Design handoffs
How to hand over brand identity files to a client
Package logo exports, source artwork, templates and guidelines so clients know what to use. A practical final handoff guide for designers and studios.
The identity is approved, but the client still needs to use it. They may need a logo for a website today, a social avatar tomorrow and artwork for a printer next month. A good handoff helps them choose the right file without reopening the design conversation every time.
Build the delivery around those uses. A small, clearly explained package is easier to navigate than your entire working folder. This guide walks through the final exports, the note that travels with them and the checks to make before sharing. The example is fictional; adapt it to the deliverables you agreed with your client.
Start with the agreed deliverables
Check the scope before exporting. List the logo variations, colour versions, templates and guidelines the client should receive. Confirm whether editable artwork is included. Source files can be useful for future work, but they need an explanation of the software, linked assets and fonts required to open them properly.
Separate that agreed package from your archive. Rejected concepts, exploratory layouts and internal comments do not help the client use the finished identity. Keep your own working files and backups separately. If another designer will receive the source artwork, check that the dependencies you intend to include are present and clearly identified.
Package by use, then by format
A useful logo package explains which files belong on screen and which belong in print. Name the variants so the client can distinguish the main lockup, compact mark and reversed version before opening them. Put a short readme inside a ZIP if there are many variations; keep the folder structure shallow enough to browse quickly.
- Logo exports: the agreed vector and raster formats, grouped by use.
- Source artwork: the editable file and any agreed supporting assets.
- Templates: the finished starting points for everyday client work.
- Guidelines: a PDF explaining colours, typography and logo use.
For a fictional Northline Studio handoff, these become northline-logo-exports.zip, northline-brand-artwork.ai, northline-social-template.png and northline-brand-guidelines.pdf. The filenames share one project name and describe the contents. That remains useful when the client saves the files into a folder of their own.
Here is a folder structure you can reuse inside the logo ZIP. Keep editable artwork and guidelines beside it in the delivery. Include only formats and variations agreed for the project.
northline-logo-exports/
01-screen/
northline-primary-rgb.svg
northline-primary-transparent.png
northline-mark-rgb.svg
02-print/
northline-primary-cmyk.pdf
northline-primary-black.pdf
03-reversed/
northline-primary-white.svg
northline-primary-white.png
README.txt| Format | Typical use | Handoff note |
|---|---|---|
| SVG | Scalable web artwork | Use where the website or app accepts SVG. |
| PNG | Screen use with transparency | Supply the required pixel sizes; enlarging a small PNG can blur it. |
| Print artwork | Confirm the printer’s colour and export requirements before delivery. | |
| AI or other source | Future editing | State the software and dependencies needed; include source only if agreed. |
Explain which file to open first
The delivery note should help someone who was not in your presentation. Tell them to start with the guidelines, explain what the logo ZIP contains and identify which template is ready to use. Put detailed instructions in the PDF or readme so they remain available after the files are downloaded.
A note might read: “Start with the brand guidelines. The logo ZIP contains the approved screen and print exports; the PNG is the social template. The AI file is editable artwork and needs compatible design software. Save a copy of this package before the link expires.” Add specific font or asset usage notes where they apply to this project.
Copy and adapt this delivery note:
[Client / project] — approved brand files
Start with: [brand-guidelines.pdf].
For your website: [screen logo filenames].
For print: [print artwork filenames and printer notes].
For future editing: [source file and required software, if included].
Usage notes: [font or asset licences and any exclusions].
Download and save your copies before [expiry date and time zone].
Questions or a missing format? Contact [name / email].Collect files without moving the whole project
In SentIt, the delivery can combine uploaded artwork with a logo ZIP from Dropbox and a guidelines PDF from Google Drive. Connected files stay in their existing storage and do not use your SentIt storage allowance. Provider access and SentIt’s daily transfer allowance still apply, so keeping a file in cloud storage does not make delivery unlimited.
Computer uploads can be up to 1 GB each on Free or 5 GB on Premium. Order the attachments so the guidelines and main exports are easy to find. A file list is enough for a small package; use your prepared ZIP when the client needs a collection of related variations together.
Check previews and presentation
Open the recipient link before sending it. Supported images can open in the original-image viewer with Fit and Actual size controls when JavaScript is enabled. A thumbnail may help identify other files, but it does not mean editable artwork or a PDF opens in that viewer. Download source files and guidelines to check them in suitable software.
Premium lets you add your studio logo and accent colour, hide SentIt branding and choose automatic, light or dark delivery pages. Check the logo against the chosen presentation. The page should make the client’s next action obvious: read the note, find the right export and save the originals. Your branding supports that handoff without replacing clear filenames or instructions.
Share under your studio’s domain
Premium also supports one verified custom subdomain, such as files.yourstudio.com. Connect it in Settings and complete the DNS checks before sharing links under your own domain. The original SentIt address remains usable. A familiar address supports your studio’s presentation; it does not change who can access an active delivery link.
Leave room for the last correction
If a missing export appears after sharing, add it to the same delivery. Remove superseded attachments and save a message explaining the change. File additions and removals affect the live package immediately; title and message edits apply when saved. Changing an attached cloud source may require refreshing or reattaching it. There is no automatic version history, so keep the versions you need in your own archive.
Tell the client which downloaded copies to replace. Keeping one link cannot update files already on their computer. Free links last up to 7 days from first publication; revisions do not restart that window. Premium offers a future expiry date or no scheduled expiry while your Premium subscription continues. Anyone with the active link can access the files, and recipients need no account.
See the fictional package on our file delivery page for designers and studios, then use the general handoff checklist for your final review. Check current plans and delivery limits before choosing how to send your next identity.