How to Create a Simple Brand Style Guide

The most important rule of branding is to be consistent.

Be consistent in communicating your brand message, in the products and services you provide, in every interaction with your customers, and also in the visuals that represent your brand.

With consistency in the design elements of every image, the visual connection to your brand will become stronger and more memorable.

For example:

Your logo colors should be used in your website design and social media profiles.
Your brand fonts should be used on your website and in your marketing images.
Your business cards and packaging should use an approved version of your logo.
Your sharing images should have continuity in content and style.
The easiest way to maintain that visual consistency is to create a brand style guide.

A brand style guide is a document (it can even be one page) that references the specifics of your brand visuals, so that every time you create a new image for your brand – or hire a designer to do so – the guidelines will be in place to maintain a cohesive look.

Here’s what a simple brand style guide should include:

Logo

All versions that are acceptable. For example, you may have a logo with and without a tagline, or different layouts, depending on where it will be used.

Color

Swatches of your logo colors and complementary brand colors referenced by HEX numbers. A great place to find inspiration and create color palettes is Adobe Color CC.

Typography

Your logo fonts and any other fonts that can be used on your website, printed materials, etc. Check out this article to learn how to choose the right typography for your brand.

Imagery

The custom designs and style of photos that support your branding.

You can set up a one-page style guide in almost any type of document – Google Docs, Word, Pages or even Photoshop.

Here’s an example:

Once you have a document with the specifics of your branding, you’ll have a quick reference to maintain consistency for every new image created.

Here’s a downloadable PDF template to create your own Brand Style Guide so you can start building that visual connection to your brand!