Startup Brand Kit: Free Fonts and Licensing Basics
Build a startup brand kit in an afternoon: choose two free fonts, fix a small color palette, and learn what Google Fonts licenses allow commercially.
A startup brand kit is a single shared folder with your logo files, two fonts, five to seven colors and a few rules for using them. You can build a usable one in an afternoon, and the fonts can cost nothing: Google Fonts says all of its fonts are free and can be used commercially, including inside products you sell.
That last part is where most founders get nervous, so we'll cover licensing first, then the kit itself.
Can you use Google Fonts commercially?
Yes. According to the Google Fonts FAQ, every font in the library is free to use, including in commercial products. The conditions sit in each font's license. The most common one is the SIL Open Font License (OFL). A few families use other open licenses, such as Apache.
In plain terms, the OFL lets you use, study, modify and redistribute a font, as long as you don't sell the font by itself. If you bundle a font into your app, the font files stay under their original license. The OFL FAQ also says that embedding an OFL font in a document or graphic doesn't put that document or graphic under the OFL. Your poster, deck or landing page remains yours.
Two practical habits help:
- Open the license tab of each font you pick and note which license it uses.
- Save the license file next to the font files in your brand folder, so a new designer or contractor can see it.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you plan to resell or modify a font, read the full license text.
Which free fonts should a startup pick?
Pick two. One for headings, one for body text. A single family with several weights also works and is the safest choice if you're unsure.
Some rules we'd follow:
- Check the language support. If you'll write in Ukrainian, German or Spanish, open the specimen page and test your own sentences. Missing Cyrillic or accented characters is the most common surprise.
- Prefer variable fonts when offered. One file gives you many weights, which keeps your site lighter.
- Test at small sizes. A pretty heading font that falls apart at 14 px in a dashboard is the wrong choice for a SaaS.
- Skip trendy display fonts for body text. Use them in one place at most.
Crediting the designers is a courtesy for most fonts, but check each license, because some require you to keep notices.
What goes into a lightweight brand kit?
Think of it as a one-page sheet plus a folder. Nothing more is needed until you have a design hire.
Logo files
Export your logo as SVG (for web and apps) and PNG (for slides and social). Keep three versions: full color, all-white and all-dark. Add a square mark for avatars and favicons. Write down the minimum clear space around it, for example the height of the first letter.
Colors
Choose one primary color, one accent, and three to four neutrals for text, borders and backgrounds. Add a success and an error color if you ship software. Store each as a hex value and a name. Then check that text stays readable on each background color.
Typography
Write a tiny type scale: heading 1, heading 2, body, caption, with size and weight for each. Five lines in a doc is enough.
Voice and examples
Add three sentences on how you talk (direct, friendly, no jargon) and two do and don't examples. It saves hours when someone else writes your emails.
Templates
Make two reusable files: a slide deck and a social image. Most teams use a free tool like Figma or Canva for these. Lock the fonts and colors in the template so nobody has to guess.
Where do you store the brand kit?
One shared folder, with a clear structure:
| Folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
| /logo | SVG and PNG, three color versions, square mark |
| /fonts | Font files plus their license text |
| /colors | A text file or swatch file with hex values |
| /templates | Deck, social image, email header |
| /guide | The one-page sheet |
Link the folder in your onboarding doc and your press page. Journalists and partners will find the logo faster, and you'll stop getting screenshots of your own logo in the wrong colors.
How do you use the kit to launch?
Once the kit exists, put it to work. Add your logo and consistent screenshots to your listing on Woodander Discover, and reuse the same visuals in directories and posts you find via Outreach. A consistent look across places makes a small product feel established, though we can't promise it moves any ranking. Browse more tools in the Design & Creative category if you want a vector editor, a mockup tool or an icon set to go with it.
FAQ
Do I need to credit Google Fonts?
Usually not. Attribution is usually a courtesy, but the license of each font has the final word, so check it.
Can I put Google Fonts in my mobile app?
Yes, the FAQ says fonts can be used inside commercial products. Bundle the license file with the font files.
Can I sell a font I downloaded from Google Fonts?
Not on its own. The OFL forbids selling the font by itself. You can sell products that use it.
How many fonts should my brand use?
Two is plenty, and one family is fine. More fonts mean heavier pages and a messier look.
Do I need a designer to start?
No. A kit made of free fonts and a handful of colors is a strong start. Hire a designer when you need a custom logo or a full product design system.
Your next step: open a blank doc today, paste in two font names, six hex codes and your logo files, and call it version one.
