The Brand Identity Checklist: Everything You Need Before Launch

You've built the product. The code works. Now you need to look like a real company. Launching without a cohesive brand identity is like showing up to a pitch meeting in pajamas — the work might be solid, but the first impression says otherwise.

This checklist covers every brand asset you need, why each matters, and the order to create them.

The Core Identity

These are non-negotiable. Every product needs them before going live.

1. Brand Name

Your name is the foundation everything else builds on. It affects your domain, your logo, your social handles, and how people talk about your product.

Before moving on, make sure your name passes the naming checklist: pronounceable, spellable, available as a domain, and free of trademark conflicts.

2. Color Palette

A minimum viable palette has five tokens:

Your colors need to work together and pass WCAG AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text). This isn't just accessibility — it's readability.

Read our deep dive on choosing colors that convert.

3. Typography

Pick two fonts:

• Heading font: Sets the personality. Geometric sans-serifs (Inter, Plus Jakarta Sans) feel modern. Serifs (Playfair Display, Lora) feel established.
• Body font: Optimized for readability. Stick with proven options: Inter, System UI, or Source Sans Pro.

Google Fonts is the standard for web. Use next/font to self-host for zero layout shift and better performance.

For detailed guidance, see our typography guide for SaaS.

4. Logo

You need two formats:

• SVG: For your website, where it scales to any size without quality loss
• PNG (512px minimum): For platforms that don't support SVG (social profiles, marketplaces)

Your logo should work at 16px (favicon) and 200px (hero section) equally. Simple, flat designs survive scaling better than detailed illustrations.

Details in our logo design guide.

The Essential Assets

These are the files and assets you'll need across platforms.

5. Favicon

Three sizes cover all platforms:

A favicon is often the first visual element users see (in their browser tab). A missing or default favicon screams "work in progress."

6. OG Image (Open Graph)

When someone shares your link on X, LinkedIn, Slack, or Discord, the OG image is what they see. Dimensions: 1200 x 630 pixels.

Include: your logo, brand name, and a visual that represents what you do. Keep text minimal — it needs to be readable at thumbnail size.

We wrote an entire guide on OG image best practices.

7. Email Signature

If you're sending outreach, support emails, or investor updates, a branded email signature reinforces every touchpoint. Include: name, title, logo, brand colors, and one link (your website).

The Launch Polish

These aren't strictly required, but they separate "side project" from "real product."

8. Social Media Profiles

Consistent branding across platforms builds recognition:

• Profile photo: Your logo, cropped to a circle
• Banner/cover: Brand colors + tagline
• Bio: One-line value proposition + link

9. Domain Availability Check

Before launch, verify your name is available where it matters:

• .com, .io, .co, .dev domains
• X/Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, LinkedIn handles

Name conflicts discovered post-launch are expensive to fix.

10. Brand Colors in Code

Document your palette as CSS custom properties or Tailwind config so the entire team uses exact values:

:root {
  --color-primary: #E76F2E;
  --color-secondary: #EDE0D0;
  --color-accent: #FDEBD6;
  --color-bg: #F5E9D8;
  --color-text: #3E2C23;
}

The Efficient Path

Creating each asset individually — hiring a designer for the logo, picking colors from a palette generator, finding fonts on Google Fonts, creating OG images in Figma — takes days of work and produces inconsistent results.

The fastest path: generate everything at once from a single creative brief, so every asset shares the same DNA. That's exactly what Brand Generator does. One form, 60 seconds, and you have every item on this checklist ready to use.