The only branding package checklist you’ll ever need

Most businesses lose customers before they even know it. Why? Because their branding feels unfinished. Uncoordinated graphics, conflicting color palettes, and a jumble of fonts give the impression of being cheap and rushed.

It doesn’t matter if you have the best product ever. If your branding doesn’t look put-together, you’re letting your competitors win. 

The great news? A good identity-building and packaging checklist for brands can fix that. Use this one to cover every piece you need, so you don’t waste time redoing designs or confusing your audience.

A branding package 101

When budding businesses come to MYLARMEN, they often ask us, “Where should we start to create or update packaging?” Well, you need to start not with the box, but with your idea, values, and what you want to convey.

A branding package boils down to the creation of a holistic identity (visual and textual) that lives on product packaging and everywhere else a brand is present. It is a set of rules and elements that make you recognizable and your goods worth purchasing.

Branding packages should be the driving force behind small and large companies when:

• Launching or relaunching a product
• Entering new locations or markets
• Expanding the range
• Improving the efficiency of internal marketing processes

A solid checklist for a branding package should underpin all the business endeavors of e-commerce brands, small product-based brands, and large organizations. Think of it as a legit cheat sheet that helps your business appear polished from the very first day of operation.

Your branding package checklist to bookmark

The list below will guide you through the key components of a branding package and the steps you need to take to keep things organized. Here’s what should be in your checklist for a branding package. Save it and tick off the items as you go.

Logo and colors

Everyone recognizes McDonald’s and Coca-Cola at first glance, right? You don’t need other pointers when you see that iconic yellow letter or the red and white wave.

A logo is your face in the business world. Without it, your brand gets lost among thousands of similar ones.

You’ve got it right: a logo takes center stage in your branding package. When designing it, you’ll need to decide on a color scheme to follow the success stories of brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. Brand colors work on a psychological level, sending associative signals every time a customer sees your package on a shelf. 

When it comes to associations, colors have the most impactful effect among other branding elements. That’s why pharmacies and medical brands use blue and green to be perceived as calm and trustworthy so often. That’s why fast food brands bet on red and yellow because they stimulate the appetite and evoke a sense of energy.

Colors can reveal who you are and what you sell, even before customers read about your product. So, don’t forget to define:

• Primary colors to be associated directly with your products
• Accent colors for your packaging 
• Encouraging colors for promotional campaigns
• HEX, RGB, CMYK codes for consistency online and in print

Without a well-thought-out color scheme, your package risks being misunderstood. Find inspiration in the brands you love, but craft a palette that’s 100% your own.

Fonts

A font is the visual expression of your brand’s voice on paper and screen. Even if you don’t consciously notice it, typography instantly shapes the first impression.

Specify how you want shoppers to see your headlines, body text, and accents, and how the font will “sound” with your brand’s voice. To this end, you should work on:

• Primary typeface for headlines
• Secondary typeface for body text
• Optional accent/decorative fonts
• Web-safe font options

Without clear typography, your customers will only get the impression that you’re amateurish. 

Other visual elements

These encompass the entire visual world of your brand, including photos, illustrations, and icons used in your communications. These elements should tell your story while evoking the right emotions in buyers. They should be consistent and thoughtful, so that all visuals work together to reinforce your message.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

• Brand photography style (light & airy, bold & dramatic, etc.)
• Illustration style (flat, hand-drawn, geometric)
• Graphic elements

Double-check your visual elements before showing up to the world. Otherwise, you risk looking scattered and unclear.

Brand style guide

What if you were to delegate the creation of stickers or packages to another team? Will they understand how to use everything consistently?

This is why you need a brand style guide as part of your packaging-for-brand checklist. This pre-designed document ties all your visual aspects together into clear, simple instructions that anyone on your team or other teams can follow. It should contain:

• Brand guidelines document (the usage of your logo, colors, fonts, and imagery)
• Brand messaging rules and recommendations
• Detailed dos and don’ts
• PDF or web-based version to share with your team or partners
• Easy-to-update templates for future tweaks

A well-crafted style guide simplifies the creation process and keeps your teams aligned.

Digital assets

So, you’ve launched your business and are finally going online. Next, you’ll be working on a website, business profile, email newsletters, and advertising. That’s where most brands make the same mistake by creating random texts and banners without an effective strategy.

Digital assets encompass all the elements used to keep your online presence recognizable. Here’s what should be prepared in your online arsenal in advance:

• Social media profile images and cover photos
• Post templates for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Website graphics (hero banners, favicons, custom icons)
• Signature email templates
• Branded presentation templates

Don’t miss out on digital assets in your branding package checklist.

Physical assets

Being online is great, but you also want to bring your brand to life offline. Get people to remember, share, snap photos of, and talk about your brand with your physical assets. They can help grow your recognition naturally through: 

• Outdoor advertising
• Signage
• Retail outlet design and interior elements
• Facade branding
• Delivery truck branding

These assets can strengthen your first impression, attract attention offline, and create a sense of brand authenticity.

Professionally designed product packages

Do you remember how exciting it was to open a birthday gift when you were a 12-year-old? That’s exactly the feeling your packages should provide.

We can’t resist including the following elements in the branding checklist for packages:

• Logo, brand images, colors, and fonts
• Eco-friendly and trendy designs
• Designs that look like collectibles
• Creative details

Professional design makes your offerings valuable and gives the customer the same gift effect.

From a checklist to action

A good checklist for packaging for brands can provide you with a better understanding of how your branding should work. But a checklist alone isn’t enough to make your business stick in the minds of your customers. Take the next step with MYLARMEN to switch from abstract ideas to tangible results and have your logo, color scheme, packages, and templates professionally prepared.

All you have to do is:

1. Arrange your discovery call with our team.
2. Clearly explain what you want your brand to achieve.
3. Tell us how you want your business to be seen.
4. Share your ideas.

We’ll provide you with a comprehensive branding package to make your brand consistent and ready for the next milestone.