Best practices for setting up a brand asset management system

As a brand grows, its assets grow with it: logos, color palettes, fonts, social media creatives, documents, and more. Without a proper system, these files quickly become scattered across folders, chats, emails, and personal devices.

A brand asset management system (BAM) helps you centralize, organize, and control your brand resources so your team and collaborators always work with the right materials.

Below are the best practices to follow when setting one up.

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1. Start with a Clear Asset Structure

Before uploading anything, define how your assets should be organized.

Think in simple, logical categories such as:

• Logos

• Colors

• Typography

• Brand guidelines

• Marketing assets

• Social media assets

Avoid overcomplicating this. A clear structure helps anyone understand where things belong without instructions.

Best practice: Design the structure first, then upload files.

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2. Use Consistent Naming Conventions

File names matter more than most teams realize.

Instead of:

• logo_final_v3.png

• new_logo_latest.svg

Use:

• brand-logo-primary.svg

• brand-logo-dark.png

Consistent naming makes searching faster and avoids confusion.

Best practice: Decide on one naming format and stick to it across all assets.

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3. Keep One Source of Truth

A brand asset system should be the only place people go to access brand files.

If assets are still shared via emails or chat apps, the system loses its value.

Best practice: Once the system is set up, stop sharing files elsewhere and guide everyone to the same place.

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4. Control Visibility and Access

Not all assets need to be public or accessible to everyone.

Some brands want their assets to be searchable and easy to access. Others prefer keeping everything private and controlled.

Best practice: Use a system that allows you to decide:

• What’s public

• What’s private

• Who can view or download assets?

Flexibility is key as your brand evolves.

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5. Make It Easy to Find Assets

A good brand asset system should reduce friction, not add more steps.

People shouldn’t need links every time they want access. Searching by brand name or asset type should be enough.

Best practice: Prioritize systems with fast search and intuitive navigation.

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6. Keep Assets Updated Regularly

Outdated assets are one of the biggest brand risks.

Old logos, incorrect colors, or unused fonts can silently damage brand consistency.

Best practice: Review and clean your assets periodically. Remove what’s no longer needed and update what’s changed.

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7. Design for Collaboration

Your brand assets aren’t only used by your internal team.

Designers, developers, marketers, printers, and partners all rely on them.

Best practice: Choose a system that works smoothly for both internal teams and external collaborators, without friction.

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8. Plan for Growth from Day One

Even if your brand is small today, it won’t stay that way.

A system that works for 5 assets may not work for 500.

Best practice: Set up your brand asset management system as if your brand will scale—because it will.

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Final Thoughts

A brand asset management system isn’t just about storage.
It’s about clarity, consistency, and control.

When done right, it saves time, reduces mistakes, and helps your brand move faster with confidence.

Tools like Awolan are built to make this process simple, allowing brands to store, manage, and access assets from one place, with full control over visibility and access.