Have Design Questions?
Here are our top FAQ's

What is a Branding Guide?

A branding guide (also called a brand style guide or brand guidelines) is a document that defines how a company, organization, or personal brand should present itself visually and verbally.

Its purpose is to ensure that everyone—from designers and marketers to employees and agencies—uses the brand consistently.

 

Branding Guides include:

Logo Usage

  • Approved logo versions
  • Minimum size requirements
  • Clear space around the logo
  • Incorrect logo uses

Color Palette

  • Primary brand colors
  • Secondary/accent colors
  • HEX, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone codes

Typography/Fonts

  • Primary and secondary fonts
  • Font sizes and hierarchy
  • Usage rules

What is a high resolution logo?

A high-resolution copy of a logo is a version of the logo that stays sharp and clear when it's printed or displayed at large sizes.  It is needed for marketing, printing, signs, apparel, or professional design work.

The best formats are:

  • Vector files (best choice):
    • SVG
    • AI (Adobe Illustrator)
    • EPS
    • PDF (if it contains vector artwork)
    • These can be scaled from the size of a business card to a billboard without losing quality.
  • High-resolution raster files (if vector isn't available):
    • PNG (often with a transparent background)
    • TIFF
    • JPEG (less ideal because it doesn't support transparency)
    • A good high-resolution raster logo is typically at least 300 DPI for print and several thousand pixels wide (for example, 3000–5000 pixels).

Why it matters

A low-resolution logo (such as a 200 × 200 pixel image copied from a website) will become blurry or pixelated when enlarged. A high-resolution or vector logo remains crisp and professional.

 

If you only have a small, blurry logo, it may need to be redrawn as a vector rather than simply enlarged. Depending on the logo, that can take as few as 15 minutes and as much as hours depending on the complexity and detail of a logo.

 

What color codes can I use for custom printing?

The primary colors used for custom product printing are Pantone or PMS Color codes. 

 

Click here to select Pantone (PMS) colors

 

Alternative colors codes for some products are CMYK codes. Either a close match to the CYMK will be used or the actual CMYK code, it depends on the product being printed and the machine required for printing. 

 

HEX and RGB Codes are for digital use and not compatible for product printing and will have to be converted to a Pantone (aka PMS) color code and will appear different then what appears on your screen.

 

Color System

HEX

Websites, apps

Six-digit code like #FF5733

Digital design

RGB

Screens

Mixes Red, Green, and Blue light

Anything viewed on a screen

CMYK

Printing

Mixes Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink

Most commercial printing

PMS (Pantone)

Professional printing

Uses a pre-mixed ink with a specific formula

Exact brand color matching

Can't I just tell you what color I want?

You can absolutely tell us what color you want, but we will want to get clarity on exactly what the color you want looks like.

 

For example: If you want your product to be navy, there are actually dozens of navy colors we can print. Navy can appear very dark to the point it almost looks black and it can appear very light that its closer to a royal blue.

 

To avoid creating artwork or printing a color that doesn't look the way you want, we recommend you select a color from this link.

 

Because California Canopy specializes in "CUSTOM" printing rather than stock color products, we need to make sure we know what color(s) best match your brand.

 

The most common colors that are misinterpreted are blues, reds, and greens.

 

What if I don't know the font type we use?

If you don't know your logo or companies font type, we can either use a font type that is a close match to what's in your logo or your can choose a font from this link and we can use it. 

 

Click here to choose a font*

 

*Most fonts are free, but some do come at a charge which can be added to your quote. You will be able to see when selecting the font if its Free or includes a fee.

How do I tell you the layout if I have several products?

Great question! 

We understand that different products need different details to describe your vision.

 

A few things that may be helpful to always consider:

1. What logo or logo(s) do you want to use for each product/design? Provide us a copy and specify which logo for which product.

 

2. What color do you want each product to be? If you are ordering canopies and want one to be green and one to be blue, share those details. If you want a product to be multiple colors, share an example image or let us know where you want each color. Example: On a canopy, the peaks (top triangle areas, can be blue), and the valances (the lip that hangs over on all four sides, can be green).

 

3. How can I add more creativity, patterns or textures to my product design? An example photo is always helpful. Even if its done on canva or Ai, its a starting point. We can't replicate all ideas, but we can do our best to get as close as possible while avoiding copyright laws.

Otherwise, tell us your idea and we will do our best to create your vision.

 

Have additional questions? 
We'd love to hear from you.
(800)944-5187 or info@californiacanopy.com