Logo Usage Rules Every Brand Needs

A logo is only as strong as the way it is used. Ask a printer, a freelancer and an intern to place your logo on a banner, and you may get three different results. These are the logo usage rules every brand needs, written so you can copy them into your own guidelines.

Rule 1: List the approved versions

Name every version and say when to use it.

• Primary logo: the default, for most places.
• Stacked or horizontal version: for tight spaces that suit a different shape.
• Icon or symbol: for profile pictures, app icons and small corners.
• One-color versions: for stamps, embroidery and single-color printing.

If a version is not on the list, it is not allowed. That alone prevents most mistakes.

Rule 2: Light and dark backgrounds

Provide a version for light backgrounds and one for dark. State the rule in a sentence: "Use the dark logo on backgrounds lighter than mid-gray, and the light logo on anything darker." Decide in advance what happens on a photograph: a calm area of the photo, or a solid band behind the logo.

Rule 3: Clear space

Define an empty margin around the logo that nothing else may enter. A common method is to measure with a part of the logo itself, such as the height of one letter. The point is that text, edges and other graphics stay away.

Rule 4: Minimum size

Logos fall apart when too small. Give a minimum width for screen and another for print. If the full logo is too detailed at that size, say which smaller version to switch to.

Rule 5: Placement

Say where the logo normally sits. Top left on documents, bottom right on social posts, centered on packaging. On social formats, remember that apps cover some edges. A post has margins to respect, and a story has bigger ones at the top and bottom.

Rule 6: The "never" list

Keep it short and visual, so people remember it:

• Do not stretch, squash or rotate it.
• Do not change the colors.
• Do not add shadows, outlines or effects.
• Do not place it on a busy pattern.
• Do not redraw or retype it.

Rule 7: Say who decides

When a case is not covered, who gives the answer? Name a person or role. A rule without an owner turns into a debate.

Prompts for drafting your rules

Write a "never do this" list of six short items for a logo that is a thin-lined icon plus a wordmark, aimed at non-designers.

Explain clear space around a logo in two plain sentences, using the width of the letter "o" as the unit.

Check that each rule matches your actual files before you publish it.

In Melon Cut

Melon Cut Guidelines has logos and usage sections, so the rules sit next to the files. In Melon Cut Design, the logo is placed the way your guidelines allow, with no fixed plate behind it. See how it works in practice in Use Your Logo in AI Images, and check each picture before it goes out.