When an interim brand identity becomes permanent

An interim brand identity becomes permanent, and not because the client intends it. It happens because at the start, no one wrote down how long "interim" lasts, where it is used, and when the full version begins.

A familiar story

The client calls with a request that sounds perfectly reasonable: "We're testing the market. We need a logo to launch with first. Once we see signals, we'll do it properly."

Sinh Vũ understands that reasoning. Resources are limited. The direction is not yet certain. You want to confirm demand before a major investment. It is a responsible way to think about cash flow.

The problem is not the decision to go temporary. The problem is that no one defines what “temporary” means.

There is no deadline. No review milestone. No clause says when "interim" ends. So the interim identity goes into operation, and then it stays.

Why an interim set must not be replaced

When the market responds well, the business is busy expanding. No one has time to stop and work on the brand identity.

When the market responds poorly, the business has to cut costs. Brand identity becomes the first item to be postponed.

In both cases, the interim set keeps representing the brand.

There is one more reason, talked about less often. When an identity has been in use long enough, it starts to create inertia.

Domain names, social media pages, business cards, printed packaging, and introductory materials. The more items that use the interim set, the higher the cost of replacing it and the harder the decision to replace it.

Which clauses you need from the start

Before starting any identity project labeled "interim" or "phase 1", Sinh Vũ recommends clarifying three things and writing them into the contract.

First: the permitted scope of use.

Where the interim set is used, on which items, and in which channels.

For example: social media pages and business cards for now, but not printed on mass-produced packaging and not used in contract signing documents.

Limiting the scope is not about controlling the client. It is so that when the time comes to replace it, the cost of replacement is not multiplied because the interim set has spread across too many touchpoints.

Second: a time limit or trigger milestone.

There are two ways to set the conditions. Option one: a specific deadline, for example six months after launch.

Option two: a business milestone, for example when monthly revenue reaches X, or when you expand into channel Y.

Both approaches are better than having nothing. A business milestone is usually closer to reality because it is tied to the company's actual capacity to invest, not a fixed date on paper.

Third: ownership of the source files.

Under what conditions the interim set's source files are handed over. This point is often overlooked, yet it directly affects both sides' ability to continue.

• If we hand over all source files right away: the client can edit on their own, and the interim set drifts further and further from its original intent.
• If we keep the source files until the full set is done: the client depends on Sinh Vũ for every small edit, which is inconvenient.
• The most sensible approach: hand over export files that are ready to use, and keep the editable source files until the full set is complete.

A brand is not a logo. A brand is how customers perceive a business.

Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap

When an interim set drags on, that perception forms around something unfinished. And once formed, it is very hard to erase and start over.

Sinh Vũ needs protection too

Scope terms don't only protect the client. They protect Sinh Vũ as well.

When an interim set is used without terms, the most common risk is that it becomes the official set. Then, when the client runs into identity problems (for example, a competitor looks similar, customers confuse the brand, or it is hard to expand into a new market), the question comes back to the designer.

Sinh Vũ does not want to stand behind a brand identity whose scope and timeline were not clearly defined from the start.

That figure shows that having documentation is not enough. You need an enforcement mechanism. A contract clause is one of the few enforcement mechanisms that carries real weight.

When a client says “just make something temporary, keep it simple”

Sinh Vũ does not object to that request. But Sinh Vũ will ask three questions before agreeing:

• “Where do you plan to use this set, and on which items?”
• “What milestone tells both sides it's time to build the full set?”
• “If we haven't reached that milestone after six months, how do we handle it?”

These three questions are not a formality. They are how both sides agree on expectations before starting, rather than arguing after the interim set has stayed far too long.

Narrow the scope, don't make it makeshift

There is another approach Sinh Vũ often suggests when the budget is limited: don't build a stopgap, build a narrower scope.

Instead of creating a full identity and then scaling it down to an interim one, build a smaller set that is complete within that scope.

For example: only the logo and color palette, without a full typeface system and patterns. But that logo and those colors are done properly, with rationale and minimal usage guidelines.

A narrowed set can be expanded later. A makeshift set usually cannot, because it has no foundation to build on.

Consistency and repetition are the conditions for building up identity value. A small set used correctly is better than a large set used incorrectly.

Jenni Romaniuk & Byron Sharp, How Brands Grow Part 2

When you ask about an interim identity, the real question to answer is: do you want to save on the initial investment, or avoid the risk of redoing everything later?

Those two goals call for two different ways of working, and they should be stated plainly before signing.