Sub-brand
A named offering that borrows the parent brand's recognition but gets enough of its own look or voice to feel distinct.
See it
What it is
A sub-brand is a named offering that remains visibly tied to a parent brand while developing some expression of its own. FedEx builds its services this way: FedEx Ground keeps the FedEx name and core wordmark, then uses the second word and a color-coded 'Ex' to distinguish the service. The parent supplies recognition; the modifier tells customers which branch of the offer they are looking at.
Reach for one when an offering serves a distinct audience or promise but still benefits from the parent's reputation. It earns its own name, color role, imagery, or voice only where that distinction helps customers choose.
Gotcha: a product name is not automatically a sub-brand. If it has no distinct positioning or expression, it may just be a labeled feature. The opposite trap is giving every plan and feature a logo until the parent becomes a pile of tiny brands, each demanding guidelines, assets, and marketing spend.
Ask AI for it
Create a sub-brand for [OFFERING] under [PARENT BRAND] using the supplied parent identity and [DISTINCT AUDIENCE OR PROMISE]. Keep the parent wordmark, core typeface, and primary color role fixed; use Figma Variables to add one approved sub-brand accent and one imagery rule that expresses the difference. Build the naming pattern, a parent-plus-sub-brand lockup, a landing-page header, and a square social avatar. End with a table separating inherited rules from new rules, and do not create a second symbol unless the brief supplies a measured recognition need.