When the site is one shade of blue, the invoice green, and the Facebook page a third colour — the subconscious message is we improvise. Branding does not require an agency budget: it requires CONSISTENCY. Here is the minimum.
The logo: simple and legible
The test: is it recognizable tiny (favicon, profile picture) and in one colour (stamp, invoice)? If not — it is too complicated. And demand the files: a vector format (SVG/AI) plus a transparent PNG. A logo that exists only as a picture in Word is a hostage.
Colours: the 2+1 rule
One main colour (the identity), one neutral (backgrounds, text), one accent (buttons, sales). Write down the exact codes (e.g. #0B2B5E) — roughly blue is not a brand. The same codes: site, invoices, posts.
Fonts: two at most
One for headings, one for text — never more. Pick legible ones (not decorative faces that are pretty only at large sizes). On a website that also means speed: two fonts load fast, six drag the site down.
The brand voice
How you speak: formal or friendly? Decide once, apply everywhere — from site headlines to message replies.
Where all this shows
The site, invoices and proposals, the email signature, social profiles, the business card. When everything speaks the same, a business looks twice its size — and that is the point.