# Co-branding: designing for two brands at once

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/co-branding-design)

Two logos, two palettes, two sets of rules and one post. Here is how to design a partnership so both brands look like themselves and the collaboration looks like a real thing.

## 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.

**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

| Kind | Example | Whose look usually leads |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Collaboration drop | A café and a ceramicist release a mug together | A look made for the collaboration |
| Sponsorship | A local brewery sponsors a running club's race | The event or club; sponsor appears as a lockup |
| Ingredient or partner | A bakery uses a named mill's flour | The seller; partner credited lightly |
| Joint event | Two studios host a shared workshop | The host venue, or a shared neutral look |
| Cause partnership | A shop donates a share of a sale to a charity | The campaign; the charity's rules on its logo apply |

The kind of partnership tells you how equal the two brands should look. Not every co-brand is fifty fifty.

> **Equal is a decision, not a default** Before designing, ask both sides one question: is this a partnership of equals, or a host with a guest? The answer sets logo size, order, separator and whose colours lead. Leaving it unspoken is the most common reason co-branded work goes through endless rounds of tiny changes.

## 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](https://gradiently.design/guide/logo-variations) covers the versions most brands supply.

```text
  [ 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 grounds
```

A lockup spec you can paste into a partnership brief and agree before designing.

Once 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](https://gradiently.design/guide/visual-brand-language) 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.

- Café: espresso: #1a1714
- Café: crema: #c8a27a
- Shared: bone: #efe8dc
- Ceramicist: glaze blue: #2f5d73
- Ceramicist: celadon: #8fb3c2

A shared palette for a café and ceramicist collaboration: each brand keeps its signature colours, joined by a neutral both can live with.

A portrait Instagram post announcing a collaboration between a café and a ceramics studio, with both names joined by a multiplication sign

A collaboration announcement on a look made for the partnership, with both names given equal weight.

The same collaboration announcement as a vertical story, keeping both names and the shared background

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/event-branding) uses the same idea for single occasions, and [brand texture](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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.

## FAQ

### 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.