Extending a brand to a Microsoft Surface experience is different than extending brands to the Web, broadcast, or other media because the experience is the brand. The elegance and ease of the Surface experience should align closely with the business and brand that offers it. A positive Surface experience can cause a consumer to have a positive perception of the entire brand. 
 

You should never modify certain aspects of the Surface experience. These aspects should remain consistent across all applications to establish the predictability of interactions and to drive user satisfaction. The Microsoft Surface Cobranding Guidelines describe these requirements in full and provide guidelines for signage, co-branding, and other scenarios. (The Cobranding Guidelines are available through the Microsoft Surface QuickStart partner site.)
 

If the best Surface interfaces are nearly invisible, how can you best visually represent a brand? Ideally, your design should be understated and welcoming. An over-designed or excessively branded interface can make an application seem like an advertisement, which negatively affects the users’ Surface experience.

You can extend a brand beyond just the visual design of a Surface application. Subtle visual branding mixed with other techniques can have big impacts. How objects move when users interact with them can convey key brand descriptors (such as “agile,” “reliable,” or “stable”) more effectively than a static visual design. Audio design also offers an opportunity to add pleasant surprises and emotional experiences. The environment in which the Surface unit exists can also have significant impact, from signage to seating.