What to include in Brand Guidelines (Real Example)

Summary

This video highlights the importance of creating brand guidelines for clients to maintain consistency across all branding assets. It covers essential elements such as brand tone, logo usage, color palettes, typography, and imagery. The speaker provides practical examples of brand guidelines for small businesses and discusses tools like Adobe Illustrator, Logo Package Express, and Contrast Checker. Emphasizing simplicity and accessibility, the video advises on creating easy-to-edit templates and delivering clear walkthroughs to clients, ensuring long-term brand consistency and adaptability.

Takeaways

• 😀 Brand guidelines are essential for maintaining brand consistency across all platforms and materials.
• 😀 Clients often misuse logos and other brand assets, so guidelines ensure proper usage to avoid mistakes.
• 😀 A good website for brand guideline inspiration is BrandGuidelines.net, where you can view examples from famous brands.
• 😀 Brand guidelines should include the brand’s core values, tone of voice, taglines, and customer persona to guide communication.
• 😀 Logos should have clear space guidelines, proper sizing, and variations for different applications (e.g., social media, print).
• 😀 Colors should be specified with exact codes (RGB, HEX, CMYK, Pantone) and include accessibility checks to ensure readability.
• 😀 Typography guidelines should cover primary and secondary fonts, as well as how to use them in different contexts (headings, body text).
• 😀 The visual style of images and icons should be defined, including color schemes and design characteristics.
• 😀 Application examples, like social media and print materials, are important to show how brand elements should be used in real-world scenarios.
• 😀 Brand guidelines should be scalable, evolving as the brand grows and adapts to new platforms or marketing needs.
• 😀 Providing clients with a walkthrough video of the brand guidelines can help them understand how to use assets effectively.

Q & A

Why is it important to create brand guidelines for clients?

Brand guidelines are essential for maintaining consistency in how the brand is presented over time. Clients often lack the expertise to ensure their brand assets are used correctly, which can lead to inconsistencies and damage to the brand's identity.

What are the key elements that should be included in brand guidelines?

The main elements of brand guidelines include the brand identity (values, tone of voice, taglines), logo usage (primary and secondary logos, variations), color palette (RGB, CMYK, Hex values), typography (font styles and usage), and imagery (style and application of photos and graphics).

What is the purpose of including annotations in brand guidelines?

Annotations help clarify the correct use of each brand element, such as explaining how a tagline should be used or what not to do with the logo. They provide context and ensure the guidelines are easy to follow, especially for clients who are not design-savvy.

What role do tools like Adobe Illustrator and Figma play in creating brand guidelines?

Adobe Illustrator and Figma are design tools that help create detailed and editable brand guidelines. Illustrator is preferred for high-quality design work, while Figma is a collaborative tool that allows for real-time updates and team input, making it ideal for larger teams.

How should logo variations be handled in brand guidelines?

Brand guidelines should include all logo variations, such as the primary logo, secondary logo, and logo icon. Each variation should be accompanied by usage rules, such as clear space requirements, minimum sizes, and placement guidelines to ensure consistent and correct application.

Why is it important to check the accessibility of color combinations in brand guidelines?

Accessibility is crucial because it ensures the brand is legible and usable by everyone, including people with visual impairments. By checking the contrast between colors, you can ensure that text and visuals are easy to read, even in challenging conditions or on small screens.

What is the benefit of including social media examples in brand guidelines?

Including social media examples in brand guidelines helps clients understand how to apply the brand identity to different digital platforms. For example, the placement of logos, banner images, and other visual assets on platforms like Instagram or Facebook should follow the established guidelines to maintain brand consistency.

How can brand guidelines evolve over time?

Brand guidelines should be flexible and adaptable as the brand grows. New assets, platforms, or marketing strategies may require updates to the guidelines. Regularly revising and expanding the guidelines helps keep the brand’s identity aligned with its goals and ensures its consistency across all channels.

What should a one-page brand guide include?

A one-page brand guide provides a simplified version of full brand guidelines, summarizing the brand’s core elements such as the logo, color palette, fonts, and key messaging. It’s ideal for smaller businesses or those with fewer resources but still needing a clear and concise reference.

Why is it important to deliver brand guidelines with a video walkthrough?

Providing a video walkthrough ensures the client understands how to use the brand guidelines and assets correctly. It helps to clarify any potential confusion, demonstrates how to implement the guidelines in practice, and adds a personal touch to the client’s experience.