So you’ve created a killer brand, you have the idea, the plan, and the look but how do you make your vision come to life? Well, In order to create fluidity within your business and communicate a clear message to your audience, you need what we call brand guidelines.
What are brand guidelines?
Brand guidelines are a set of tools, that show the correct way to use your brand elements. They set design standards for your brand that are translatable to every sector of your business from designers, to copywriters and developers, they enable everyone working on your brand to sing from the same hymn sheet.
To present brand guidelines with ease, a digital book is the best format to give a clear and concise overview of how to deliver on brand identity.
What makes up brand guidelines?
When creating guidelines, they are usually made up of 3 adaptable key elements.
The various logo styles that are used
The colour palette used by your brand
The typography associated with your brand, various typefaces, families etc
Although there are 3 fundamental elements needed to create brand guidelines, they can extend into further areas such as:
Mission statement – the message in which your brand is built on
Tone of voice – how you communicate with your audience
Graphics – elements that work alongside the logo
Collateral – business card, letterhead designs etc
Image style – photography examples that are suitable for your brand
Why do you need brand guidelines?
Now, you might be thinking, really? How important can guidelines be to my business? But the answer is, very important. Regardless of the size of your business, brand guidelines are critical in communicating your brand in the correct way and without them, your brand identity and message can be changed at any point from something as simple as a logo manipulation or font change.
So, if you are yet to put brand guidelines into place, ask yourself, is my business hitting these 4 points?
Consistency
Has your brand got consistency down to the finest detail?
Standards
Are your designs standards clear for anyone working on or with your brand?
Tools
Have you got the right tools in place so your brand identity is present and clear?
Message
Are you conveying the right message to your audience?
So whether you are a well-established brand or small start-up, creating brand guidelines will have a powerful impact on the development of your business for both internal and external users. Need a little inspiration? Check out these brand guidelines from some of the industries most popular brands.
Working with brands nationally from our offices in Cardiff and Cornwall, our tenacious team of designers and developers deliver sophisticated results every time.
