Brand Guidelines Made Simple: How to Keep Your Brand Consistent
January 17
7-minute read
KEY INSIGHTS:
Brand guidelines are your rule book for visual and verbal consistency.
Clear guidelines save your team time, reduce mistakes, and strengthen brand recognition.
A strong brand guide reflects your brand strategy and brings cohesion no matter who creates content.
We have all experienced it.
We sit down to create content, a social post, or a landing page, and then stop. Is this on brand? Did I pick the right colors, tone, or font? Should I use this image or that one? The hesitation is normal. We are not alone. Even experienced marketers second guess themselves when brand rules aren’t clear.
Brand guidelines exist to solve this problem. They give you a clear roadmap to follow and keep everyone on the same page. Think of them as a guidebook for your brand identity that ensures your messaging, visuals, and tone are consistent, no matter who is creating the content.
Why Brand Guidelines Matter
Consistency builds trust. Customers recognize and remember brands that present a unified voice and look. A study from Lucidpress found that consistent branding can increase revenue by up to 23 percent.
Your brand guide is also a productivity tool. Teams don’t have to guess what colors, fonts, or logos to use. They reference the guide and create with confidence. Canva Docs or other collaborative tools make it easy to build and share a living document that everyone can access.
Brand Guide vs. Style Guide vs. Brand Book
Brand guidelines: Comprehensive, covering brand DNA, verbal and visual identity, and messaging.
Brand style guide: Focuses more narrowly on fonts, colors, imagery, tone, and voice.
Brand book: Historically printed brand guidelines. Now you can treat it as a synonym for your digital brand guide.
What to Include in Your Brand Guide
Your document should provide clarity and direction. At minimum, include:
Brand DNA: Purpose, vision, mission, values
Audience: Who you’re speaking to
Voice and tone: How your brand communicates
Logo usage: Sizes, spacing, placement
Color palette: Exact codes for consistency
Typography: Fonts, weights, and hierarchy
Imagery and design elements: Photos, graphics, icons
Templates and examples: Concrete references for your team
Tips for Building Guidelines that Work
Collaborate with your team
Collect input from marketers, designers, and anyone shaping the brand.
Use inspiration, but be specific
Mood boards are great, but define color codes, font sizes, and usage rules.
Keep it flexible
Brand evolves. Guidelines should be a living document that grows with you.
Reflect your brand in the guide
Make it visually and verbally aligned with your brand personality.
Your brand guidelines are the blueprint for momentum. Clarity in your rules creates confidence in execution.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Brand guidelines reduce mistakes, save time, and build trust.
Collaboration and specificity make guidelines practical.
A living document keeps your brand consistent across all teams and platforms.
Done is better than perfect. Launch your guide and iterate as your brand grows.
For a step-by-step approach to creating brand guidelines, check out the DIY Digital Marketing Guide or watch our free workshop on building an omnichannel digital marketing infrastructure.
