Brand Guidelines are rules your company uses to maintain brand consistency across all of your channels – including your website, digital and printed materials. They determine the framework for how your brand communicates both internally and externally, to allow your brand to grow.
Check out our downloadable ultimate branding checklist here to help you when creating your branding from scratch.
What to Include in Brand Guidelines
Here’s what you need to include in your brand guidelines.
Slogan & Tagline
A slogan or tagline is a phrase that communicates your business and what it has to offer, or makes consumers feel an emotion associated with your brand. Slogans help to build brand recognition – for example “I’m lovin’ it” is synonymous with McDonald’s.
In your brand guidelines, you should specify how and when your slogan is used.
Logo Suite & Submarks
Arguably one of the most important elements of your guidelines document is information regarding your logo. This section should include your:
- Master logo
- Logomark – for use on social media etc
- Alternative logos – such as stacked, responsive or simplified
[Include example images from clients]
Remember, when creating your logo (or having your logo made by a designer), you should have it in various formats, including a vector format like SVG which will not become pixelated when resized.
Logo Application
Similar to the above, you will then need to specify how the logo is to be applied and used in various situations, for example:
- Clear space – specifying how much white space should surround the logo to make it stand out
- Reverse – how the logo appears on colourful backgrounds
- Reverse on image – how the logo appears against busy, image backgrounds
Colour Palette
Colour palettes act as a visual cue to help customers identify with your brand. This section should be split into two – primary palette and accent colours. Each colour should specify the hex code (e.g. #053B6D), RGB and CMYK codes. You may also want to include a Pantone colour match if your branding extends to signage, fabric and other custom finishes.
Typography
Limiting your branding to two or three typefaces ensures all of your written communication is consistent. Everyone should use the same fonts for the right purposes throughout your branding – from your website, digital marketing and business cards to printed documents, and even Google Docs!
This section should comprise:
- Primary typeface – typically for display, headlines and subheadings
- Secondary typeface(s) – including a highly legible option for body copy
You’ll want to include information on font weights that can be used, such as bold or light, and include an example of font pairings.
Ballyhoo Brand Identity Service
Need help formalising your brand/expanding your logo? We’ve got a service for it! We can take your existing logo and expand it into a brand guidelines document, to be used with your website design. Contact us today to find out how the process works, and to get booked in for your project.
