“This above all: be true to yourself. Then it follows, as day follows night, you can be false to no one.”
That’s Shakespeare on the importance of having a brand style guide. Kind of. What the Bard was really divulging there is sound advice to a person. Be consistent, he’s saying. Be who you are, don’t try to hide or misrepresent yourself.
It’s great advice for companies too. People value authenticity and transparency. It’s reassuring, and it inspires confidence. In the world of business, consistency means trustworthiness and reliability.
This is especially important for companies that use third-party content creation services or content generators, where consistency might be an issue.
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It’s far easier for people to be true to themselves than for brands though. Why? It’s about control. A person is in control of himself or herself. With the exception of personal brands, a brand is controlled by people - often many people - who all need to act in the same way.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the concept of branding, and, in particular, how to build a successful brand style guide. As with most things in business, it starts with a good deal of research.
Understand the purpose of your brand
“I’ve got a logo, isn’t that my brand?” Ever heard that before, or words to that effect?
You probably have, but here’s why that idea is wrong. Your logo is part of a much wider visual communication strategy that represents the firm.
The brand itself has three main purposes, and a logo hardly scratches the surface of any of them.
- To help customers choose products in a crowded marketplace, especially if the product lacks a unique selling point.
- To reassure customers they made the right choice. Brands communicate the qualities of a product. The consistency is reassuring.
- To encourage engagement. People associate many things with brands. We identify good or likeable qualities with those of our favorite brands. On the contrary, we think of unpalatable events and memories when we think of brands we don’t like. A great brand creates an almost tribal following.
There are probably other purposes, but those are the main three. You need to understand how your brand executes those things and build them into its style guide.
Your brand style guide is there to make sure the brand achieves the three main purposes mentioned above.
What is a brand style guide?
A brand style guide is a reference document for your branding team. Meaning it guides your brand manager, the marketing specialist, the content writer, the graphic designer, everyone that builds your brand. Style guides control your brand and maintain quality standards. It covers everything from visual appearance to the tone of voice in your messaging.
It’s a handy document to refer to when you’re building your store, or website, or anything that becomes a symbol of your company.
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It tells you what colors to use, what images, and how to lay things out. It’s a practical self-help guide and your brand’s instruction manual. Some people even call it the brand bible, which hints at a deeper, more strategic element.
The style guide should capture the very essence of your brand - its core values. That’s where it gets strategic because it covers your competitive positioning. In this way, a successful brand style guide will help prevent strategic drift.
For it to be successful, you need everyone to be aware of the style guide and the rules within it. Only then can the design of your website, logo, slogan, and flyers become seamless.
A brand is only valuable if it remains consistent across all platforms, from video conferencing to meeting customers face to face. The style guide is like a playbook. It makes sure everyone knows what they’re doing and acts coherently towards the same goal.
What does a successful brand style guide contain?
Now, let’s get into the real nitty-gritty of how to make a brilliant brand style guide.
1. The context and values of your brand
Start with your strategy statements. That’s what the marketing textbooks call the mission i.e. the vision and core values of your company, strategic business unit, or brand. The term ‘strategy statements’ is a good one because it makes it obvious we’re talking about the long-term, central purpose.
Here’s where you cover the personality of your brand. Is it happy, informal, and outgoing, or is it professional and serious? You decide, but make sure you communicate it well. It should be reflected in everything you do from your rules of product design to your after-sales service.
Have clearly defined strategy statements that tell people exactly why your brand exists and where it’s going.
2. The voice
Ever noticed how people in groups pick up the words and mannerisms of other group members? Brands do that too. If you don’t control it, it’ll happen anyway, and it might go in a direction you don’t like.
A successful brand style guide will clearly describe the tone of voice your copywriters should adhere to. Do you like contractions in your product descriptions? Should numbers be written or not? What about informal words and colloquialisms?
One of the reasons to cultivate a brand is to encourage engagement. Here’s where you lay down the rules of that.
3. Imagery
The images you attach to your brand are a vital part of the whole. Brands normally use similar images to convey consistency. Some use cartoon-style drawings or animations, while others choose aspirational photography.
Consider how new technologies might affect your choice of images. If you’re on an HD video call and want to turn off your camera, what do you want to replace your picture with?
Your brand guidelines need to make it clear what style of images should accompany your brand. Do you want a natural look? Do you prefer certain filters? What’s your policy on stock images?
With social media, brand imagery has become especially important. Choose distinctive imagery that supports your message and values.
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4. The symbols
Here’s where we talk about logos. Your logo is a symbol that represents your brand. The style guide should cover precisely how to use it. You need to be precise about where it can appear and how it should be used.
You should give definite measurements and ratios. This needs to cover everything. How much white space should surround your logo? Can it be inverted for dark backgrounds? What about angles and alignment?
There should be no reason for people to abuse your logo, squash it, change it, or chop it around. Minimalist logos are growing in popularity because of their simplicity. It makes them easier to use in different situations.
Create foolproof guidelines on how to use your brand logo. Give it to a toddler and see if they can understand it.
Moreover, there are far more symbols that represent your brand than just your logo. Your office and company vehicles are symbols of your brand. Your website, social media pages, online group calendar, and the apps you create as well. Your staff uniform too, if you have one.
Take a step back and make sure your brand style guidelines cover it all.
5. The company colors
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Being clear about your brand colors is important for consistent visuals. Think about Coca-Cola red compared to Netflix red, or Macy’s red versus the red of the new Kia logo. These brands all use different shades of the same color, with the precise composition defined in their style guides.
State the exact colors using RGB, CMYK, and hexadecimal color codes. That way there can be no confusion. If your brand uses several different colors, they should all be in the style guidelines.
You might also want to be specific about how the colors can appear and in what order or arrangement.
6. Fonts and typography
The fonts you use when writing as your brand also need to be specified in your style guide. Be clear and specific about what fonts people can use and which ones they should avoid. Give examples of correct and incorrect usage.
You should explain why your brand uses certain fonts and not others. Consider things like the contrast between headers and body text, serifs, font sizes, and when to use bold or underlined text.
Also, consider alignment and spacing. Do you want the text to be justified or aligned to the left or right? If so, in what instances can this happen?
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Creating successful brand style guidelines
In this article, we’ve talked about how to begin your style guide, how to give context, and what elements you should include, but there’s a lot more to creating a successful style guide and each one is different.
Every brand is unique and operates in a different context. Brand style guides need to reflect this. What works for one might not work for another. A successful style guide is a working document. Be prepared to change and update it occasionally.
Make it a practical guide: easy to use, clear to understand, concise yet comprehensive. Consistency in branding is key, whether it's referenced in printed formats, shared digitally, or applied during HD video calls.
Remember this above all: be true to yourself, be true to your customers, and be true to your brand. That way, your authenticity will never be called into question.
Written by DesignCrowd on Thursday, July 15, 2021
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.
