What goes into brand guidelines, and why your team needs them

Logo use

This part shows every version of your logo: the main one, a stacked or shorter version, and an icon for small spaces like app icons and social profiles. It sets the clear space around the logo, the smallest size it can be used at, and which backgrounds it works on.

It also shows what not to do. Stretching, recolouring, adding shadows or placing the logo on a busy photo are the most common mistakes, and a page of clear examples prevents most of them.

Colours

Your brand colours listed with their exact values for print and screen, usually CMYK, RGB and HEX, plus Pantone if you print often. Good guidelines also say how much of each colour to use, so the main colour leads and the others support it.

Typography

Which fonts to use for headings, body text and small details, with sizes and weights. If your brand font isn't available everywhere, such as in Microsoft Office or email, the guidelines should name a safe fallback so documents still look like they come from the same company.

Imagery and graphic elements

The style of photos and illustrations that suit your brand, and any patterns, icons or shapes that are part of the identity. This is what makes a brand recognisable even when the logo isn't on screen.

Tone of voice

How your brand sounds in words. Are you formal or relaxed? Do you use humour? A short description with a few examples of what to write and what to avoid helps everyone who writes for the brand, from your social media manager to the person answering customer emails.

Templates and real examples

The most useful guidelines don't stop at rules. They include ready templates for the things you make often, like social posts, presentations, letterheads and email signatures. Seeing the brand on real items makes it much easier to follow.

Do you need a 100-page brand book?

Usually not. A small business can do well with 10 to 20 clear pages that people actually open. Larger companies with many teams, agencies or locations need more detail. What matters is that the document is easy to find and easy to use.

Brand guidelines are part of every brand identity project we take on. If you are still deciding whether you need a new identity, our piece on logo versus brand identity is a good place to start.