Instructions
Go to your state's brand registration office and get a copy of all listed and registered brands. Let the officer there help you with the design.
Design something simple as this will brand with less chance of blotching. In general, open letters and numbers, such as C and 3, blotch less than closed letters and numbers, such as B and 8.
Follow the conventions for reading your brand. Brands are read from left to right, or top to bottom, or outside to inside when you have something encased in something else, such as the letter X inside a diamond. Such a brand would be read as the Diamond X. Letters or numbers displayed as though lying on their side are read as "lazy," as in the name "Lazy S."
Choose enough letters and numbers, or symbols, for your brand. Because there are so many registered brands, odds are you'll need at least 3 letters or numbers or some combination.
Register the brand design you've made. Unregistered brands only cause confusion and do not offer you much protection.
How to Make Your Own Cattle Brand
If you're thinking of purchasing an existing, operational cattle ranch, often you can buy the brand already associated with the ranch. Often, it's simply part of the sale. Registering your own cattle brand can be tricky as there are already so many in existence. Yet you can still design your own cattle brand and register it with your state's brand registration office. The clerk at the office will help you with the design, as every brand must be unique.