Brand guidelines

The main job of a set of brand guidelines is to prevent the elements of a visual identity from being used incorrectly on printed or digital material of any kind — whether in terms of size, proportion, or the colours applied.

Brand guidelines exist first and foremost to keep visual communication coherent, consistent and harmonious, for every subsequent use of the brand on any type of material. They have no fixed structure: they can be simple or extensive, covering only the principal elements of the brand or, in the fuller version, every element of it. A set of brand guidelines must, however, always contain the following.

A. A description of the brand’s essence

As set out above, the information in a set of visual identity guidelines has to be detailed and has to cover every component of a brand’s visual identity. It is important, then, that the document describes and explains all the reasoning behind the design decisions: colour, form, symbols and so on. Those details are in fact the essence of the brand, which in concrete terms should come down to its values, its positioning, the message it intends to convey, its mission and its vision.

B. The logo and the tagline (where there is one)

The logo is generally the first and most valuable visual element of a brand, and it is also the one that will be used most often, on the majority of visual elements — which is why it is presented immediately after the general description of the brand.

The accepted versions of the logo’s placement are set out and specified, vertical and horizontal, along with the proportions that must be preserved and the sizes to be respected in every use. The document illustrates in detail how the logo is used alongside the tagline, where there is a tagline that goes with a logo, and how it is used in its absence.

C. The colour palette

Brand guidelines must clearly specify the colours used in the graphic rendering of the brand elements, along with their codes in the various colour modes (RGB, CMYK and so on).

D. Typography

Brand guidelines also carry the typographic instructions: the type families used, sizes, line height, kerning values, and any formatting styles that exist.

E. Placing the logo and tagline on different surfaces and material

The placement of the logo and the tagline is set out for printed documents such as business cards, personalised envelopes, letterheads and fax sheets. Beyond that, the identity elements also appear online — on the company website, the online store, advertising banners, newsletters, business communications and so on.