What is a brand guide and why do you need it?

What is a brand guide?

A brand guide is a reference document explaining how your brand looks and speaks. It gathers logo, colour, typeface and visual usage rules in one place. Everyone from designers and printers to the social media team and new staff uses the same source.

Why do you need one?

If rules are not written down, everyone makes their own interpretation. Soon the logo appears in different colours and text in different fonts. A guide prevents this and brings these benefits:

• A consistent look across all channels.
• Time saved in design work.
• Fewer mistakes with suppliers.
• Faster onboarding for new team members.

What should it include?

A basic brand guide contains these sections:

• Brand summary: Values, personality and audience.
• Logo use: Versions, clear space and minimum size.
• Misuse: What should not be done to the logo.
• Colours: HEX, RGB and CMYK codes.
• Typography: Typefaces and their hierarchy.
• Visual language: Photo, icon and graphic style.
• Applications: Business card, presentation and social media examples.
• Brand voice: Tone in writing and sample sentences.

Do small businesses need one too?

You do not need hundreds of pages. A simple guide of a few pages is enough for a small business. What matters is not the length of the document but that people really use it.

Make it a living document

Do not prepare the guide and forget it in a folder. Share it with the team and keep current logos and files easy to reach. Update it when the brand moves to a new channel or a new use appears. A brand guide only gains value when it is applied.

Frequently asked questions

Who prepares a brand guide?

Usually the team that designs the identity. It can also be created later for an existing one.

What format should it be?

An easily shared PDF or an online page the team can reach is enough.

When should it be updated?

Update it when the logo, colours or channels change and when new uses appear.

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