Brand guidelines, sometimes described as brand identity manuals or documents, contain a clearly defined and detailed set of standards and rules which communicates how a company and it's brand should be presented to the public.
A brand guide ensures that regardless of where you company, it's name or company logo appears, for example, on a website, document, advertisement or outdoor sign, it is consistent. Acting as a rulebook, a brand guide will outline font styles, colour schemes, logo uses and variations but also provide details on what the company is, what it does and how it needs to be communicated and advertised.
It also allows for outside agencies and contractors such as marketing or signage companies to quickly understand and communicate a company. This removes any potential for errors or issues arising from not knowing which font styles to use or the tone of the messaging.
Brand Guideline Examples
There is no definitive or strict template to use when creating the brand guidelines for a company, but the following items are expected to be included:
- The history, mission, vision and values of a company.
- Detailed guides on how to use the company logo which will need to include colour palettes, bleeds or spacing, file formats as well as where it should be shown within the context of other items such as images and text.
- RGB, HEX and CMYK colour palette codes to be used within web, digital and print.
- Font styles, colours and sizes.
- Straplines and Unique Selling Points or USP's which may also be used alongside any grammar rules.
- Examples or strict use of elements, graphics and designs which will provide details on the use of photos, icons and imagery. This will sometimes include a library of assets can be strictly used and not modified or used as a shared library which can be used for examples and ideas.
- Details on the layout and design of general marketing assets such as business cards, letterheads and websites.
Existing elements can be edited and approved on a regular basis while new items can be added to meet the growing and changing requirements of a company.