What is a brand kit? And why do you need one for your lab?

Brands aren't just for businesses. Every scientist running a lab has a brand, but whether you manage it is up to you!

Having a brand is essential for any scientist looking to:

Build an audience and community around their work
Stand out from others in their field
Attract top-tier students and collaborators
Get recognized for new opportunities
Build trust with funders and reviewers

A brand helps you build a strong reputation and control the way people think about your lab and research. Branding is a part of being a PI, whether we like it or not, so let’s harness your brand and use it to advance your career and research goals.

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”

— Seth Godin

The key to good branding is consistency. Whether you’re part of a large or small lab group, at a large or small university, brand kits are essential tools that help you maintain consistency across platforms, audiences, even languages.

That’s where this guide comes in. In this article, we’ll unpack what a brand kit is, why it’s important for your lab, and how you can build your own brand kit using available resources. While there are lots of elements you can include in a brand kit, here we will focus on the essentials.

Let’s get started.

so, What is a brand kit?

Great question! Your brand kit offers a quick reference for your brand. Wrapped in a neat little package, this kit contains the essential visual elements of your brand, including your logo, fonts, color palette, and any visual assets that are connected to your brand, like icons or images.

Here are two examples of brand kits we have developed for clients. You should share your brand kit with every member of your lab, for use in developing presentations, social media content, and figures for publication. Notice how much a simple kit conveys about the voice and tone of your lab’s brand!

Your brand kit can also be made publicly available on your website, or distributed to the media and press departments at your university. Brand kits are typically shared as downloadable PDFs.

What is the purpose of a brand kit?

Another great question! There are plenty of strategic reasons to build a brand kit. Broadly, you want to make sure that the people talking about your lab are representing you correctly. You want to ensure they are using the right logos, fonts, and colors, to help you maintain a strong brand identity.

When a student presents on research happening in your lab, and they use the wrong logo, it doesn’t reflect well on your lab. Imagine instead that your entire lab group is synchronized in fonts, colors, and visual voice - impressive, right?

A brand kit makes it easy for your students, colleagues, and collaborators to help you maintain a strong and recognizable brand. And they are easy to create!

How can you build your own brand kit?

There are a few core elements that are essential to your brand kit. They lie at the heart of what your brand has to offer, and they are the tools you need to best convey your brand message. These include

#1. Logo

Your logo provides a chance to tell your story in a single, small design. In many cases, your logo is the first impression that people will have of your brand. It’s also a visual reminder of what your lab stands for. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your logo conveys the right message and is consistent across platforms.

To get started with a logo, check out this FREE logo maker from Looka. It’s a great way to explore iconography and messaging. When you’re ready for a personalized logo that really captures your values and vibe, reach out to Impact Media Lab for a custom design (we include a complete brand kit with every logo purchase)!

#2. Color palette

Your color palette sets the vibe for your brand. Yellows convey cheerfulness, intelligence, and energy, whereas green conveys harmony, safety, and healing. Blue is calm and reliable, while Purple is noble and wise. Think about the personality traits that drive your brand. Pick 3, and design a color palette that sends the right message. Your brand kit will include the specific shades of each color in your palette.

To get started building your lab’s custom color palette, check out this FREE color palette builder from Coolors. It’s a great way to explore the colors that truly express the values and personality of your lab!

#3. Typography

Your fonts are just as important for your brand as your logo is. In fact, your typography should be thought of as a visual asset in itself—whether you choose a ready-made font like Helvetica or design your own. Much like color, typography conveys personality and values. Here are the fonts we use at Impact Media Lab to emphasize our brand’s personality - bold, smart, and playful.

large, bold Headlines

easy-to-read font for subheadings

A script font for playfulness

A nice, clean paragraph text

Together, our combination of fonts builds a visual voice that is unique to us, and when we use them consistently, it helps us build a strong and recognizable brand.

To get started building your lab’s typography, look up the brand kit for your university. Universities often have branded fonts that are clean, easy-to-read, and academic. To differentiate your voice from that of your university, look for derivative fonts to mix up the set. Or switch which fonts are used as headlines, and which are used as body text. You’d be surprised how a little tweak can totally change the vibe.

Need help? Reach out to one of our designers to discuss your typography!

Bringing your brand kit to life!

Creating a brand kit for your lab doesn’t have to be overwhelming! In fact, it should be an exciting process that helps you solidify your lab’s values, personality, and visual identity. The journey of building a strong and recognizable brand begins with a simple and strategic brand kit.

Get started today!

About the author

Impact Media Lab is a small-but-mighty creative team that helps scientists develop strategies for impact. We believe science can lead to seismic shifts in how we understand the world, but it takes great media (and rigorous strategy) to make it happen.