There’s nothing worse than a brand that’s all over the place. I know… we all have to start somewhere and I love brands that have bootstrapped their way to success. But there comes a point in every brand’s journey where not having a strategic plan — brand guidelines — becomes noticeable. It’s usually around the same time that brands come to me looking to up level their images in order to increase sales.
But before the pretty pictures and killer homepage, before the media features and multi-chain contracts, you need a solid idea of what your brand looks like, feels like, and sounds like.
Brand guidelines let you establish the impression you want to create at every level and on every platform so customers know it’s your brand at first glance.
What Are Brand Guidelines?
Sometimes called a brand blueprint or brand strategy, brand guidelines are a document that breaks down how your brand should look, sound, taste and feel. It can be used internally when bringing on new investors or training new hires. Or it can be used externally when hiring designers or photographers.
If you’re just getting started, you don’t need to hire a professional to create your brand guidelines right out of the gate. But once you reach the growth phase, you’ll need your brand guidelines to look and feel polished (and be battle-tested), so I recommend collaborating with a designer, photographer, or brand strategist eventually.
But until then, any guidelines are better than no guidelines, so don’t overthink it. Just get something down on paper and start using it. It’s more than okay if they change as your brand grows and evolves.
10 Things to Include in Your Brand Guidelines
If you’re making your own brand guidelines, I recommend Canva for whipping them up in a pinch. When I make visual guidelines for a brand, however, I use Adobe Illustrator. Either way, export your guidelines as a PDF so you can share them with employees and your creative team.
1 | Opening Statement
This is like your brand’s elevator pitch. It should tell what you do, who you do it for and the value you add in the market. It’s here that you’ll want to set the tone for how the brand should be perceived and communicated across various platforms.
2 | Brand Position
Where is your brand located in the market? What sets it apart from competitors? How do you want customers to perceive your brand?
3 | Your Why
This is where you’ll want to share your story and your mission. I love hearing a brand’s origin story and learning about the people behind the brand. In fact, I always head to a company’s about page before buying a product online and I don’t trust companies with lackluster why’s—they feel smarmy to me. Customers want to see this reflected throughout your brand, so don’t be shy about telling your story!
4 | Product Range
What exactly do you sell? Providing an overview of your product lines and services can help you tell a better brand story. It also gives you a chance to evaluate how coherent your offerings are.
5 | Your Brand Essence
Think of this as how your brand feels. Choose 7-10 words that resonate deeply with your brand’s identity and the aspirations of your target audience, forming the foundation for how your brand is perceived and remembered.
6 | Brand Voice
A well thought out brand voice is crucial for maintaining a cohesive and recognizable brand image, regardless of whether you’re communicating through advertising, social media, customer service interactions, or email. Take this opportunity to establish the words and phrases that are on brand for you as well those that aren’t.
7 | Brand Colors
Include swatches of the exact colors in your brand’s core palette as well as the hex code for each. That way designers and content creators can match the color without having to guess.
8 | Design Style
I like to include a mood board in my brand guidelines that showcases the different design elements that make up your brand or some of the work you want to be known for. You may also want to include samples of your brand and website fonts for easy access.
9 | Photographic Style
What’s your photographic style? Is light and airy? Earthy? Lifestyle focused? Your brand guidelines should include some example photos for reference.
10 | Styling Notes
Based on your photographic style, make some notes about the sort of props and elements that are right for your brand. While you’re at it, you may also want to mention what sort of props are not right for your brand.
