Creating a memorable brand is key to any company’s long-term success. Even when you have a solid product and an amazing business model, if your brand is flat you will struggle with long term viability and growth.
In a word… branding is everything.
Take a quick look at industry giants like Apple, Netflix, Google, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Uber. One thing that stands out with all of them is world-class branding.
Understand that building a brand is more than just selecting colors, imagery, and a catchy tagline. It is a process that goes beyond the functionality of one’s products and services, creating a unique identity that communicates an organization’s value and voice connecting them with the unmet needs and wants of their audience.
But maintaining quality and consistency in your brand’s content can be challenging, especially if you’re working with a number of designers, content creators, and marketing agencies. Without the right direction, you can easily end up with a hodgepodge of colors, iconography, and off-brand messaging that will only serve to thoroughly confuse your audience.
Worse yet, this type of branding confusion can pose a credible threat to your brand’s integrity.
This is why you need to ensure that you establish and maintain clear and consistent branding guidelines that serve as the gold standard for your brand.
What are brand guidelines and why use them?
Brand guidelines, also called a brand style guide, serve as an instruction manual for communicating your brand in everything you do and ensures that your brand’s image and messaging stays consistent everywhere it appears.
The truth is in today’s fast and competitive marketing world your company will very likely work with a variety of professionals possessing a unique set of skills but have no connection to each other. This can prove to be a very confusing situation if there isn’t a brand guideline everyone can go to as their ultimate authority when it comes to content creation.
And while investing in the creation of a great brand guideline or style guide may at first look seem to be a mundane exercise, the decision to do so carries with it significant long term ROI (return on investment) by way of better quality control, increased comprehension, and improved brand recognition.
5 features all kick ass brand guidelines should always include:
While there are many takes on brand style guides, there are certain features that must be present for a brand guideline to be considered “kick ass.”
The following five are essential.
1. Logos
Any brand guideline worth its salt must include all logos that the brand utilizes. This includes full logos, secondary logos, icons, and any variations thereof (color, size, and orientation). In other words, if your logo shows up somewhere you should be able to trace it back to your style guide.
2. Color palette
Each brand is unique in its use of colors. Some brands may be simple and minimalistic utilizing only 2-3 colors in their logos and publications. Others may tap into a much wider palette. Regardless, primary and secondary colors used in your logos, publications, website, and advertisements should be included in your style guide along with the corresponding hex color codes.
3. Typography
Similar to colors, brands will utilize various font styles, sizes, and spacing to match their feel and voice. These fonts and styles should all be referenced in your style guide so a designer can work confidently on your project staying consistent with your brand’s look.
4. Imagery
A solid style guide should reference photos, illustrations, and artwork that the brand uses. If a brand has a very minimalist style then the images they use in their publications and advertisements should have that same quality. Likewise, if a brand uses bold and vibrant colors then the images they use should not be muted or sepia toned.
5. Voice and tone
A brand’s identity is more than the visuals they use. It’s also their unique messaging style and voice which dictates their language choices and overall mood. If a brand is appealing to an affluent academic audience then their style guide should make it clear that slang and overly casual language is not appropriate. However, if a brand’s audience is younger and more hip, then the language and style of writing they employ should reflect that.
How to write a good brand guideline?
Of course there is more to creating a truly great brand style guide than simply checking off a bunch of prerequisite inclusions. A brand guideline needs to also have these qualities if one is to grant it “kick ass” stature.
Include Dos and Don’ts
Be sure to include a comprehensive list of qualities your brand should embody and also avoid. This will help identify key mistakes to be avoided as well as areas you really want to lean in on when developing your overall brand strategy.
Be clear about both what your brand is and what it isn’t.
Specific
Specificity is a good quality to have when developing a brand guideline. Generalities and ambiguity only breeds confusion and will inevitably result in a finished product that reads more like a soft suggestion vs. an authoritative litmus test. The devil is always in the details.
Branded
The purpose of brand guidelines is to ensure your brand is always presented in the same consistent manner all the time– and your style guide should be no exception.
Treat your brand guidelines as another marketing piece that puts your brand’s vibe on full display for others. Be sure to include small touches that are consistent with the guidelines you’re presenting.
Comprehensive yet practical
As we’ve said, your style guide is there to provide direction for anyone creating on-brand content on your behalf so be as thorough, detailed, and comprehensive as possible.
However, at the same time, you want to avoid overwhelming people with nonessential information. Simply stated… be clear, succinct and provide helpful examples throughout your guide.
Easy to Access
Here’s the thing, a kick ass brand guideline is only “kick ass” if it gets used. And one of the most common reasons people ignore brand guidelines is simply because they can’t locate them and end up using outdated logos and colors they found through a Google image search. 😂
It may sound obvious, but be sure to make your guidelines easily accessible to anyone who needs them. This can be done a variety of ways but locating your style guide should only be a five-second ordeal.
We recommend using digital means for housing your brand guidelines as that will speed up the process and efficiency of sharing and deployment.
Update your guidelines regularly
Like your business, your brand is continually growing and changing, so your brand guidelines should follow suit.
Don’t treat your style guide as a one and done exercise. Rather, work with your brand team to regularly review your guidelines to ensure they are still relevant and accurately reflect your brand’s voice and vision.
Take time to have regular conversations about what is or isn’t working, and ask your team for input that will make using your brand guidelines easier for everyone.
And, if you need any help creating or maintaining your guidelines then schedule a free consultation with our team. We’d be happy to take that work off your plate.
