Why You Need A Brand Guide

Your brand guidelines are a system for scaling and showing up consistently. You can use them yourself when creating graphics in Canva for your business, and they help guide designers or other people helping you so you show up with a cohesive brand vibe across customer touch points. Brand guidelines not only save you time, as you’re not making design decisions every time you have to create graphics for your business, they also help you make money because consistency builds trust and recognition with your audience which makes people buy

To be more specific, a brand guide, also known as a brand style guide or brand identity guide, is a document that outlines the various elements that constitute a brand's identity. It's essentially a set of guidelines for maintaining consistency across  the brand's communication, design, and overall presentation across different channels. A brand guide typically includes the following components:

1. Brand Mission and Values: Mission statement and core values that represent what the brand stands for and the principles it upholds.

2. Brand Messaging: Guidelines for the brand's tone of voice, messaging style, and key phrases that align with the brand's identity and resonate with its target audience.

3. Logo Usage: Clear specifications on how the logo should be used, including variations, sizing, spacing, and placement on different backgrounds.

4. Color Palette: A set of primary and secondary colors that represent the brand, along with guidelines on their usage in various contexts, such as digital and print materials.

5. Typography: Specifications for the fonts and typography styles to be used in different brand materials, ensuring consistency in all written content.

6. Imagery and Photography: Guidelines for the types of images and photography that align with the brand's visual identity, including style, composition, and use of visuals.

7. Design Elements: Rules for the use of design elements such as shapes, patterns, icons, and other graphical elements that contribute to the overall brand aesthetic.

8. Branding Applications: Examples and guidelines for applying the brand identity to various materials, such as business cards, letterheads, websites, social media platforms, advertisements, and other marketing collateral.

9. Guidelines for Different Media: Instructions for maintaining consistency across different media platforms, including print, digital, and any other relevant channels.

10. Brand Usage Examples: Examples of correctly and incorrectly applied branding to illustrate how to maintain consistency and adhere to the guidelines provided in the brand guide.

A well-developed brand guide serves as a valuable resource for both you and people you hire to help you, ensuring that everyone involved in representing the brand understands its core identity and presents it consistently to the target audience. It helps maintain a strong and unified brand image, which is crucial for building brand recognition, trust, and loyalty among consumers.