Typeface has two approaches to client brand guidelines. The first is a 1–2 page PDF explaining logo usage, font choices and colour palettes. Usually, this is adequate to maintain consistency between staff and serves as a reference document for external suppliers. Most branding projects will come with some form of this document.
The second, Brand Guidelines – note the capital letters – is a product. Brand Guidelines have a wider audience; they can be used as a tool to explain company ethos, ideals and tone. They can showcase the attention to detail that real brand thinking brings, and they can be used across the company as a handbook for staff and managers. Brand Guidelines are ego-driven, they’re aspirational: the company manifesto, manifest.
Brand guidelines aren’t set in stone. It’s important to understand them as context, especially as a graphic designer.
Often, I’ll work with clients who have their own brand guidelines. They will have worked with an agency when they went through their branding process, and when we start working together one of the first things I’ll ask is, “Do you have any brand guidelines?” This sacred document is then passed on, usually in .pdf or .ppt format.
A good designer will use those brand guidelines as a reference to ensure fonts, colours, logos, etc. are used appropriately so the finished piece of creative looks like it belongs. A great designer will take those same company brand guidelines and build on them with new creative ideas, a fresh perspective and a new set of eyes.
The most important document your company owns? Not yet.
Your brand guidelines should be a living document. As a foundation for on-brand thinking and creative work, you should add to them. As new technologies and ways of communicating evolve, so should your guidelines. That PDF of logo applications, business card layouts and fonts should grow as your business grows.
Tone is important.
I work with copywriters whenever I can. If you’ve worked with me on a web project, then you know that dreaded “do you have content?” question will be asked at some point. I’m a big believer in using outside perspectives and sources to communicate with your audience. As designers, we need content before we can even begin to design. When it comes to the web, it can be challenging to design something that hits the right tone without stellar copy. Tone tends to develop when a company has been around for 10+ years; it’s a way of solidifying thought, ethos and branding across departments and client outreach. Great companies work with a copywriter from day one as part of their branding process. Tone is the shortcut to consistency and tone is an important part of branding your company.
The irony of the smaller company
A lot of start-ups and small companies don’t lean into their strengths – those being agility, focus and attention. Instead, they try to appear bigger than they are, often setting expectations they can’t meet.
Larger companies open up. They don’t obscure the size of their staff to seem bigger; they lean on them as experts. After all, your employees are your best assets. Larger companies do everything to present as human, friendly and approachable; they rely on tone of voice to remain relatable.
Using Brand Guidelines to Align Your Team
Good Brand Guidelines do more than just cover logos and colours. A marriage of graphic design and tone of voice, they help shape how everyone inside a company thinks and talks about the brand. When done right, they give staff the confidence to communicate consistently, whether that is posting on social media, writing a proposal, or answering a customer email. If the tone of voice and company values are clear in the guidelines, then every team member – not just marketing – can represent the brand properly. This kind of consistency builds trust both inside the company and with clients.
Brand Guidelines are also a great tool for bringing new people up to speed. They are just as useful for onboarding as they are for designers. When everyone understands the brand’s personality and purpose, people in customer service will sound like those in sales. Not because they are following a script, but because they understand what the brand stands for. When used like this, brand guidelines stop being a strict rulebook and become a shared language that connects teams and helps the whole company speak with one voice.
Contact Typeface today
Your Brand Guidelines shouldn’t be something you create once and forget. They are a living, breathing part of your company that grows and evolves as you do. Take time to revisit them regularly, involve your teams, and keep them relevant to how you communicate today. When brand guidelines inspire rather than restrict, they become a powerful tool that unites your people and amplifies your message.
When was the last time you looked at your Brand Guidelines? Are they just a set of rules, or are they a true reflection of who your company is and wants to be? If you haven’t updated them recently, maybe now is the perfect time to start. Contact Typeface today.
