A Brand Style Guide is a simple set of rules that express in words, images, and graphics how an organization, from a startup to Fortune 500, presents itself professionally. A brand style guide is a reference tool to create consistency in all your media, from the logo to the font styles and colors of how the brand looks, feels, and sounds across your media types. The 6 Steps to Create Your Brand Style Guide ensures that whoever works on the brand, from Business Development, marketing to sales, and customer service, keeps brand style consistency to ensure you attract, captivate, close and delight all your customers.
Enjoy higher brand consistency.
When the Team uses the right Colors, Logos, and Typography, Your Firm will look more professional, and your brand will Stand out.
Learn to Use Word Styles and Set them up as a Company Brand Style Guided Standard
Word Styles Will Save You Hours.
Step 1 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
Collect inspirational images, words, phrases, and colors that you feel could and or do represent your brand's 6 key elements.
There are 6 key elements of a brand style guide:
- Brand story
- Brand voice
- Logo
- Imagery
- Color palette
- Typography
Now it's time to take step 2.
Step 2 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
Create a Vision Board to help clarify, concentrate, and maintain focus on your branding, voice, imaging, and messaging goals. You are ready to Create your Brand Style Guide.
Narrow Down your 6 Key Elements
Remember Less is More.
Step 3 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
From your Vision Board, define your six essential guiding elements of your brand style guide:
- Brand story, vision mission, and values.
- Brand Logo
- The brand color palette.
- Color match: PANTONE name and number.
- Print color: CMYK.
- Digital color: RGB and HEX codes.
- This is where MS Word styles come in. Set up a company-style set and use it consistently across all devices, for all communications from emails to leave-behinds.
- What are the mood and visual take away you want to have when people visit your brand?
- Create your Voice by collecting a list of words and phrases you like.
Step 4 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
Make a list of your brand collateral. Make sure you cover both digital and printed.
For example:
- Digital – MS Word, Website, Social Media, etc.
- Printed; Business cards, Brochures, and Cut Sheets, Letterheads, etc.
Step 5 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
Create a draft outline for your guide:
- Brand story, the story of why you exist.
- Hi, this is “BRAND XYZ.” Here’s what we make and do.
- Your Mission, Vision, and Values.
- Logo
- Here’s our logo and what it means.
- How to use our logo.
- How not to use our logo.
- Color palette (Check out the Psychology of Color).
- These are our colors; this is how you use them.
- Here are some Pantone swatches with CMYK and HEX codes.
- Typography
- Set MS word typography and styles.
- Imagery
- These are on-brand images.
- How to lay them out, your style guide.
- Voice
- How we speak.
- These are the words and phrases we use.
- Here’s how the home page looks; take screen-shots of examples you like. List the pros and cons so you create an adaptable guide.
Step 6 To Creating a Brand Style Guide
Cycle back and check everything, then plan for your evolution. A brand and its branding are a living, breathing thing that changes and adapts with time.
If you need help, bring in an expert to orchestrate, coach, and guide you through the process.
KEY TAKEAWAY
▪ Use Your Voice To Build Trust In Your Branding.
▪ Create your Branding Style Guide
▪ Use word styles to save time and set the standards
▪ Bring in an expert to Coach and Mentor you through the process
♦♦♦
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Cheri and Peter Lucking are content marketing strategists, serial entrepreneurs, rebellious marketers, and technology experts. They have started, grown, and successfully executed multiple businesses utilizing design, digital media, radio, and TV marketing. They are bloggers, content writers, published authors, software gurus, crazy dancers, and animal lovers. They love what they do and work SMART at what they love.
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