Brand Guidelines

Brands are complex systems. Their application across multiple platforms and media takes time, judgement and an eye for detail. To make it look effortless it takes planning.

Think of brand guidelines like a rulebook for your brand. They’re a set of instructions that tell you how your brand should look, feel, and sound across every platform. From optimising logo position to choosing the right colour for a touchpoint to applying brand tone of voice; brand guidelines help you keep everything in sync and looking well, on brand.

A brand style guide typically includes both visual and verbal instructions. So, it’s not just about how your logo should appear, but also how you want your brand to communicate with people. 

To put it simply, brand guidelines give you the "how-to" manual for creating a consistent look and feel for your brand. They’re especially helpful when you have a team (or even external freelancers) working on your brand’s application, because they help everyone stick to the same playbook.

By having a brand manual in place, you can ensure that your brand always feels like one cohesive entity, across print, digital and experiential touchpoints. 

Brand guidelines can get a bad press, but if they are created in the right way, they are worth it. Here’s why:

• Builds a Picture in the Mind
  The battle for a place in people's minds is becoming increasingly harder to achieve. If you're lucky enough to own a brand whose essence is reduced to a globally recognised logo that works in any colour, in any position, on any object; then congratulations! you've reached the Helvellyn of branding. For everyone else, brand building means ensuring everything you create works hard to build recognition. 
  
  
• Consistency Shapes Trust 
  We are creatures of habit. A consistent look and feel across all your branding materials creates rhythm  - how you apply your brand can change the tempo, people should know what you stand for. It makes your business seem more trustworthy and serious about what it does - unless of course you're looking to create chaos! 

• Speeds up Production whilst Reducing Reworks
  Brand guidelines help prevent errors and creative block by providing clear, easy-to-follow rules for anyone who’s creating something for your brand. Meaning you can focus on creative campaign ideas and messaging which will resonate with your audience.

• Clarity for Your Team
  Brand guidelines give everyone - whether it’s a new hire or an external designer-clear instructions on how to represent your brand. This saves time, reduces confusion, and ensures everyone is on the same page.

Without brand guidelines, you’re leaving the door open for inconsistency, which could lead to confusion about what your brand stands for and who it is. 

There are no defined rules as to which core components you’ll need to include in your brand manual - each brand is different. however, a solid brand style guide should cover the basics, so your branding stays on point no matter who’s working on it. Here’s a few essentials:

• Logo Usage
  This is where you’ll specify how and where your logo should appear. Are there variants of the logo to use in different situations? Is there an optimum position on page? What color backgrounds can it be placed on? What’s the minimum size it should appear at before you can't read it? These are all important details that will keep your logo looking sharp on screen and in print.
  
  
• Color Palette
  Your brand’s colours are an essential part of its identity - sometimes it's THE defining characteristic. You should define the exact colour values you use—often in primary and secondary palettes. Print (CMYK) and digital (RGB) applications can differ hugely, care should to be taken to identify these differences. Don't forget to think about other applications like paint (RAL) for experiential or usage in interiors.
  
  
• Typography
  Fonts are the visual voice of your brand. Include guidelines for typeface weight and how they can be combined to create compelling layouts through the use of headers, body text, call outs and other elements.

• Graphic Toolkit
  A brand identity contains much more than a logo, colours and fonts. Graphic devices help to shape layouts, design cues and assets that all work in tandem to create a visual language. Showing examples and illustrating rules on how to use them is an important part of the mix. 
  
  
• Imagery, Illustration & Photography Style
  Your brand assets should also cover the type of images you use-whether you prefer a minimal, clean style or something more vibrant and busy. If you’re using stock photos or custom photography, make sure clear guidelines are set about style or tone plus any guidance on composition and content.
  
  
• Personality and Tone of Voice
  Define how your brand communicates with the audience. This will help anyone working on your marketing materials know the right language to use, whether it’s in a tweet, a product description, or an email. This section can go into depth about use of language and key messaging including boilerplate examples to be used across the organisation
  
  
• Accessibility
  This should fold into all of the above but we are calling it out because it's a crucial element to any visual identity that wants to be inclusive to its audience (which should be all brands). 

So, how do you go about creating brand guidelines that actually work? Here’s a simple step-by-step process to get you started:

• Write Down the Rules
  If you have detailed visuals of assets, work backwards and dissect how they are made. Take the time to write clear, easy-to-follow rules on how to create layouts across different formats. Be as specific as possible to avoid any confusion.
  
  
• Define Your Brand’s Voice
  Using your personality and tone of voice (how you want your brand to sound), define how it will apply to different scenarios. Think about examples in different contexts (e.g., emails, product descriptions, social media posts). Keep it really clear. Often its better to start with how you DON'T want it to work.

• Put It All Together
  Organise everything into a simple, easy-to-read document. Treat it like a manual or how-to-guide. Use sections (and sub-sections if needed) and make sure it’s accessible to anyone who needs it. More importantly, be creative, design it USING the brand it represents. The clearest guidelines embodies the brand it is communicating - anyone reading through them should 'get' the brand straight away.
  
  
• Keep It Updated
  As the brand grows, the brand guidelines should evolve with it. Periodically review and update your guidelines to make sure they still align with your brand’s direction and include variations in touchpoints across all media.