Managing multiple client brands as an agency: stay organised
For one client you work with blue, for another with green. One client addresses people formally, the other casually. The more clients your agency has, the bigger the risk that someone grabs the wrong file. A fixed structure keeps each client brand clear.
MerkBrouwers team4 min read
Where it goes wrong with multiple brands
With a few clients, things still go fine. Everyone knows where the files are. But the agency grows, freelancers join and clients update their visual identity. Suddenly there are three versions of one logo in different project folders.
The mistakes that follow are painful. An old colour in a campaign. The wrong logo in a quote. Or worse: one client’s file in a presentation for another.
Often nobody notices in time. The client only sees it once the piece is already printed or online. That costs time, money and sometimes trust.
One structure for every client
Give every client brand the same layout: logos, colours, fonts, imagery, templates and tone of voice, always in the same order. Anyone who knows their way around one client will find things at the next one too. A fixed layout also helps when onboarding new staff and freelancers.
Record the practical agreements for each brand as well. Who is the contact at the client? Who approves designs? Which printer or web developer is involved? Information like this often lives only in someone’s inbox.
Use a fixed naming convention for files that includes the client’s name. Then you can see at once which brand a file belongs to, even if it ends up outside the folder.
Set up access per client
Not everyone needs to see everything. That protects your clients, and it makes searching easier. Set up access per group:
Staff. Give access to the brands someone works on, not to all clients.
Freelancers. Give them access for the length of the job, then switch it off again.
The client. Let the client view and approve, without seeing other client brands.
External partners. A printer or photographer only gets the files needed for that job.
Keep every client brand up to date
A client updates their visual identity and emails the new logo. If that file only lands in the account manager’s inbox, the rest of the team keeps working with the old one. So agree that new brand files always go to the fixed place first.
Take old versions out of sight as soon as there is a new one. Feel free to keep them in an archive, but not next to the current files. That way nobody can grab the wrong one by mistake.
Schedule a short check for each client now and then: is everything still right, is anything missing? It is also a good moment to talk with the client about what is changing in their brand. That makes your agency not just the one doing the work, but also the guardian of the brand.
One environment for all brands
Separate folders per client work up to a point. After that, it helps to have one environment where you manage all brands side by side, each with its own files, guidelines and access. Then nobody has to remember where each client lives.
In MarkBase you set up multiple brands side by side and set permissions per person, organisation, brand and section. You manage agency and client teams separately, so everyone only sees the brands they have permission for.
In short
Give every client brand the same fixed layout.
Record practical agreements too: contact, approver and suppliers.
Set up access per client, and temporary access for freelancers.
New files go to the fixed place first; old versions go out of sight.
Schedule a short check for each client now and then.
See which plan suits an agency with multiple client brands. You can try every plan for free first.
