Branding for a Trade Business

Start with the name

Pick something that says what you do and where, or use your own name. It needs to be easy to say on the phone and spell afterwards. Check that nobody local is already trading under something close, and look at the Intellectual Property Office trade mark search so you do not copy a registered name.

If you trade under a name other than your own, you must show your own name and a UK address on invoices, letters and your website. Some words are restricted, so check GOV.UK before you order a van full of signs.

Keep the logo simple

A good trade logo is readable on a van door from across a road and on a business card the size of a thumb. Simple shapes, one or two colours, no fine detail. If it needs a paragraph to explain, it is too busy.

Ask for the final files in more than one format: a vector file for printing and signwriting, and a normal image file for the web. Without the vector file, every printer or signwriter will ask you to pay for it again.

Use it everywhere, the same way

• VanName, trade, phone number and area. People read a van at 30 miles an hour, so leave out the rest.
• Quotes and invoicesLogo at the top, your details clear, and your payment terms where nobody can miss them.
• WorkwearA logo on the chest and a number on the back. It works as advertising on site and in the street.
• Cards and flyersSame colours, same logo, same phone number. Match what is on your Google listing and website.

Own what you pay for

In the UK, the person who creates a logo normally owns the copyright in it unless they are an employee. Paying for the work does not automatically hand you ownership. Get a short written agreement that assigns the copyright to you, or says exactly what you are allowed to do with the logo, before the work starts. It is a few lines and it avoids a dispute later.

The same applies to website photos and text written by someone else.

What it costs you for tax

Logo design, signwriting, printed cards and branded workwear are usually allowable business costs. Our tax deduction checklist covers workwear and what HMRC accepts.