Where To Start With Brand Visuals
3.9K views · 2026-01-17
Branding & Logo
Visual Identity Basics: A No-Nonsense Cheat Sheet
In this episode of Rants & Bants, I walk through a simple visual identity cheat sheet for designers, founders, and anyone starting a business. This isn’t about over-designing or panic branding, it’s about making sure you start with the bare minimum you need to stay consistent early on.
We cover logos, imagery, type, and colour palettes, plus a few rules of thumb to help you avoid overcomplicating things before you’ve even made your first sale. If you’re at the start of your brand journey, this one’s for you.
Use the timestamps below to jump to specific parts of the conversation:
00:00 — Welcome back + setting the tone for Rants & Bants
00:42 — Why this visual identity cheat sheet exists
01:49 — Panic branding and doing too much too soon
02:42 — What visual identity is actually for at the beginning
03:40 — Logo basics: one primary logo, keep it simple
04:27 — Icons, favicons, and what not to overthink
05:40 — Logo placement and consistency
06:08 — Imagery and photography style
06:46 — Illustration style and recognisability
07:30 — Why stock imagery usually isn’t needed anymore
08:22 — Type basics: the three-font rule
09:06 — Legibility, accessibility, and bad font choices
09:42 — Colour basics: how many is enough
10:19 — When larger colour systems actually make sense
11:02 — Dominant colours, tints, and avoiding trends
12:23 — Wrap-up + what’s coming next
Ready to go deeper into visual identity and brand identity design?
Check out my Brand Designers Bundle — four MBJ courses covering logo design, brand identity, branded type, and logo animation. https://themadebyjames.com/courses/the-brand-designers-bundle/
Enjoy the video!
MBJ
If you have questions or thoughts, drop them in the comments or email me at mbj@themadebyjames.com.
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#logodesigner #visualidentity #visualidentitydesign #brandidentity #brandidentitydesign #graphicdesign #graphicdesigners #graphicdesigndaily #branddevelopment #branddesign #designeducation #brandvisuals #brandingdesign
In this episode of Rants & Bants, I walk through a simple visual identity cheat sheet for designers, founders, and anyone starting a business. This isn’t about over-designing or panic branding, it’s about making sure you start with the bare minimum you need to stay consistent early on.
We cover logos, imagery, type, and colour palettes, plus a few rules of thumb to help you avoid overcomplicating things before you’ve even made your first sale. If you’re at the start of your brand journey, this one’s for you.
Use the timestamps below to jump to specific parts of the conversation:
00:00 — Welcome back + setting the tone for Rants & Bants
00:42 — Why this visual identity cheat sheet exists
01:49 — Panic branding and doing too much too soon
02:42 — What visual identity is actually for at the beginning
03:40 — Logo basics: one primary logo, keep it simple
04:27 — Icons, favicons, and what not to overthink
05:40 — Logo placement and consistency
06:08 — Imagery and photography style
06:46 — Illustration style and recognisability
07:30 — Why stock imagery usually isn’t needed anymore
08:22 — Type basics: the three-font rule
09:06 — Legibility, accessibility, and bad font choices
09:42 — Colour basics: how many is enough
10:19 — When larger colour systems actually make sense
11:02 — Dominant colours, tints, and avoiding trends
12:23 — Wrap-up + what’s coming next
Ready to go deeper into visual identity and brand identity design?
Check out my Brand Designers Bundle — four MBJ courses covering logo design, brand identity, branded type, and logo animation. https://themadebyjames.com/courses/the-brand-designers-bundle/
Enjoy the video!
MBJ
If you have questions or thoughts, drop them in the comments or email me at mbj@themadebyjames.com.
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#logodesigner #visualidentity #visualidentitydesign #brandidentity #brandidentitydesign #graphicdesign #graphicdesigners #graphicdesigndaily #branddevelopment #branddesign #designeducation #brandvisuals #brandingdesign