Consistency reads as competence

Sooner or later, someone asks for your logo. It might be a sponsor, a printer, a business directory or a client adding you to their website, and the file you send back says a lot about how organized your business is.

What a complete brand kit contains

• Logo files in the right formats, meaning a transparent PNG for websites and documents, an SVG for signs and large prints, and a PDF for printers.
• Light and dark versions of the logo, so that it works on any background.
• A square icon for social media profiles, browser tabs and your Google Business Profile.
• Colour codes in HEX and RGB for screens, and in CMYK for print.
• The names of your fonts and where to obtain them.
• A one-page brand sheet that brings all of this together.

Where your brand kit gets used

You will reach for these files on your website, your Google Business Profile and your social media accounts, as well as on email signatures, invoices, quotes, signage, uniforms and sponsor pages. When everything matches, even a business in its first month looks established.

Registering a name is not the same as protecting it

In Ontario, registering a business name through the Ontario Business Registry costs $60 and lasts five years. The registration records the name you operate under, but it does not give you exclusive rights to that name.

Exclusive rights come from a registered trademark, which you apply for through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. In 2026, an online application costs $491.06 for the first class of goods or services and $149.04 for each additional class. Before you invest in signs, vehicle wraps or a website built around a name, search CIPO's trademark database to see whether someone else already owns it. A trademark agent can advise you on whether and how to file.

Keep everything in one place

Store your brand kit in a shared folder and send the whole folder to anyone who designs or prints for you. Doing so saves you from rebuilding your logo from a screenshot every time someone asks for it.

A worked example

A neighbourhood bakery agrees to sponsor a local soccer tournament, and the organizers ask for a logo to print on a banner. The only copy the bakery has is a small image saved from its Instagram profile, and when it is printed two metres wide, it comes out blurry and surrounded by a white box. With a brand kit, the bakery would have sent an SVG file that prints sharply at any size, in the dark version that suits the banner's background.

File formats explained

• Vector files such as SVG and PDF are built from shapes rather than pixels, so they scale to any size without blurring, which is why printers and sign makers prefer them.
• PNG is a pixel-based format that supports transparent backgrounds, which makes it the right choice for websites, documents and presentations.
• JPG works well for photographs but poorly for logos, since it cannot be transparent and tends to blur around sharp edges.

Keep a large square version of your icon, at least 1,000 by 1,000 pixels, along with a wide version of your logo. Most platforms crop well from those two files.

What goes on a one-page brand sheet

1. Each version of your logo, with a note on when to use it.
2. The amount of clear space to leave around the logo.
3. Your colours, with their HEX, RGB and CMYK codes.
4. The fonts you use for headings and for body text.
5. Three words that describe how the business should sound, such as friendly, plain and confident.
6. An example email signature.

Common mistakes

• Keeping the logo only as a JPG screenshot.
• Having no version of the logo that works on a dark background.
• Using fonts without a licence that covers commercial use.
• Letting colours drift between the website, business cards and social media because nobody wrote the codes down.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a professional designer?

For the logo itself, a designer is usually worth the investment. Preparing the files, colour codes and brand sheet from an existing logo is a smaller and more technical job.

Can I trademark a logo as well as a name?

A logo can be registered as a design mark through CIPO, either on its own or alongside your business name.

How long does a trademark take?

The process is measured in months rather than weeks. Specialist guides estimate that a first examination takes roughly seven to eight months and that registration takes a year or more. Search CIPO's database before you commit to a name, and consider using a trademark agent for the application.

What is the difference between a business name, a corporate name and a trademark?

A registered business name is the name you operate under, and a corporate name is the legal name of an incorporated company. A trademark gives you exclusive rights to use a name or logo for particular goods or services across Canada. A business can have all three, and they don't have to match.

Key takeaways

• Keep your logo as SVG, PDF and transparent PNG files, in both light and dark versions.
• Write your exact colour codes and fonts on a single page.
• Send the whole kit to anyone who designs or prints for you.
• Remember that a business name registration records your name, while only a trademark protects it.