A brand style guide is a critical tool for directing both the written and visual aspects of your business. Below, we outline why a brand style guide is important and what the experts at Clearbridge Branding Agency say should always be included.
Creating a Brand Style Guide
What is a brand style guide?
A brand style guide is an all-encompassing set of standards for branding and the use of assets in content, marketing, and advertising. In short, it is a Bible for maintaining your brand’s image. Branding often goes wrong when companies are not adhering to the standards they have set (or they have not created standards to follow).
By creating a brand style guide, you can ensure your brand is consistently represented in all forms of media.
Why do you need one?
According to Clearbridge Branding Agency, it can take between five and seven brand impressions for a customer to remember your brand. And if your brand is inconsistently represented, whether each time or just one time, you could risk your awareness for lack of preparation.
A brand style guide helps mitigate image inconsistency by outlining clear rules and standards for use.
What should your brand style guide include?
A brand style guide should direct the tone, writing, grammar, colors, visuals, logo usage, and more. Here are a few key components to include.
- Writing and grammar: In your guide, you should outline your brand’s tone of voice and point of view for all written communications. From emails to social posts, what is your brand voice, and how will you communicate it? What grammatical choices will you include or outlaw, such as the use of an Oxford comma or more than one exclamation point? Get granular.
- Logo usage: Consider how your logo should be displayed in media. What is the minimum space that should surround the logo when placed on an ad or used in a video? What background colors are approved for the logo to be placed on? If you have a horizontally-oriented logo, is there a stacked logo version? When and how should that be used? Think ahead.
- Color selection: Selecting a color palette for your brand should fit into the story your logo is telling. This doesn’t mean you have to use exact colors derived from your logo, but the color palette you choose should enhance the visibility of your brand. In your style guide, be sure to include a color’s hex, CMYK, RGB codes, and Pantone numbers.
- Font choice: Like selecting colors, choosing the right font family that compliments your logo and sticking to this font is key to consistency. Clearbridge Branding Agency suggests always opting for a family of fonts over a singular font with no variation. This will help add nuance to your media without diverging from your brand aesthetic.
Do you want to consistently represent your brand both on and offline? Clearbridge Branding Agency is here to help. Contact them today to learn how they can put together a holistic set of standards for your business and help you taken your brand to the next level.
