HrvatskiToo heavy
Everything needs a yes
One person is the gate. Work waits. People find ways around.
Brand OS Portal
Brand approval process for a small company: keep it light.
If every post needs approval, approval becomes the new bottleneck. Approve the rules once, then approve only the exceptions.
Free: your brand in 3 real designs, in 48 hours.
A small company needs a light brand approval process. Approve the templates and rules once. After that, anything made inside them goes out without review. Only new or risky items need a check.
Name one approver, set a reply time, and write down what needs approval and what does not.
By Vedran Obradović · Updated 7 November 2026
Why approvals become the new bottleneck.
You added review to protect the brand. Now work waits for a yes.
In a small company, the founder or marketing lead often approves everything. At first this is fine. Then the team grows, and every post waits for one person who is also doing ten other things.
People start to skip approval, or wait and lose the moment. Both are bad. The fix is not more review or less review. It is review in the right place.
Too light
Nothing is checked
Wrong logos and made-up claims go live. Trust drops.
About right
Check the rules, not each item
Rules and templates are approved once. Only new or risky items get a look.
Three levels of approval.
Sort every item by risk. Most things are level 1.
| Level | What it covers | Who approves | How fast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Go | Social posts, banners, signatures and slides made from approved templates with approved facts | Nobody. The template is the approval | Instant |
| 2: Quick look | A new layout, a new photo type, a new kind of claim | The brand owner | Same day |
| 3: Full review | Press, legal text, customer logos, prices, partner co-branding | Brand owner plus the leader or legal | Up to 2 working days |
Level 3 matters most when you work with other brands. See co-branding guidelines.
Free tool
Are your rules clear enough to skip approvals?
Fuzzy rules mean more approvals. Answer a few short questions. You get your brand score and the first thing to fix. It is free.
How to set it up in an afternoon.
Five steps. No software needed to start.
Step 1
Name one approver and one backup
Holidays should not stop the work.
Step 2
Write the rules short
Logo, colours, fonts, voice and approved facts. See one-page brand guidelines.
Step 3
Make templates for the common jobs
See brand templates for teams. Anything made from them is level 1.
Step 4
Write the three levels down
Use the sheet below. Put it where the team works.
Step 5
Review the rules every quarter
If people keep asking the same question, add it to the rules.
Brand approval rule sheet
BRAND APPROVAL - [Company name] Brand owner: [name] Backup: [name] Reply time: level 2 same working day, level 3 within 2 working days LEVEL 1 - GO (no approval) You made it from an approved template, with approved facts and approved photos. LEVEL 2 - QUICK LOOK (ask [name]) - A layout that is not a template - A new type of photo or illustration - A new claim or number that is not on the facts page LEVEL 3 - FULL REVIEW (ask [name] and [leader/legal]) - Press releases and legal text - Customer or partner logos - Prices and offers - Anything with another brand next to ours HOW TO ASK Send the file, where it will be used, the date you need it, and what is new in it.
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How a Brand OS Portal shrinks the approval pile.
Fewer things need a yes when they are right by default.
A Brand OS Portal is an online portal made for your brand. Your team makes posts, banners and signatures from designs I made for the brand. The design stays on brand when people change the words and the photo. That is a level 1 item by your own rules.
Voice Check helps when you want to look at the words against the brand voice, and Image Grader grades photos against the brand. Both check the work before a person has to look at it.
So approval is about exceptions, not the daily flow. A designer is still right for strategy and a new identity. The portal handles what comes after. See also fixing the design queue and brand templates.
Is your approval process light enough?
Tick what is true today.
0 of 6 done
Stuck in a queue instead? See design bottleneck in marketing teams. Need a deeper system as you grow? Read brand governance for startups and Brand OS Portal.
Social Studio
Try one Brand OS Portal tool
On brand by design, so less to approve.
This is a real tool from a real Brand OS Portal, on the MTG brand. Change the words and the photo. The design stays on brand.
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I made short videos of the tools. Hear me explain them, then scroll through every one at work. Real tools, on a real brand.
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Straight answers.
Does a small company need a brand approval process?
Yes, but a light one. Name one approver, write down what needs a check, and let templates cover the rest.
Who should approve brand materials?
One brand owner, usually the marketing lead or founder, with a named backup.
How do I stop approvals from slowing us down?
Approve templates and rules once. Anything made from them goes out without review.
What needs approval and what does not?
Items made from approved templates with approved facts need none. New layouts, new claims, press, legal text and partner logos do.
How fast should brand approval be?
Same working day for a quick look and up to two working days for a full review is a good rule for a small team.
One more thing.
Death List Five. Five headaches, one portal. Sound on.
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