How to Create a Style Guide for Your Brand

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When it comes to branding your business, consistency will take you far. Learn how to craft your own brand style guide and take your brand to another level.

What is Meant by the Term Style Guide?

A brand style guide is a manual or rulebook containing a holistic set of standards or specifications on everything that plays a role in the look and feel of your brand, from composition, design, to how to communicate your brand.

What is the Purpose of a Brand Style Guide?

Below are the main reasons why you must consider creating a style brand for your brand.

Consistency

Brand guides ensure brand consistency across a wide variety of media platforms and let everyone know exactly how to present your brand to the world, keeping everyone inside of your organization informed about what your brand means and what it looks like. 

Additionally, by having set rules and restrictions, it becomes possible to communicate consistent brand identity. Consistency is the key to earning customer trust and elevating your ROI (Returns On Investment). 

Brand Recognition

Building a recognizable brand takes time and dedication. But when your brand’s image is consistent across all levels, it elevates your brand recognition within the industry and amongst customers. So having brand guidelines in place will help to maintain the integrity of your brand for increased recognition. 

Provides Tools

The elements included in your brand guidelines work together to create a cohesive message and those elements are the tools you need to create moving messages and iconic marketing communications.

Avoids Confusion

An inconsistent brand identity is confusing and unreliable. Brand guidelines include a very useful level of detail that avoids any confusion around brand colors, imagery typography, and even messaging. 

What Should a Brand Style Guide Include?

• Brand History
• Logo
• Typography and Fonts
• Color Palette
• Design system
• tone of voice
• Images

Conclusion

Well-thought brand guidelines are beneficial to every brand. It will not only bring your business consistency, it will further help with alignment and cohesion. The bottom line is to go into detail when covering important aspects of your brand identity and clearly address the issue of flexibility. This will give all team members a concrete framework to work with, while still giving them the freedom to do what they do best.