuse examples, voice, applications |
| Length | A folder plus a one- or two-page sheet | Usually a longer document |
| Who uses it | Anyone making something quickly | Designers, agencies, a marketing team |
A small business can start with just a kit. As you grow and more people make things for you, the guidelines become worth writing. If you're ready for that step, our brand guidelines template walks through each section.
How a small business uses a brand kit day to day
A brand kit only works if it's easy to reach. Put it in one shared folder (Google Drive, Dropbox or similar) with a simple structure: Logos, Colors, Fonts, Images, Templates. Then use it for things like:
- Social media. Post from templates, and use the compact mark as your profile picture on every platform.
- Print orders. Send the vector logo and CMYK codes to the printer for business cards, menus, signs and packaging.
- Your website. Give your developer the SVG logo, HEX codes and font names in one go.
- Onboarding. Share the folder with new staff, freelancers or an agency on day one.
- Listings and profiles. Upload the same logo and cover image to your Google Business Profile and directories so you look identical everywhere.
If you design in a DIY tool, load your kit into it. Canva, for example, has a Brand Kit feature where you can upload logos, add color palettes and upload fonts so they're one click away. Many design apps now have similar features, and some use AI to suggest layouts, but the assets you put in still have to be right. An AI tool can't fix a blurry logo file or a color that doesn't match your sign.
For a wider view of where a brand kit fits into everything else, see our small business branding guide.
How do you create a brand kit?
You can create a brand kit yourself if your logo and colors are already settled. Here's the order we'd follow:
- Gather what exists. Collect every logo file, past flyer and design you can find. Ask whoever designed your logo for the original vector files.
- Pick the keepers. Choose one primary logo and the variations you actually need. Retire the rest.
- Lock the color codes. Pull exact HEX values from the vector file, convert to RGB, and get CMYK confirmed by your printer. Name each color.
- Choose your fonts. Two is plenty. Check the license allows business use.
- Define imagery. Write a few lines on photo style and pick example images.
- Build three templates. Start with the things you make most, usually a social post, a flyer and a presentation.
- Write a one-page summary. Logo, colors, fonts and two or three rules on a single sheet, saved as a PDF in the folder.
- Share it. Send the folder link to everyone who makes things for you.
If you don't have a solid logo yet, or your current one only exists as a low-resolution image, a kit can't fix that. That's the point to bring in a designer, so the kit starts from files that hold up.
How often should you update a brand kit?
Your core identity shouldn't change often, so the logo and palette can stay put for years. Review the kit once a year, or whenever something changes: a new location, a new product line, a rebrand, or a new channel that needs a new template. Templates go stale fastest. Swap out tired ones and add new sizes as platforms change. A brand kit can evolve, but it should evolve on purpose, not one off-brand flyer at a time.
Brand kit FAQ
Can I make a brand kit in Canva?
Yes. Canva's Brand Kit lets you store your logos, colors and fonts inside the tool. It's a good home for your kit, but keep a master copy of your vector logo files and color codes in your own folder too, since printers and developers will ask for files, not a Canva link.
Is a brand kit really worth it for a small business?
Yes, because the cost of not having one shows up in small ways: reprints, mismatched signs, a fuzzy logo on your website. A brand kit takes a few hours to assemble and keeps paying off every time you make something.
What file formats should a brand kit include?
At minimum, SVG and PDF (or EPS) vector files for print and signage, and PNG files with a transparent background for screens. Include each logo variation in each format, in full color, black and white.
How much does a professional brand kit cost?
It depends on whether you need a logo designed first or just your existing assets organized. At LunarVision, logo design and brand identity system projects are quoted to your brief. Our Brand Builder package is $999 one-time and covers your logo and online presence setup, including social profiles, Google Business Profile creation and optimization, citations and a listing consistency check. To get a number for your project, request a quote.