Logo & Image Design

What it is: the mark and the image library - every logo variant, photograph, icon and graphic the business is allowed to use, with the rights attached to it.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful asset set for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a folder of files. The asset register - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - is produced on request, from one field list so the four cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 2: Brand & Design. Fits: Starter stage. Table code: n/a.

The rule this table exists to enforce: a logo is not a picture, and a picture is not free to use. Asset Type separates the mark from the imagery, and Licence, Rights Owner and Trademark Status exist because the expensive failure in branding is not an ugly logo - it is a mark that was already registered, or a stock photo whose licence expired, discovered two years later. Every asset carries its rights on the same row as the file.

When to Use This Skill

• logo, brand mark, wordmark, monogram, symbol, favicon
• lockups, horizontal and stacked versions, one-colour version
• photography library, product photos, team photos, office shots
• icons, illustrations, graphics, patterns
• "we need brand guidelines"
• "can we use this image we found"
• "is this logo already taken"

Do not use it for: the colour and type system underneath the mark (design-theme-guide), the printed items the mark goes on (brand-kit-print-collateral), or stock-footage sourcing for ads.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "design" / "make" / "we need" -> artifacts wanted; go to Step 2.
• "we already have one" -> something exists; capture what is in use, then Step 2.
• "review" / "check" / "audit" / "is this ok" -> a check, not a build.
• "can we use this" -> a rights question; answer it from what they show, no build.
• "fix" / "refresh" -> capture the current mark and its problem, then Step 2.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: What is the business called, and what does one line of it actually do?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Treat ambiguous replies as unanswered and ask which explicit option the user means. Record unknown values as Unknown; Unknown is not zero. A record must not be Done when a required check fails.

Skip anything already answered. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the asset set.

• Identity - Exact spelling of the name, and any tagline? / What the business does, in one line? / Any name change coming, or a trading name separate from the registered one?
• Current state - Is there a logo today, and who made it? / Where is it used - sign, vehicle, invoices, app, uniform? / Does the file still exist in an editable format?
• Rights - Does the business already own any marks or registered names? / Any prior designer whose rights were not transferred in writing? / Who signs off the final mark?
• Imagery - Do the products or the premises need photographing? / Who is in the photos? Any consent needed? / Is there a real premises to shoot, or is stock acceptable?
• Delivery - Which formats and where are they needed - web, print, embroidery, social? / Does anything need to work at very small size?

Never invent an answer. Names, designer credits, licence terms, trademark numbers and consent statuses the user has not supplied are Unknown.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

module: logo-image-design
intent: null            # design | refresh | review | import | fix
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Identity": null
  "Current State": null
  "Rights": null
  "Imagery": null
  "Delivery": null
requested_outputs: []
confirmed_facts: []
open_questions: []

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

Build an already requested artifact without asking again. For advice-only requests, give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: A trademark search first, then one primary mark with three

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