Create logo and banner concepts from a brand guide
Explore visual directions for a new service while keeping banners consistent with an approved visual identity.
How this works
Logo concepts and production banners have different purposes. A logo exploration proposes a visual identity direction; a banner applies an existing identity to a placement. Keep those tracks distinct so an exploratory mark does not silently replace an approved logo in campaign assets.
Use the brand guide as a set of explicit constraints: palette, type, spacing, logo treatment, tone and prohibited uses. AI can explore compositions, but designers must inspect legibility, consistency and practical reproduction before choosing a direction. A generated raster is not automatically a usable vector master.
Before you start
Approved identity assets
Obtain current logos, palette values, typography guidance and any clear-space rules. Identify which elements may change.
Service brief
State the audience, offer, desired impression and mandatory copy without vague stylistic contradictions.
Delivery formats
Confirm placements, dimensions, safe areas and whether the task is concept exploration or final production.
Prepare the inputs
- brand_rules
- Required
Versioned visual guide and approved source assets
Use exact color and logo references; do not infer missing rules from unrelated campaigns.
- service_message
- Required
Approved name, tagline and factual offer
Text must remain accurate and readable in exported variants.
- concept_axes
- Required
Distinct direction descriptions
Choose meaningful differences such as hierarchy or composition rather than random decorative changes.
- placement_specs
- Required
Dimensions, aspect ratio, safe area and output format
Do not promise scalable vector output from a raster-only tool.
Implementation, step by step
Convert the brief into criteria
- List mandatory identity rules, flexible design choices and acceptance criteria. Resolve conflicts between the service brief and brand guide.
- Separate logo exploration from banner adaptation and give each direction a stable ID.
Checkpoint: A designer can judge every concept against the same criteria.
Generate distinct directions
- Use available image or design tools with the approved references. Keep exact text in an editable layer when generated typography is unreliable.
- Produce a limited set of meaningfully different compositions and preserve their prompts or construction notes.
Checkpoint: Each candidate explores a stated direction rather than an unexplained variation.
Inspect identity and legibility
- Compare logo shapes, colors, spacing and text against the approved rules. View at actual placement size and a small thumbnail.
- Reject copied-looking marks, distorted logos and unreadable text; flag originality concerns for appropriate review without claiming legal clearance.
Checkpoint: Only coherent, readable concepts move to refinement.
Refine the selected concept
- Apply reviewer feedback to a chosen direction while preserving its identity. Adapt composition to required aspect ratios instead of stretching one image.
- Check safe areas, crop behavior, contrast and text spelling on every export. Retain editable originals where supported.
Checkpoint: A consistent set of placement variants is ready for designer approval.
Package and document status
- Export clearly named assets with dimensions, format, direction and revision. Include a contact sheet and notes about unresolved production limitations.
- State whether each file is a concept, approved design or production-ready export. Do not claim vector conversion or font licensing checks that were not performed.
Checkpoint: The handoff distinguishes usable deliverables from exploratory references.
Decisions along the way
The request asks to modify the approved logo
Treat that as a separate identity decision and confirm the intended scope before replacing it.
Generated text is inaccurate
Rebuild text in an available design layer or provide an annotated concept for a designer.
A direction works only at large size
Revise its hierarchy or exclude it from small placements rather than approving it universally.
What you will produce
concept-manifest.csv
CSVA reliable index of logo concepts and banner adaptations.
Include: direction_id · purpose · revision · dimensions · format · review_status · limitations
design-review.md
Markdown plus contact sheet if supportedDecision record for the designer or brand owner.
Include: brief · criteria · selected_direction · changes · export_checks · open_items
Check the result
- Compare final colors, logo geometry and clear space against the approved assets.
- Check every text string for spelling and factual accuracy.
- Inspect each required aspect ratio at real use size for clipping and contrast.
- Reopen exported files and verify dimensions and actual format, not just the extension.
When something goes wrong
No current brand guide is available
Produce explicitly exploratory concepts and ask for identity constraints before final adaptation.
The generator distorts a logo
Use the original logo as a separate approved asset instead of repeatedly accepting approximations.
Required export format is unsupported
Deliver the supported source and a precise conversion handoff; do not rename a raster file as vector.
A worked example
SYNTHETIC EXAMPLE · NOT A REPORTED BUSINESS RESULT
Request
Create banner concepts for a service using an approved identity.
Inputs
Synthetic guide requires an unchanged rectangular mark, a green/white palette and the exact headline Fast project reviews. Candidate C1 uses the correct mark; C2 redraws it and misspells the headline.
Expected result
Advance C1 for layout review and reject C2. Record the reason, retain the approved mark and verify the final banner dimensions before calling any export ready.
Run a small pilot
Start small
Explore a few directions for one service and two representative placements.
Record the baseline
Record current designer revision effort and recurring brand inconsistencies.
Agree success criteria
Compare accepted directions and correction effort against the agreed criteria.
Stop or revise
Stop final export if essential identity assets, text accuracy or placement requirements remain unresolved.
Keep the scope clear
- Do not treat generated concepts as legal clearance for a trademark or as automatically licensed production assets.
- Publication or replacing company identity assets requires the relevant user authorization.
Check before using
Check legibility, originality, brand fit and final dimensions.
Business activities
- Create and publish content
FROM A RECIPE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
Bring the company context together.
This workflow needs reliable inputs before it needs a better prompt. Moat8 Vault brings working information into a readable archive for the AI tools you use.
For this recipe: Service brief · Approved visual guidelines
Start with one recurring task, agree which sources to use, and review the first result with your team.
Discuss this workflow