Brand Guidelines Importance In Consistent Branding You Need To Know

Last Updated on Fri-Apr-2024 by Robert Bogere

Is your startup or small business struggling with its brand consistency? I’ve got you. Get to know what are brand guidelines.

In this era where your brand vies for attention amidst your competitors, the concept of brand guidelines emerges as a beacon of clarity and consistency.

At its core, brand guidelines work like a GPS for your business, showing you how you navigate the world of branding.

Simply put, brand guidelines provide a roadmap for every aspect of your brand appearance and tone. In this article, I’ll show you what brand guidelines are all about.

You’ll learn the components of brand guidelines, how you can create your brand guidelines, implementing and enforcing brand guidelines, and brand guideline FAQs.

Through planning and strategic alignment, brand guidelines offer a roadmap for fostering authenticity, resonance, and enduring connection with audiences worldwide.

Let’s dive in. Shall we?

What is brand guideline?

According to Karla Hesterberg, brand guidelines govern the composition, design, and general look and feel of a company’s branding. 

Bynder.com defined it as defined rules and standards that communicate how your brand should be represented to the world.

Brand guidelines are a set of guiding parameters and direction of any brand. Whoever deals with your brand, needs to have these kinds of rules.

Some call it a brand manual booklet. Whichever the case, these serve the same purpose. Before working on your brand guidelines, you need to have your brand strategy in place.

This is like your rule manual having your overall look and feel for your brand. 

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Components of brand guidelines

1. Brand proposition

This is a summary of what exists at the center of your brand. You need to start with a proposition statement in your manual covering at least your brand vision, mission, personality, values, and purpose. 

Such a summary will make your brand feel more human, authentic, and relatable for those who will be working on your brand. 

Moving on to…

2. Brand logo

When it comes to your brand guidelines, you’ll need to include;

• How your logo should be used.
• How your logo shouldn’t be used.
• The size and proportions of your logo.
• The requirements regarding exclusion zones.
• Color ways for both online and offline spaces.

This way, you’ll need to show your logo against different color backgrounds and in a single color. 

Your guide should display X – height and width guides showing how much space should be around the logo.

You’ll need to indicate how small you should take your logo at any time so you look consistent.

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3. Color palette

You’ll select a set of your colors you use when developing your visual identity.

You’ll need to distinguish your primary, secondary, and accent color palettes. 

You’ll need to put all data on developing your brand chosen colors focusing on color values/codes for digital HEX and RGB – Red, Blue, and Green colors. For print – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key.

Next

4. Imagery 

This is your photography, illustration, Iconography, and Infographics. 

These play an important role in developing your brand identity.

In your brand book, you’ll need to ensure a consistent photographic or illustrative style.

Consider these as your best practice examples;

• Showcase potential imagery to give you a set of guidelines to follow
• Put examples of imagery in a variety of content that performed so well for your brand
• Showcase images that don’t convey the brand image you want to portray and list out.

Let look at

5. Brand Typography

These are your font types. They’re a huge part of your visual identity.

You need to decide whether you’re going to use a single typeface across all your media choices.

Defining your typefaces removes all the guesswork for people working on developing your brand.

You’ll need to have;

i) Choice of fonts

• Captions
• Headings
• Subheadings

ii) Slogans

iii) Text alignment

• Left
• Right
• Centered

iv) Spacing considerations 

v) Offline and online usages

6. Verbal identity and voice

Your brand voice impacts the way your customers associate and connect with your brand.

Your tone of voice guideline should do these two things;

• Introduce your brand tone of voice and tonal values explaining what they stand for.
• Get detailed, practical support to people creating content for your different channels.

Show examples of best practices for example messaging that has worked well for you in the past.

A list of do’s and don’ts is a great way to break down what works and what doesn’t.

Choose specific words your brand uses and don’t. Next is the framework

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Step-by-step approach to creating your brand guidelines

When developing your brand manual guide, its access and readability should be made easy. 

Nowadays, you should include digital links to other digital branding assets. 

1. Define your brand identity

Before thinking of your development phase, think of your brand identity first. 

Defining your brand identity can be done by outlining your company mission, vision, values, character, voice, and market. 

2. Put together your brand logo

Your visual elements are defining features. Put your brand logo design when designing your logo.

They’re a few best practices to follow such as;

• Keeping it simple
• Ensuring timeless
• Memorable and scalable

Specify your logo usage, variations, minimum size, and space.

Every element of your brand logo should be identifiable when it’s in black and white colors. 

3. Establish your brand color palette

Select your color palette aligning with your brand personality and values. 

Put your corresponding RGB, HEX, and CMYK codes to help ensure accuracy as well as outline any restrictions.

4. Determine your brand typefaces

Your typefaces are so important in your manual and these refer to the fonts, font sizes, spacing, and other written elements languages found in your brand materials.

List your styles, sizes, and forms of particular fonts, arrangements of lettering, and other stylizations you want to use in your written materials. 

5. Establish your brand voice and tone

In your brand manual, showcase your brand voice and tone.

How do you want your brand to be seen in your communications?

You need to do this by defining the language, vocabulary, and writing style used in your written assets.

Is your brand conversational and friendly? Then select your brand voice resonating with such. 

6. Select your imagery guides

As said in the components above, you’ll need to make sure you include your imagery guideline defining the limits of your visual imagery. 

You’ll need to provide parameters for your photography, iconography (solid or soft), illustrations, and other visual items for instance tone, color treatment, and composition to ensure the overall aesthetic of images is consistent. 

7. Offer your brand usage guides

You’ll need to develop the contexts in which your brand assets and guidelines may or may not be used without expressed permission.

Your style guide should set specifications for print materials, social media, digital platforms, and other touch points important to your brand.

8. Update and change

You’ll need to review your brand manual periodically. That way you can update and change to incorporate any changes in messaging and visual elements.

Your manual guide should be an evolving document that adapts and evolves.

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Implementing and enforcing your brand guidelines

1. Training and education

Training and education are important components of ensuring your employees understand and adhere to your brand guidelines consistently. Here’s how you approach this:

I. Initial training sessions

Conduct comprehensive training sessions for employees across all your departments, emphasizing the significance of your brand consistency and the role of brand guidelines. 

These sessions should cover the fundamentals of your brand identity, including logo usage, color palette, typography, tone of voice, and other key elements outlined in your manual guide.

II. Interactive workshops

Organize interactive workshops and practical exercises to help employees apply brand guidelines in real-world scenarios. 

For example, you can create mock marketing materials or presentations where employees must follow the guidelines to maintain consistency.

III. Department-specific training

Custom training sessions to the specific needs of different departments within your company.

For example, your marketing team may require more in-depth training on visual elements like logo usage and color palette, while customer service teams may focus on maintaining consistent messaging and tone of voice in communication with customers.

IV. Regular refreshers

Schedule regular refresher sessions to keep brand guidelines top of mind for employees.

As businesses evolve and brand guidelines are updated, it’s essential to ensure all your employees are aware of any changes and understand how they affect their work.

2. Monitoring and enforcement

Once employees are trained on your brand guidelines, it’s important to establish mechanisms for monitoring compliance and enforcing adherence. 

Here’s how you monitor and enforce brand your guidelines:

I. Designated oversight

Appoint a dedicated individual responsible for overseeing your brand compliance across your organization. 

This individual should have a deep understanding of your brand and the authority to enforce them when necessary.

II. Regular audits

Conduct regular audits of brand materials produced by different departments to ensure alignment with brand guidelines. 

These audits should assess adherence to visual elements like logo usage, color palette as well as messaging and tone of voice.

III. Centralized asset management

Establish a centralized repository for your brand assets and templates to streamline the creation of brand-compliant materials. 

This ensures your employees have easy access to approved assets and reduces the likelihood of using outdated or unauthorized materials.

IV. Approval processes

Implement approval processes for brand-related projects to ensure all your materials meet brand guidelines before being published or distributed. 

This may involve review and sign-off from relevant stakeholders, including members of the brand management team.

3. Evolution and adaptation

Your brand guideline isn’t a static document.

It should evolve and adapt to reflect changes in your business landscape and consumer preferences.

Here’s how you ensure your brand guidelines remain relevant and effective over time:

I. Regular reviews

Schedule regular reviews of brand guidelines to assess their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. 

This may involve gathering feedback from employees, conducting market research, and benchmarking against your industry’s best practices.

II. Feedback loops

You need to establish feedback loops with internal stakeholders, external partners, and customers to gather insights on the effectiveness of your brand guidelines. 

Solicit feedback on areas such as clarity, usability, and alignment with your brand values.

III. Flexible framework

Design your brand guidelines as a flexible framework rather than rigid rules, allowing for creativity and adaptation while maintaining your core brand elements. 

This flexibility enables your brand to stay relevant in a rapidly changing industry without sacrificing consistency.

IV. Documenting changes

You’ll need to document any updates or revisions to your brand guidelines and communicate them to relevant stakeholders. 

Guide how to implement these changes effectively and ensure all your outdated materials are updated or replaced promptly.

V. Continuous improvement

Lastly, cultivate a culture of continuous improvement within your company, where your employees are encouraged to suggest improvements to your brand guidelines based on their experiences and observations. 

Celebrate successful adaptations and innovations strengthening your brand identity and resonance.

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Brand guidelines FAQs

Brand guideline conclusion

In conclusion, brand guidelines are a big deal in the world of business. They’re the backbone of your company’s identity, keeping everything consistent no matter where your brand is in the world.

Brand guidelines evolve alongside business trends and consumer preferences.

By staying flexible and always improving, your brand can keep telling its story in a way that resonates with people everywhere.

So, let’s remember: brand guidelines aren’t just rules—they’re the heart and soul of your brand, shaping how it’s seen and remembered by the world.

Brands must embrace consistency, authenticity, and innovation to leave a unique imprint on every interaction.

In essence, brand guidelines aren’t just guidelines; they’re the guiding light that illuminates your brand’s journey to success.

Take action today

Are you ready to strengthen your brand identity and resonance? Start by revisiting or creating your brand guidelines.

Dive into the process of developing your brand guidelines with enthusiasm, knowing that each step brings you closer to a more authentic and impactful brand presence. Your journey begins now.