The short version
- Co-branding design places two brands in one piece of work while keeping each recognisable.
- A co-branded logo lockup sets both logos at equal visual weight, separated by a thin line or a multiplication sign, with shared clear space.
- Every co-branded piece needs one leading look, either the host brand's, the partner's or a neutral ground made for the collaboration.
- Agreeing logo order, colours, approvals and file sizes in writing before designing avoids most partnership delays.
- A dedicated look for a collaboration lets both audiences recognise the partnership as its own thing.
On this page
Co-branding is when two brands put their names on the same thing: a product, an event, a campaign or a single post. The design challenge is to show both clearly without one swallowing the other, and without the result looking like two ads glued together. The core tools are a well built logo lockup, a decision about whose visual language leads, and a short agreement on rules before anyone opens a design file.
Kinds of co-branding and what they need
Example
Whose look usually leads
Example
Whose look usually leads
Example
Whose look usually leads
Example
Whose look usually leads
Example
Whose look usually leads
How to build a co-branded logo lockup
A lockup is the fixed arrangement of both logos together. Built once and reused, it saves arguments on every later piece. The aim is equal visual weight, which is rarely equal measured size: a wide wordmark and a compact symbol need different heights to feel balanced.
- 1
Use each brand's approved files
Ask for SVGs and the partner's rules. Never redraw, recolour or stretch someone else's logo.
- 2
Pick a separator
A thin vertical line, a multiplication sign (×) or the word "with". The × reads as an equal collaboration; "with" or "presented by" signals a host.
- 3
Balance by eye
Scale the logos until they feel the same weight. Wordmarks usually sit smaller in height than symbols.
- 4
Set shared clear space
Use the larger of the two brands' clear space rules around the whole lockup.
- 5
Agree the order
Host or initiator first is the usual convention. Write it down so it doesn't flip between pieces.
- 6
Make light and dark versions
Both logos in one colour each, for use on dark and light grounds. Logo variations covers the versions most brands supply.
[ LOGO A ] × [ LOGO B ]
└── equal visual weight ──┘
clear space = the larger of A's and B's rule, on all sides
separator = thin line, ×, or "with" / "presented by"
order = host or initiator first
colour = each logo in one flat colour for light or dark groundsOnce agreed, export the lockup as its own file in both colour versions and share it with the partner. Every later piece then uses the same file rather than being rebuilt by whoever happens to be designing that day.
Choosing whose look leads
Two full visual languages on one canvas fight. Pick one to lead and let the other appear through the lockup and perhaps one accent colour. For genuine collaborations, consider a third option: a look made just for the partnership, which both audiences see as new.
A collaboration announcement on a look made for the partnership, with both names given equal weight.
The same piece as a story, for both brands to share from their own accounts.
A distinct surface for the collaboration is what makes it feel like an event rather than an ad. Event branding uses the same idea for single occasions, and brand texture explains how a material alone can carry a look.
Partnership posts on social media
Instagram's collaboration posts let one post appear on both brands' profiles, sharing likes and comments. That makes the post design doubly important, because it sits in two different grids. Design it to look at home next to both brands' recent posts, or clearly special on both.
Avoid
- Two full brand styles on one canvas
- One logo noticeably bigger by accident
- Recolouring the partner's logo to match
- Different lockups on every post
- Text so small it disappears in one grid
Do
- One leading look, the other in the lockup
- Logos balanced by eye, then fixed
- Each logo in its own approved colours or one flat colour
- One lockup reused on everything
- A headline that reads at grid size
Agree the sizes up front too: a 1080×1350 post, a 1080×1920 story and, for events, a 1920×1005 Facebook event cover. Announcement post design has layouts that suit partnership news.
The co-branding brief: agree before you design
- Who designs, who approves on each side, and how many rounds of changes.
- Logo order, separator and the lockup files.
- Which look leads, and which colours from each brand may appear.
- Words: the collaboration's name, hashtags and who is credited how.
- Formats, sizes and the dates each piece is due.
In Gradiently, one account can run several brands, so your own look and the collaboration's look can live side by side without mixing kits. On Pro, you can invite a partner into a team workspace as an editor or viewer, and comments on the designs keep feedback in one place instead of scattered across email. A Mark claimed for the collaboration gives it a surface neither brand has used before.
Questions people ask
What is co-branding in design?
It is designing a single piece, such as a product, post or event, that carries two brands while keeping each recognisable.
How do you put two logos together?
Build a lockup: both logos at equal visual weight, separated by a thin line, a × or the word "with", with shared clear space around the pair.
Which logo goes first in a co-branded design?
Usually the host or the brand that started the partnership. Agree it in writing so it stays the same on every piece.
Can I change a partner's logo colour to match my design?
Only if their brand rules allow it. Most allow a one colour version on light or dark grounds, but not custom recolouring.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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