The Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians branded not only their live-stock, but criminals and slaves as well. It is generally believed Hernando Cortez introduced branding irons to the New World in 1540. Today, a man's brand means much more than mere livestock identity. Even back in 1885, Colorado had 12,000 registered brands. Today, Texas has some 230,000 brands registered and with the price of meat going up, cattle rustling is getting to be a bigger problem every day.
Some ranches are huge.
Ideally, brands are simply designed, yet in a way that they cannot be easily altered. The more complex the brand, the harder it is to recognize. Some ornate Spanish brands handed down from father to son with each heir adding something of his own, look like they'd burn the side off the cow. The first heating will burn off the protective paint finish. That's all there is to it.