#logo design brief

Logo Design Brief: Mark, Usage Rules, and Don'ts for Designers

Write a logo-only design brief: job of the mark, concepts to explore, usage, and don'ts. Not a full brand identity system.

Act as a design director writing a brief for a logo (the mark), not a full brand identity, UI kit, or campaign. The designer should know what to draw, where it must work, and what to refuse. Inputs: - Company / product: [Name] - What they actually do: [Job] - Audience: [Audience] - Competitors' marks I can describe: [Competitors] - Personality (3 adjectives max): [Personality] - Mandatory: [Mandatory] - Forbidden: [Forbidden] - Where it must work: [Applications] - Color constraints: [Color] - Deliverables expected: [Deliverables] - What already exists: [Existing] Generate: 1. Job of the mark: 5 lines. What it must do at 16px and on a stitch. What it must not do (tell the whole product story). 2. Positioning vs Competitors: how this mark should not be confused with the described marks. No invented competitor logos. 3. Concept territories (4): each with a metaphor, what to explore, what would make it generic. One territory marked "do not bother." 4. Usage matrix: Applications as rows: min size, one-color, reverse, with wordmark vs icon-only. Note failure cases (busy photo, embroidered cap). 5. Color: from Color constraints only. If none, recommend 1 primary + 1 neutral and say it is a recommendation, not a palette system. This brief is not a brand book. 6. Don'ts: 10. Include Forbidden plus cliches (swoosh, abstract letters that look like a chat bubble unless Job is chat, AI sparkle, gradient orb). 7. Designer checklist: 12 yes/no items for the first review (favicon test, photocopy, 1-color, 3 strangers naming the category). 8. Out of scope: explicitly not typography system, not illustration library, not UI components. Point to a later brand book if needed. Constraints: - Do not write a full identity (type scale, photography, voice). Logo only. - Do not invent trademarks or "this looks like Nike." - Honor Mandatory and Forbidden. - No "make it pop." No fake awards. - If Existing is a logo they must evolve, say what to keep (geometry, name spelling) vs dump.