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Logo, corporate design, brand: what is the difference?

Three terms that are often confused. Why a logo alone does not make a brand – and what a corporate design needs to achieve.

12 August 2026 · 2 min read

At a glance

  1. 01

    Your brand is the image people have of your company in their minds.

  2. 02

    Corporate design is the visible system behind it – logo, colours, typefaces, imagery, templates.

  3. 03

    The logo is part of it, but on its own it is not a complete identity.

01The brand

A brand is formed at every point of contact – not just by the logo.

A brand is the image people have of your company: what you stand for, what they can expect from you, how you feel to deal with. It takes shape on your website, in your quotes, on the phone, on your company van.

You cannot design a brand directly – but you can steer it: with clear positioning and a visual identity that makes it visible. Incidentally, in legal terms a “trade mark” is a protected sign registered with the Austrian Patent Office or the EUIPO – a topic of its own.

02The corporate design

  1. 01

    Logo

    The mark with its variants for large and small, light and dark.

  2. 02

    Colours

    A fixed palette and how it is weighted.

  3. 03

    Typefaces

    Typography for headings and body text.

  4. 04

    Imagery

    Photo style, shapes, icons.

  5. 05

    Templates

    Stationery, presentations, social media, website.

03The logo

A new logo without a system remains a one-off.

The logo is the best-known element – but only one of them. A good logo works large and tiny, in colour and in black and white, on paper and on screen.

If colours, typefaces and imagery do not match it, your presence stays inconsistent. And that is exactly what weakens recognition.

04What you need, and when

  1. 01

    Founding

    Positioning, a logo and a lean corporate design with the key templates.

  2. 02

    Growth

    Fixed rules and templates so that everyone works consistently.

  3. 03

    Repositioning

    A look at the brand itself – often a careful refresh is enough rather than starting from scratch.

Questions about this?

Your look no longer fits your company? Let’s talk about whether a new logo is enough or whether the whole brand should evolve.

Let’s talk+43 660 712 90 69servus@boromedia.at

Frequently asked questions.

Is a logo enough to start with?

For your very first appearance, perhaps. But as soon as a website, printed materials and social media come into play, you need rules for colours, typefaces and imagery – otherwise every channel looks different.

What is the difference between corporate identity and corporate design?

Corporate identity covers a company’s entire identity – values, behaviour, communication. Corporate design is its visible part.

What do we receive at the end of a branding project?

Usually all logo files for web and print, the defined colours and typefaces, design guidelines and templates for the most important applications. The exact scope depends on your needs.

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