Brand Guidelines

Successful companies all have a strong brand. These same companies also ensure that the brand guidelines are used to their fullest potential and that all their employees—yes, I said all—understand the brand and “live the brand”. What is the point of having a strong brand, if only a few understand it and know how to “live it” when they are dealing with the public?

Brand Guidelines help companies educate their employees on their brands. Brand guidelines are an integral part of any company. No matter how large or how small a company is, brand guidelines should be created and implemented.

Make a Guide

Brand guidelines are not just for marketing reasons either, but also to remind the company and its employees of the company’s mission and goals as well as the usage of its logo, tag line, colors, and even communication language.

That can sound very confining. A lot of employees can feel a sense of anxiety with the mention of a guideline. But it can actually help employees in creating solid branding collateral that effectively conveys the company’s message and image.

What exactly is a Brand Guideline?

A Brand Guideline is a document that outlines exactly what a brand is, what the mission and vision statements are, any company goals, and all the proper usage of logos, taglines, graphics elements, colors, even sample layout guides.

Sample content could include:

• Statements
  • Mission Statement – What the heart of the company is
  • Vision Statement – Where the company sees itself going
  • Goals – Any goals to get themselves to the vision they have planned (these can change as time goes on)
• Usage
  • Logo – The “do’s” and “don’ts” of how to use the company logo
  • Color – What the official colors are and how they should be used
  • Type – What the fonts are that the company chose and when you would use each one
  • Graphics – Any graphical elements created for the company (e.g. mascots, border images, photographs, etc.) and how they should be used
• Communication Language
  • Writing Style – Should your communications always be upbeat? Should they have a more serious tone? What style of writing will appeal to your main demographic?
  • Jargon – Does your company use any technical jargon? Is it used in your industry? Does your clientele understand this jargon, or is it only used on a internally?
  • Content Format – Are items always grouped in specific formats or segments? Should writing be concise? Should there be a hierarchy?
• Collateral Components
  • Layouts – Do you already have a design layout structure for your collateral (e.g. business cards, brochures, flyers, letterhead, etc.) then layout the main elements and their dimensions for ease of recreation.
  • Packaging or Misc. Elements – Do you use marketing gimmicks like CDs, Pens, gift-able Flash Drives? How should your logo or information be implemented on those?

This is just a smattering of what could be in a brand guideline. BJPDS Designs can work with you to build a cohesive brand guideline. Whether you’re creating a new brand or need to solidify an existing one, we’re here to help.