Your brand guide communicates your company’s design standards to your whole group. Therefore, having brand guidelines to reference will make designers, writers, and website developers lives much easier because it provides a solid framework to use as a starting point for their work.
What is a brand guide?
A brand guide, also known as a brand style guide or brand book, is a document that outlines the visual and messaging elements that make up a brand. Imagine it as a sacred book that serves as a roadmap, a rulebook, and a creative compass all rolled into one. It’s like the wise old sage that keeps your brand on track and consistent across all realms – from the enchanted lands of social media to the mystical domains of print and beyond. It serves as a reference guide for designers, marketers, and anyone else responsible for creating and promoting your business.
Why are style guidelines important?
Style guidelines can support marketing initiatives by ensuring that all messaging is relevant and related to your business goals. Additionally, referencing brand and style guidelines ensures that your content distinguishes you from competitors and is cohesive. Cohesion is important because it helps establish a strong brand voice that resonates with an audience, which is essential for building brand awareness. Over time, awareness and consistency builds trust.
Therefore, when your company goes through a brand redesign, you should always create a new brand style guide to go along with it. It’s the best way to announce the rebrand to your team and get everyone on-board with new design guidelines.
What typically goes in it?
- Logo and Derivatives
- Typefaces
- Color Palette
- Web Styles
- Imagery
- Voice and Tone
- Branded Assets
Why is a brand guide important?
Brand differentiation
A brand guide helps establish a brand’s unique identity in a crowded marketplace. By defining the key visual and messaging elements of a brand, a brand guide helps to differentiate it from its competitors. Furthermore, helping to increase brand awareness and loyalty among consumers.
Efficient design process
A brand guide simplifies the design process by providing clear guidelines for designers to follow. This saves time and resources (and money) that is typically wasted doing guess work. Simultaneously ensuring that design elements are consistent and aligned with the brand’s identity. Efficiency is especially important for companies that have multiple designers working on various projects.
Clarity and communication
A brand guide helps provide clarity and consistency across all channels of communication. This ensures that everyone involved in creating and promoting a brand understands the brand’s identity, goals and how to represent it consistently. Additionally, a brand guide serves as a communication tool for company stakeholders, such as investors and employees.
Brand protection
A brand guide helps to protect brand’s by setting clear guidelines for logo usage, color schemes, typography, and messaging. This ensures that the brand is represented consistently and correctly. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of confusion or misrepresentation which protects the brand and the business.
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In conclusion, a brand guide is a crucial for any company looking to establish a strong and consistent brand identity. It provides guidelines for visual and messaging elements, ensures consistency, differentiation, efficiency, clarity, and brand protection. Additionally, a well-designed brand guide can help build trust and loyalty with consumers, increase brand awareness, and drive business success. May your Brand Guide be your North Star, your secret weapon, and a constant source of inspiration as you embark on the epic quest of building brand that stands the test of time!
If your business is working on defining your brand, trust your struggle but remember, Verve Creative Studio has got you covered from brand identity creation all the way to strategy and execution.
