The Importance of Having Branding Style Guides

Let’s say you have a killer business idea. All the market research, investments and official legal aspects are done, and you are fortunate enough to have a valuable team by your side. Don’t cut the blue ribbon just yet. No business plan is complete without a clear branding vision for your company.

From B2B organizations to startups, great companies have brilliant branding style guides. Serving as the foundation for the face of your company, branding style guides should be an integral part of your marketing and content strategy.

 

A Brief History

Style guides are not a revolutionary concept, even though technology today makes us believe they are. With the invention of the printing press, suddenly more people could access information. Early printing publications created branding style guides relative to their businesses to create cohesiveness through layout and art as well as speech and prose. No kidding! This is why we use branding style guides today.

 

What Are Branding Style Guides?

A style guide, in essence, is a document that provides insight and scaffolding for the way your brand should be presented to the world from a graphic and language angle. It creates a coherent, overarching perspective of 3 key concepts:

 

  • Design: How will the logo look? What sort of color palette and themes will be used? How about font choice? What kinds of photography do you deem acceptable?

 

Check out this example from Spotify on what their logo is allowed to look like when used by their partners.

Content creation company screenshot of Spotify Style Guidelines to show example of style guidesContent creation company screenshot of Spotify Style Guidelines to show example of style guides.

We can see that they clearly show what is acceptable from their wordmark to their logo. They allow for examples of what NOT to do to make sure that they are completely transparent.

 

  • Language: Limitations of names, pairing of brands, terminology, authorizations, endorsements, and use of content—all these things need to be disclosed. Language can also overlap with design choices – what is it that viewers should feel from a selected photograph? What kind of communication style does your brand give? Is it simple and straight to the point or is it more thoughtful and open to interpretation?

 

Here is an example from Nike Football on what sort of language style they want to use in all their marketing choices.

 

Content creation company screenshot of Nike Football brand book to show example of style guides.

Content creation company screenshot of Nike Football Style Guidelines book to show example of language in style guides. 

Their title page immediately introduces us to the theme of their brand. Large, block letters against a passionate photograph of players in the background invokes their bold and shameless message. Inside we find more of the same, rather instead of calling it “identity guide” or “design rules,” they have “DESIGN COMMANDMENTS,” paralleling their motto, “BE BIG, EXPRESSIVE, UNAPOLOGETIC.”

 

  • Character: What sort of personality does your brand have? Is it fun and witty or quiet and subdued?

 

Find out about Chipotle’s personality by looking at their Instagram. 

 

 Content creation company screenshot of Chipotle's Instagram Profile to show example of personality.

 

Chipotle wants to interact with their customers on a personal level by showcasing memes about their food as well as their team. While it’s important to be relatable and approachable to customers, it is also important to highlight your products and brand as well at the same time as being in line with your mission statement.

 

Consistency is Key!

 

As discussed in our previous blog post, “The Importance of Having Consistent Social Media Themes and Styles,” consistency gives your brand a clear direction, a higher accuracy in targeting potential customers, and is necessary for brand growth. Having an aesthetically pleasing look and a clear communication style across all parts of your business is the goal here.

 

Not to mention, branding style guides also allow companies to tell a dynamic story about who they are and what direction they are going. With technology advancements today, businesses are fortunate to have an opportunity to tell their story on many new platforms and to an even bigger audience than ever before. It is crucial for an upcoming business to be as homogenous as possible across all areas, especially social media.

 

Today, social media serves as a first impression to many people about your company. Take pride in that! Building brand style guides can be overwhelming to one person, so share it with a content creation agency. Bright Age can help you with your branding and graphic design needs as well as your social media look. They can help guide you through the process and conduct the market research needed to help your company reach its potential. For more information on our services, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.