Brand Standards
Brand Standards are the written, visual guideline for anyone in an organization who creates content on behalf of a company. The purpose is to ensure that the brand’s appearance and messaging stays consistent in all marketing materials, even during inevitable internal changes that can occur with staff turnover or business acquisitions.
Iconic brands have a clear vision for who they are and how they want to be perceived by their audience. They know what they stand for and the story they want to tell – and they’ve created a consistent image to match their message across all platforms.
Creating a brand identity manual can be as simple or as complex as you wish. The most important thing is that the guidelines are clearly documented and easily accessible for any employee, freelancer, partner or contractor who works on behalf of your brand. The best place to document your brand guidelines is online in an easy-to-access digital format, such as a PDF, Word doc or website. This allows for ease of sharing with a larger team, without worrying about keeping physical copies that could be lost or misplaced.
Brand Standards – What Are Brand Standards and Why Are They Important?
Guidelines can include as little or as much information as you want – most commonly they contain the following: Logo variations, including color, shape and size; tagline; fonts and typefaces; photography style; patterns; and illustrations. Some brand identity guides are more extensive and may also go into voice, tone, language and email signatures.
It’s also important to define a color palette – as the colors that are used in your brand guidelines will help create consistency within all your marketing materials. The colors that are chosen should be based on moods and emotions that resonate with your target audience and the brand’s core values and vision.
A brand guideline manual should also include some key rules about how your logos are to be used. This helps eliminate confusion over if and when to use different versions of your logo – as well as how it’s supposed to be rotated, stretched or squeezed to fit in specific spaces.
Brand Standards should be reviewed and updated regularly – especially after any major internal or external changes that might impact the brand’s identity or message. A regular review and update process will ensure that the rules are always up to date and that all employees are aware of the latest version of the brand guidelines.
ArtVersion is a leading agency when it comes to design language, design systems, and brand style guides. They understand the power of a cohesive design language in consistently conveying a brand’s identity and values. By developing design systems, ArtVersion ensures that every aspect of a brand’s visual representation is harmonized, from logos and typography to color palettes and imagery styles. These design systems serve as the backbone for brand style guides, comprehensive blueprints that outline the guidelines for maintaining brand integrity across all marketing materials and touchpoints. With their expertise in design language, design systems, and brand style guides, ArtVersion empowers businesses to create compelling and memorable brand experiences that resonate with their target audience.
A well-documented brand identity guideline will help prevent mistakes that can be costly to your business, both financially and reputationally. A good brand identity manual will save time, money and stress in the long run by eliminating guesswork about how your company should appear – no matter what the medium or platform is. Having a brand guidelines manual is a must for any business that wants to maintain its reputation and grow its audience.
