What is a Brand Style Guide and Why You Need One
When you think of branding, the first thing that likely pops into your head is a logo. This makes sense because a business name and the logo (the visual representation of the name) are practically synonymous. It’s difficult to think of a business you know well and not simultaneously picture its logo in your head. Coca-Cola. Amazon. Google. Apple. Practically impossible, right? That’s exactly the point!
The way a business visually communicates its name to the world is important. So once you know your business name (if you’re struggling with this, check out our blog, How to Pick a Name for Your Business), you most certainly need a logo to put a face to that name. But just as a face is only one defining feature of a person, there is a lot more to a brand than the logo.
The Difference Between a Company Brand and Its Branding
In addition to your name and logo, your company’s brand is made up of a variety of elements including mission, vision, values, messaging, tagline, tone of voice, and visual assets. All of these pieces work together to communicate your business’s personality and way of being in the world. Your brand is about all the ways you distinguish your business in the marketplace and when people think of you. Interested in reading more about this? Check out our blog, How to Create a Compelling Brand.
The visual assets or visual branding of your business includes the distinct logo, colors, fonts (also called typography), and imagery you use to help make that instantaneous connection in people’s brains to your business – who you are, what you do, and how you make them feel.
This is where a brand style guide comes in. Also known as brand standards or a brand manual, this is a document that identifies, defines, and creates a holistic look and feel for your business and how it presents itself visually. Exactly as its name states, it is intended to be the guide, the manual, that you continue to refer back to over time whenever you develop anything visually for your business. Every business, regardless of size or industry, needs a brand style guide.
Consistency is Key
We’re all hit with thousands of images and messages every single day. In order to foster a recognizable brand, consistency is key. Research shows it takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember a brand. Those impressions need to be congruent – visually consistent – in order for this to work.
A brand style guide levels you and your business up. There’s no more room for hodge-podge design – using this font here and this font there. No more throwing in random new colors to your website as you try to wing it. When executed well, it ensures that the last person you gave your business card to doesn’t feel confused when they go to your website or Instagram page because everything has consistent branding – from the website to the Instagram profile to the business card. Now you’re stepping it up.
Consistent branding creates a sense of reliability and professionalism, which builds trust with your target audience. A 2021 survey found that trust was a deciding factor in purchase decisions for 81% of the 1,000 customers surveyed. When you’re able to convey a clear brand image to your customers wherever they interact with your business, they are more likely to buy and become loyal advocates as well. And we all know that positive, word-of-mouth marketing can be one of the most powerful ways to get new business!
It’d be remiss of me to not also point out that having a brand style guide plays a crucial role for your internal team. It ensures that everyone on your team is on the same page so they can represent the brand accurately anywhere and everywhere. Whether it's a website designer making updates to your site or a social media manager creating graphics in Canva, having a clear thorough brand style guide allows everyone to have what they need to do good work and represent the business properly.
What’s Included in a Brand Style Guide?
A brand style guide can vary in length and content, but at a minimum, it should show and define:
logo usage
typography (or fonts)
colors
These are the most common elements that will be used across all of your brand collateral, so it’s important that they are clear and consistent.
Here’s an example of a Brand Style Guide we did for our client, Trauma & Relationship Counseling:
In addition, a brand style guide may include:
Mission, vision, and values
Messaging guidelines
Description of voice and tone
Iconography style
Photography and videography direction
Key graphic elements (such as textures or patterns)
Branded examples
It can even outline how your brand should be portrayed in different mediums such as print, digital, social media, apparel, and more.
Whether your brand style guide is simple or robust, the key is to follow through with consistent usage by anyone and everyone who is putting your brand out into the world.
Unexpected POV: Let It Grow As It Needs
Brand style guides are labeled as guidelines for a reason. They’re not meant to be hard and fast rules that can never be adapted or expanded upon. Instead, by providing parameters, you and your team have a solid foundation to build from, boundaries to be creative within – without harming the brand, and the opportunity to allow the brand to grow and evolve as it needs.
There should always be room for flexibility and growth because with time the trends, technologies, and business landscapes will change. On top of that, as your business grows and evolves, your brand may need to as well.
Having a set of guidelines in place makes it easier to introduce changes while maintaining a cohesive brand identity. Whether it's a slight tweak to your color palette to stay current or a major update for a new service or product line, brand guidelines provide the flexibility needed to stay relevant without losing your core essence.
To Summarize
A brand style guide is an essential tool that empowers your organization to sustain a brand that stands out, connects deeply with your customers, and thrives in today's competitive market. Every single business needs a brand style guide. And when you invest in it, you’re choosing to take your business to the next level.
If you’re realizing that you need to build out your business’s branding, we can help. Hoffbeck + Co offers a variety of packages that can be customized to your business’s branding needs.
Schedule a call with us today to learn more.
More soon,
alyssa
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
P.S.
Subscribe to get our weekly blog with marketing, business, and finance tips dropped straight into your inbox.
