Brand guidelines

What it means

Brand guidelines are a document setting out how a brand's logo, colours, typefaces, images and tone of voice are used. They ensure a consistent look on the website, in print, on social media and in advertising, even when different suppliers and staff produce the materials.

They typically include logo variants and the clear space around the logo, prohibited uses, a colour palette with print and web codes, typography, photo and icon style, document templates and sample texts. Larger firms add rules for signage on premises and vehicles.

They are a tool of branding: a consistent look increases recognition and brand awareness. If a brand looks different in every channel, customers find it harder to remember and it seems less trustworthy.

How it works in practice

A small business needs only a short guide of a few pages: the logo in colour and single-colour versions, two or three colours, one or two typefaces and rules for photos. What matters is that everyone who creates materials has it, including outside agencies.

Guidelines speed up work. A designer, a web developer and a salesperson building a presentation all know which colours and fonts to use without asking every time. Templates for quotes, invoices and e-mail signatures make even routine communication look professional.

For recruitment campaigns and employer branding, the guide is extended with a tone of voice for candidates. For display advertising, it gains rules for banners in different formats so the brand is recognisable even in a small space.

What to watch out for

Brand guidelines do not replace legal protection. The logo and name are protected by a trademark, and when an outside designer creates the logo, a licence or transfer of rights must be secured by contract, or the author may later object to its use or modification.

Fonts and photos used in the guidelines carry their own licences. A commercial font bought for one computer may not be licensed for the web or an app, and stock photos come with usage restrictions that must be respected.