Brand book and guidelines: one practical document used by the team, agencies and partners

A brand book nobody opens does not protect the brand. A brand book that answers the everyday questions of the team and partners does. We prepare practical documents: rules with examples, files to hand and templates, so that the next piece of material is created in line with the brand without asking a designer.

What should a brand book contain?

A brand book is written for the person who has to make a graphic at nine in the morning and has no time to ask. If they do not find the answer within a minute, they will do it their own way.

A good brand book is short where it can be and precise where it must be. It contains:

brand fundamentals: message, character, who it speaks to, what sets it apart,
the logo: versions, clear space, minimum sizes, backgrounds, what not to do, with examples,
colours and typography: values, proportions, hierarchy, applications,
photos and graphics: style, good and bad examples,
applications: how the brand looks on the website, in a presentation, in a post, on a stand, in an email,
tone of voice: how the brand sounds, which words it uses, which it avoids.

How do we prepare a brand book?

We collect questions. From the team, agencies and partners: what they ask most often, where they go wrong, what they are missing. The brand book answers those questions.
We organise the rules. Based on the visual identity and tone of voice we write down the rules, each with a good and a bad example from the company's materials.
We design the document and the summary. A full version for those who design, and a few-page summary for everyone else.
We share it with the files. Brand book, logo, colours, fonts and templates in one place, with access for the team and partners. With a rule on who updates it.

What do you get?

a brand book in full and short versions,
a complete set of brand files, organised and linked from the brand book,
examples of good and bad use from the company's materials,
one place used by the team and partners.

When is it worth preparing a brand book?

after tidying up or designing the visual identity,
when more people than one designer work with the brand,
when the company works with agencies, distributors or branches,
when the current brand book has a hundred pages and nobody opens it.

Frequently asked questions

We have a brand book, but nobody uses it. What can we do?

It is usually too long, too general or without examples. We rework it into a practical version: a summary, examples, files to hand. Often that is enough instead of a new document.

Does the brand book cover tone of voice?

Yes, in our approach a brand book covers both look and sound, because the customer perceives both at once. Tone of voice can be a separate chapter or a separate document, depending on how the team works.

How often should a brand book be updated?

With every change in the brand, the offer or the channels. In practice it is worth reviewing the whole thing once a year. We can do this as part of ongoing consistency control.