Why Brand Styleguides Matter and How to Create Them

Brand styleguides or guidelines are a set of rules and standards that define how a brand communicates its identity and values to the world and employees. They cover aspects such as

The appropriate use of the logos,
Color palate to be used in the visuals, website, social profiles etc.
Typography or the fonts that should be used.
The kind of Imagery that is allowed to be used on Websites, Blog Posts, Newsletters, social media profiles etc.
The Voice and tone of the brand that needs to be used consistently across all the communications.
Use of Emojis – what’s allowed and what’s not. How many can be used. Based on your Brands characteristics.

Importance of Brand Styleguides

Brand guidelines are important for several reasons. They help to:

Build brand recognition and awareness. Being consistent in the usage of Branding Elements helps make the brand easily identifiable and memorable
Establish brand credibility and trust.
Foster brand loyalty and advocacy by creating a strong emotional connection with the audience
Streamline brand management and collaboration by providing clear instructions and expectations for internal and external stakeholders.

How to create an effective Brand Styleguide

Define your brand vision, mission, values, and personality. These are the core elements that shape your brand identity and message. They should reflect what your brand stands for, what it does, and how it wants to be perceived.
Establish your brand visuals, such as your logo, color palette, typography, and other graphic elements. These are the visual expressions of your brand identity and message. They should be consistent, distinctive, and appealing to your target audience.
Determine your brand voice archetype and tone. They should match your brand personality and convey the right emotion to your audience.
Document your brand guidelines in a clear and comprehensive way. Include examples, dos and don’ts, and best practices for using your brand assets and resources. You should also update your brand guidelines regularly to keep them relevant and fresh.

Three Examples of Brand Styleguides

To illustrate how brand guidelines work in practice, let’s look at some examples from famous brands:

Starbucks:

Starbucks Creative Expression

Starbucks is a global coffee company that aims to inspire and nurture the human spirit. Its brand guidelines reflect its values of warmth, community, and craftsmanship. The brand uses a simple and elegant logo that features a stylized siren, a symbol of its heritage and passion. The brand also uses a monochromatic color scheme that evokes sophistication and elegance, and a sans serif font that conveys simplicity and accessibility. The brand’s imagery showcases its diverse and high-quality products, as well as its social and environmental initiatives. The brand takes a friendly, inviting and conversational tone.

Uber:

Download the guideline here Uber | PDF document | Branding Style Guides

Uber is a technology platform that connects people with various transportation options. Its brand guidelines reflect its vision of making mobility accessible and reliable for everyone. The brand uses a dynamic and flexible logo that adapts to different contexts and markets, representing its diversity and innovation. The brand also uses a vibrant and diverse color palette that expresses its energy and optimism, and a custom typeface that balances legibility and personality. The brand’s imagery showcases its range of services and features, as well as its impact on communities and cities. The brand’s voice and tone are confident, helpful, and respectful, reflecting its values of safety, quality, and convenience2.

Mailchimp:

Mailchimp is a marketing platform that helps small businesses grow and succeed. Its brand guidelines reflect its personality of being fun, creative, and approachable. The brand uses a playful and iconic logo that features a smiling chimpanzee, a mascot that embodies its humor and charm. The brand also uses custom typeface that blends functionality and flair. The imagery used showcases its diverse and quirky illustrations, animations, and photography, which add a human touch and a sense of wonder to its brand. The brand’s voice and tone are friendly, witty, and informal, reflecting its mission to empower and inspire its customers

Reference:

Create Brand Guidelines Online (How-tos, Templates, Tips) | Canva

16 Great Examples of Brand Guidelines (2024) (oberlo.com)

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FAQs

Why is a brand style guide important? ›

Your brand style guidelines support your marketing initiatives by ensuring your messaging is consistent with brand standards. This helps build brand equity, which makes your brand more recognizable in the market and contributes to audience awareness.

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Why do brands branding matter? ›

Good branding helps businesses create a strong, recognizable identity that customers can trust. It also allows businesses to stand out from the competition and attract new customers. Reason 2: Good branding allows customers to recognize your business.

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Do I need a brand style guide? ›

The best brands use common visual elements and styles to increase brand recognition. A brand style guide is an essential tool to ensure your company produces consistent, cohesive work — especially if you work with creative partners like freelancers or a marketing agency.

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What is the main purpose of using a style guide? ›

A style guide is a set of standards for the writing, formatting and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting within a document and across multiple documents.

Why is it important for your brand to have a defined style? ›

Ensure Brand Consistency

A brand style guide is essential to keep if your company wishes to ensure consistency in the use of your brand elements. These elements make your company's visual identity. It is the visual identity that helps people in building a certain perception of what your company is all about.

Why is branding so powerful? ›

Your brand represents your promise to your customers … and yourself. The very first reason branding is important, probably the most important reason, is that it very succinctly makes a promise to your customers. A good brand will always tell customers what they should expect—and hold you to—when they work with you.

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What are the three reasons that branding is important? ›

The Importance of Branding. Your brand is arguably one of your organization's most important assets. It gives your organization an identity, makes your business memorable, encourages consumers to buy from you, supports your marketing and advertising, and brings your employees pride.

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What is the power of branding? ›

Brand power is the collective trust, loyalty and respect that customers have for a brand. This can come from years of customer feedback and/or recognition in the industry.

How do I create my own design style? ›

How can you develop a unique design style that stands out?

Know your goals and audience.
Research and analyze.
Experiment and explore.
Get feedback and refine.
Be consistent and confident.
Here's what else to consider. Be the first to add your personal experience.

Sep 20, 2023

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What are the components of a brand style guide? ›

A brand style guide includes the correct usage of the logo, colors, style of imagery, iconography, typography, copywriting voice and tone, and illustration guidelines.

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Who uses a brand style guide? ›

The brand style guide is the foundation of a consistent brand. This set of rules helps marketers, designers and social media marketers to stay on the same page when representing a unified vision of a company to the public.

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How do I choose my brand style? ›

Before you create a style guide, you need to know your brand. There are five key components: mission, vision, target audience, brand personality and core values. Together, these are the most important things needed to establish your brand identity because they tell the world what you stand for.

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What is a brand style guide example? ›

A good brand guide example will include examples of use and unacceptable uses of all the branding elements. It's a sort of do's and don'ts list that will help designers streamline their vision so it fits your brand identity.

Why is brand standard important? ›

Brand standards ensure that the use of logos, colors, typography, and imagery remains the same across all touchpoints, reinforcing the brand's identity and values. In a crowded marketplace, strong brand standards set a brand apart from its competitors by its unique value proposition, personality, and positioning.

Why is a brand book important? ›

The main purpose of a brand book is to showcase and explain your brand's identity, mission, visual style, and core values. Your brand book will help customers and staff clearly understand what you want to portray to your audience.

What is the purpose of a style guide in UI/UX design? ›

UI Style Guides are a design and development tool that brings cohesion to a digital product's user interface and experience. At their core, they: Record all of the design elements and interactions that occur within a product. List crucial UI components such as buttons, typography, color, navigation menus, etc.

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What is the purpose of a style guide in the journalism industry? ›

Having a style guide gives writers clarity and helps to ensure they create consistent, professional content — regardless of content type. Ideally, it should be a resource that makes life easier and makes sure that what content creators are writing reflects the company's brand, style, and tone of voice.

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Why Brand Styleguides Matter and How to Create Them - Seven Fold Branding and Design Solutions (2024)