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- Find inspiration<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 6 elements of a brand style guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Other brand-specific needs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Outline & build the book<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Plan for evolution<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>What is a brand style guide?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"brand](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/vistaprint\/images\/w_724,h_1024,c_scale\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1727434160\/ideas-and-advice-prod\/blogadmin\/Your-Brand-Style-Guide-Final-Design2x\/Your-Brand-Style-Guide-Final-Design2x.jpg?_i=AA\")
Your Brand Style Guide \u2013 Final Design2x<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n A brand style guide is a rulebook that explains how an organization presents itself to the world through its logo, font and color selections, photography and much more. Put another way, it’s a reference tool that helps maintain consistency in what a brand looks, feels and sounds like. It\u2019s so powerful that some people even call it a brand bible, but don\u2019t let that intimidate you\u2014those are just different names for the same document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a brand book ensures that your brand looks and feels the same, even when you have different people working on customer service, marketing, design and sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why are brand guidelines important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Think of your brand identity as your company\u2019s personality. It\u2019s how the world recognizes you and begins to trust you. If you see someone change how they look and act all the time, you won\u2019t feel like you know who they are, and you certainly won\u2019t trust them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine a co-worker who always wears a dress shirt tucked into slacks, with his hair cut neatly short. Now imagine if that same person walked into work one day unshaven, wearing cutoff jeans and sporting a new tattoo of a tiger riding a motorcycle through flames. It\u2019d probably feel uncomfortable because it\u2019s not what you\u2019re used to. You might even check in with him to make sure everything is okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same logic applies to brands: inconsistency will confuse and alienate your customers. A style guide is important because it helps your business communicate in a consistent way across all teams and channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The key components of brand identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you create a style guide, you need to know your brand. There are five key\u00a0components: mission, vision, target audience, brand personality and core values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- 6 elements of a brand style guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n