Breaking down brand guidelines
Brand guidelines help ensure your new branding is used correctly & consistently.
Brand guidelines are a detailed summary of your branding & its many elements.
Usually in the form of a PDF, they contain all the necessary information, files, & instructions on how to use your new branding.
Guidelines ensure that your brand is consistently communicated across all media.
Brand guidelines may look different for every business, but I’ll outline the main points to include.
Brand Story
Your brand story is an important part of your brand’s reputation and culture.
It’s how you relate to your audience & how they relate to you.
Your brand story could include information on your mission, values, & any describing brand words.
Logos & Brand Marks
Your logo is the visual representation of your brand & each variation should have its own page.
Showcase the primary, secondary & sub mark logos with information on how & how not to use them.
This is also where designers highlight the thought process behind the design.
Any other brand marks & icons could be included within this section.
Typography
Having a section for typography keeps everything consistent.
This should include font names for headings, subheadings, & body, as well as max/min size.
You may also want to include the font files/download links as well so that others can easily access them.
Color Palette & Patterns
Showcase the primary colors & any secondary colors with corresponding RGB, CYMK & Pantone numbers.
This allows anyone who works with this guide to always create something on-brand.
Brand patterns are just that, customized & unique patterns your company uses in its marketing efforts.
From tissue paper to business cards, these are a great way to spread awareness & gain recognition from customers.
Social Media & Mockups
This section is for showcasing how the brand will look & how it should be represented on social media.
Make note of any rules you have for social media usage such as the tone of voice, photography style, what kinds of content are allowed to be posted, etc.
Mockup images with examples of how you would use certain elements of the brand guidelines in real-life situations.
This can include mockups of the logo on a coffee mug, a brand pattern on a business card, or what the Instagram profile & posts will look like.
Resources
Make sure to include links to all resources used — fonts, icons, images, premium asset downloads (Canva Pro), etc.
If you’re a designer, include a thank you section & your contact information to make it easy for people to reach out with any questions.
Brand guidelines are an important part of the design process.
Kind of a ‘last but not least’ thing.
They help ensure you’re always using the right colors/fonts & help keep things looking professional & on brand.
If you’re in need of some brand guidelines for your small business, consider checking out the resources I have on Etsy. I have brand guidelines for Notion, Canva, Illustrator & Figma to be coming soon! (you saw the preview here) ETSY
THANKS FOR READING!
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