When it comes to designing a brand, a few elements need to be included to make your brand consistent as you move forward in the business world. This usually comes in the form of a brand style guide.
A brand style guide is a blueprint of your brand’s visual elements. This guide is there for you (and your team) to refer back to when you need to implement your brand designs into your marketing materials, your website, or really anywhere else that design comes into your business.
Your brand style guide is a simple but powerful tool to help your brand stay consistent and memorable. Oh, and it also helps you establish the super important trust and loyalty factor with your audience!
Basically, there are plenty of benefits for having a brand style guide. So, I thought I’d walk you through the anatomy of a brand style guide so you have all the elements in place for your branding style and design to succeed!
Main Logo
This is your main or primary logo and (if designed right) should be able to represent your brand quickly and effectively to your audience. A logo usually comes in the form of one of these three: a symbol or icon, a wordmark, or a lettermark.
- A symbol or icon is like the Nike swoosh, Shell’s shell, or Apple’s apple.
- A wordmark is an all text logo, like The New York Times or Coca-Cola.
- A lettermark is a text-based logo with initials in place of the whole name, like MSNBC, H&M, IBM.
Just remember, your brand is more than just your logo.
Alternate Logos
Alternate logos are the variations of your main logo. These logos will have a very similar look and feel to your main logo but they might vary in their color and layout.
There will usually be situations where your main logo won’t fit in the space provided, so having an alternate logo can come in handy. For instance, if your main logo is a wordmark containing a longer word, your logo will probably work best in wide spaces (like website headers).
This same wide logo might be too hard to read or get cut off when used as your Instagram profile photo. That’s why alternate logos like letter marks, submarks, and stacked logos are great options to have so you can stay consistent with your branding, no matter what platform you are on.
Learn more about the different logo types nad how to use them here.
Color Palette
Your color palette consists of the exact color codes that represent your brand. Your palette can have two colors or it can have eight. Just make sure that each color plays a specific role or evokes a specific emotion with your audience.
A color palette usually consists of both light and darker colors often used in the alternate logo variations, the main logo, your text, and even in your images. You should also note the exact HEX code for each color as this will help your branding colors stay on point whether they are viewed on-screen or on print.
If you want to find out your color brand personality, read this post!
Typography
Your typography is a collection of specifically selected fonts that will represent your brand on any front-facing material. Usually, you will have around 3 fonts: a main font for headings, an alternative font for subheadings or for emphasis on words, and a body font for your paragraphs or bodies of text.
Having these fonts handy and accessible will help keep all your branding elements cohesive. I can’t tell you how many fonts look super similar but can completely change the look and feel of a brand! Even bolding and italicizing fonts make a huge difference to a brand’s look. Your brand style guide needs to note which font and which format should be used specifically.
Favicon
While favicons aren’t vital, I do think they round out a brand nicely – especially online. Basically, favicons are the icons used in the URL and web browser address bar for your website.
I love seeing brands’ favicons on the tab rather than the default world icon. It just adds that little bit of spice and everything nice to a brand – and I always include them for my client’s brand style guide!
Brand Texture & Patterns
Brand textures and patterns are another fun branding element that, while not required, definitely adds a little pizzazz to a brand. These textures or patterns should correlate with your overall branding style and can be used on your social media and on your website or anywhere else your branding is used.
Using patterns and textures is a fun way to incorporate some of your brand’s accent colors too.
Mood Board
Moods boards are a collage of images that best represent your brand. These images usually capture your brand’s overall mood or tone through the colors, edits, and textures found in the images. A mood board provides your audience with a mini brand experience so that you can grasp the overall brand attraction you are going for.
A brand style guide is there for you (and your team) to keep your business on-brand and cohesive as you maneuver your way to success. Make sure you have all the basic components to create a beautiful and strategic brand that is as unique and memorable as you are!
Have questions about brand style guides? Or are you ready to get started on your branding strategy and design? Contact me and let’s get started! I would love to help you find success through branding.
