Co-Branding Logo Guidelines: How to Use Your Logo With Partners, Sponsors and Suppliers

Overview

A logo placed beside another logo is not automatically a co-branding system. The surrounding hierarchy, spacing, colour treatment, background and context all affect how the relationship is understood. A sponsor may need visibility without appearing to endorse every part of an organisation’s work. A supplier may need identification on packaging while remaining visually secondary. Two equal partners may require a balanced lockup in which neither mark dominates.

Before designing a co-branded asset, agree what the relationship is and what the artwork must communicate. Define whether the logos represent a joint product, a sponsorship, a supplier relationship, an event partnership or a simple acknowledgement. This decision should guide the visual hierarchy and approval route.

Co-branding rules should sit alongside your existing brand style guide, not replace it. Create a short partnership addendum that records the agreed use of both logos, then give the working team approved files and examples. This reduces guesswork and helps protect both brand identities.

What to track

1. Relationship and logo hierarchy

Record the intended relationship before deciding which logo is larger. A useful starting framework is:

These are starting points rather than universal rules. Contractual agreements, campaign objectives and the audience’s likely interpretation should determine the final treatment.

2. Size and clear space

Compare logos by visual weight, not only by width or height. A compact, dense mark can appear larger than a wide, light mark at the same measurement. Set a minimum size for each logo and specify whether the measurement refers to width, height or a distinctive element.

Protect clear space around both marks. Do not allow text, photography, borders or another logo to enter the defined exclusion area. When two logos sit in a row, the space between them may need to be greater than the space around an individual logo so they do not merge visually.

Test the arrangement at its smallest planned size, particularly for mobile headers, social graphics, email signatures and product labels. If a logo becomes unclear, use an approved responsive variation rather than simply shrinking the artwork. See the guide to responsive logo systems for a broader approach to logo variations.

3. Colour versions and backgrounds

List the approved colour version for light, dark, photographic and single-colour backgrounds. Do not recolour a partner logo to match your palette unless the partner has expressly approved that treatment. A monochrome version may be appropriate for a restricted print process, but it should come from the partner’s approved asset library.

Check contrast, edge definition and legibility in the actual placement rather than only on a white artboard. A logo that looks clear in a design file may disappear over a busy photograph or coloured packaging. The logo colour and accessibility guide offers useful considerations for colour selection and visibility.

4. Lockups and separators

Decide whether the logos should remain separate or be combined into a formal lockup. Separate logos are usually more flexible across channels. A lockup can be useful for a recurring joint initiative, but it should have a defined separator, order, spacing and minimum size.

A vertical rule, plus sign or connecting phrase can imply a specific relationship. Use one only when the meaning has been agreed. Avoid placing two marks in a way that makes them look like an unauthorised redesign of either logo.

5. Context and placement

Track where the artwork will appear and what the audience needs to know. A website header, event backdrop, product box, invoice, press graphic and social post have different space constraints and reading distances. Note the final size, background, cropping risk, neighbouring text and whether the asset will be viewed on screen or in print.

For digital placements, review responsive behaviour, image compression and small-screen legibility. For print, confirm the colour mode, bleed requirements and whether the supplied files will be reproduced at the intended size. The logo file formats guide can help teams request suitable artwork for each output.

6. Ownership and approval responsibilities

Assign one owner for the working file and one approver for each brand. Record who can approve routine applications, who must review a new lockup and who signs off final production. Do not assume that approval of one asset grants permission for every future use.

Keep an approval log with the asset name, version, date, channel, responsible contacts and any conditions. This is particularly helpful when a campaign runs for several months or when multiple suppliers create adaptations.

Reusable partner-asset request template

Send partners a concise request that captures the information needed before design begins:

• Partnership or campaign name and a short description of the relationship.
• Planned channels, dimensions, file types and production deadlines.
• Required logo order, hierarchy or sponsorship tier, if already agreed.
• Approved colour, reversed, monochrome and responsive logo versions.
• Minimum size, clear-space rules and prohibited uses.
• Brand guidelines or a link to the relevant brand asset library.
• Named contacts for creative approval and final sign-off.
• Any legal wording, attribution, expiry date or geographic limitation.

Ask for vector artwork where the logo may be resized for print, plus transparent raster files for common digital uses. Keep original supplied files separate from production exports so they are not accidentally overwritten.

Cadence and checkpoints

A practical co-branding review should happen at four points.

1. At briefing: confirm the relationship, audience, channels, hierarchy and approval contacts. Resolve contractual or permission questions before design work starts.
2. At first concept: review logo order, relative visual weight, clear space, background treatment and any proposed lockup. Test the most constrained placement early.
3. Before production: inspect final dimensions, file formats, colour versions, accessibility considerations, cropping, links and surrounding copy. Obtain written approval from the relevant owners.
4. After launch or delivery: check a live page, printed proof, event application or published social asset. Record problems that were not visible in the design file and add them to the next review.

For an active partnership, use a monthly check when assets are being published frequently and a quarterly check when activity is occasional. A smaller business can maintain a simple spreadsheet containing the approved asset, current version, usage channel, owner, approval date and next review date.

Maintain a single source of truth for logo files. Label folders by partner and campaign, separate approved artwork from drafts, and include a plain-language readme. A useful file naming pattern is partner-campaign-channel-version-date. Avoid circulating screenshots or files copied from websites when a proper asset is available.

How to interpret changes

Not every visual difference requires a new design system. First identify whether the issue comes from the relationship, the channel, the asset or the production process.

• The partner appears too dominant: compare visual weight, not just dimensions. Reduce the mark, increase the primary brand’s emphasis or move the sponsor information to a designated area.
• The logos appear unrelated: check alignment, baseline, clear space and surrounding language before adding a decorative container. Consistent structure is often more useful than forcing the marks into one shape.
• A logo is unreadable: use the approved small-size or reversed version, simplify the background and test the real output. Do not redraw or alter the partner mark.
• Different teams are using different files: archive outdated versions, rename the approved files clearly and update the shared asset location.
• Approvals are taking too long: separate routine applications from exceptions. Pre-approve a small library of recurring formats while sending new lockups and unusual placements through full review.
• The audience misunderstands the relationship: review the nearby wording, not only the logos. A short descriptor such as partnership, sponsored by or in collaboration with may clarify roles when appropriate.

Keep a record of recurring problems. If the same issue appears across several assets, update the partnership addendum with a visual example rather than relying on another verbal explanation.

When to revisit

Revisit the guidelines at the start of every new partnership, sponsorship period, campaign phase or packaging run. A quarterly review is a sensible baseline for active collaborations; a monthly review is more useful when several teams are publishing assets or when the partnership changes frequently. Review immediately when a logo is redesigned, a partner changes its brand guidelines, a new channel is introduced, packaging specifications change or an approval contact leaves the project.

Use this action list for the next co-branded asset:

1. Write one sentence explaining the relationship and the audience takeaway.
2. List every planned channel, size, background and production method.
3. Request approved vector and digital logo files, current guidelines and usage restrictions.
4. Agree hierarchy, clear space, colour treatment, lockup rules and approval owners.
5. Create one working layout and test it at the smallest and most demanding sizes.
6. Check legibility, contrast, cropping, file format and surrounding copy.
7. Obtain written approval and save the final artwork with its version details.
8. Inspect the live or printed result, then record any lesson for the next review.

When these checkpoints become part of the campaign workflow, partner logo usage becomes easier to manage without weakening either identity. For wider consistency, pair this process with a quarterly logo audit and update the relevant brand style guide whenever a recurring co-branding decision changes.