Why BRAND GUIDELINES are so important
Brand guidelines sometimes referred to as brand identity guidelines, is a document that you can use to help build and identify your brand. When companies work on a new branding project or undergo a rebrand, you should be given brand guidelines on completion of the project. They are handy for helping businesses keep there brand identity consistent, especially when dealing with multiple marketing suppliers and internal marketing departments.
As well as documenting referencing your brand identity, brand guidelines often include your brand strategy, brand story, and mission statement as well as the language used to communicate your brand. For more information about why branding is so important, please read, BUILDING YOUR BRAND.
What is included in your brand guideline document?
You can go for the basic outline or the fully comprehensive approach. Often, for smaller companies or start-ups, something necessary and quick to read is the best route, however, if you’re in charge of a company like Google, or Amazon, then you’ll need something more comprehensive.
- Mission Statement – should be based on your “Onliness Statement; keep it simple, and let your potential customers know instantly who you are and what you can do for them.
- Brand Story
- Colours – colour meanings and usage
- Fonts, and their application
- Logo design, application and spacing, do’s and don’ts
- Photography/Illustration styles and their application
- The tone of voice – how the company communicates with its selected target audiences, you certainly wouldn’t talk to a solicitor the same way you would speak to a young child. We communicate with different people in different ways all the time, so your business needs to adopt a tone of voice which matches the expectations of its target audience.
- Examples of marketing solutions.
Here at Clarke Creative, we have produced lots of Branding Guidelines, from large corporates down to small SME’s. Each has similar content but are in there nature completely different, reflecting the values, traits, and branding styles of there individual businesses.
