What to Include in a Brand Style Guide
The brand style guide is a SUPER important piece of off-boarding your client and launching their new brand.
All of the strategy, planning, design, and creative work you’ve done so far would be wasted if your client isn’t able to actually implement their new brand identity!
The brand style guide is a tool for your client to be able to use the beautiful brand ecosystem you’ve created and keep it consistent across all of their marketing pieces and platforms.
Let’s take a look at what I include in a brand style guide to ensure my clients are set up for success and can use their new brand to its fullest potential!
Brand Foundation
In the style guide, I take the opportunity to reiterate the client’s brand foundation. This reminds the client of the direction and goals of their brand, which is helpful when considering how to use their new brand assets.
Their brand foundation includes:
Core Values
Ideal Clients
Competitor Profiles
Positioning Statement
For a refresher on developing your client’s brand foundation and creative direction, check out this blog post!
Brand Identity
Logo Variations
Clearly lay out all variations of your client’s logo. Label each one (primary, secondary/alternate, etc.) and explain where your client would use each variation in their marketing.
Icons & Submarks
Display your client’s icons and submarks, and explain how your client can use them within their brand ecosystem. Be sure to note if the icons/submarks are available in other brand colors, or you can choose to display each colorway in the style guide.
Logo Usage
Demonstrate how to use and place the logo with spacing/size recommendations, as well as examples of what NOT to do (sized to small, tilted, etc.).
File Types & Organization
Show your client how their files are organized so they can easily locate the assets they need. You can also use this section to explain which file types to use for various applications.
Primary Palette
Provide the colors and color codes for your brand’s palette. I like to include RGB, Hex, CMYK, and Pantone codes, and explain where each color process is appropriate (print, web, etc.).
If your brand has additional color palette options, display those as well and explain how your client might use them.
Typography
Here you will display the brand fonts, size parameters (if applicable), and use for each font. I like to add a page that demonstrates each font as well (heading, subheading, body, accent).
Brand Application
Collateral
Collateral includes any additional marketing assets you created for your client’s brand, such as business cards, social media images, packaging, etc.
Brand Identity Applied
This is another opportunity to show the brand identity applied in real world mockups that are relevant to the scope of the brand.
Checklist
At the end of the style guide, I like to provide a checklist that the client can reference as they are using their brand assets. This will help them review their marketing materials with the style guidelines in mind and prevent inconsistency across platforms.
Example checklist questions:
Does the marketing piece include the correct logo?
Are the color values you are using correct?
Are you following the proper logo usage guidelines?
The brand style guide is a great resource for your clients as they move forward with their new brand assets. By intentionally creating a guide that covers all aspects of your client’s branding, you can confidently offboard them knowing that they will enjoy the full benefits of their new, strategic brand identity.
Brand Style Guide Template
$150
Set your clients up for success and save yourself hours of time with the Brand Style Guide Template. This template includes everything your client will need to utilize their new brand identity successfully. Sections include; brand strategy, logo variations, color palette, file organization, brand identity applied and more.
