Consistent branding is crucial for any successful business, but it can be challenging to maintain across all communication channels. Having multiple means of communication with vendors and customers makes it even more difficult. That’s why a style guide is essential. It is a set of guidelines that dictate the look and feel of your brand, including the company’s tone of voice, colours, and fonts used in all communications.
In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of having a style guide for your company, the key elements that should be included, and how it can help maintain a consistent brand across all communication channels.
What needs to be included
The Style Guide should include every aspect of the company identity in the media. Some of the necessary topics to include are:
1. Logo: Examples of standard logos defining amont of clear space and minimum usable size are important to standardize documents. If your company uses diferent logos, providing examples of usage can be helpful. Various formats such as color, black and white, transparent, etc. and rules around placement and size of taglines are some other aspects that can be included.
2. Color Palette: Providing HEX, RBG, HTML and Pantone color palette to be used in logos, web pages and other media related documents will remove a lot of inconsistencies.
3. Fonts: In each category of the style guide, define font types, sizes, color, line-spacing, etc.
4. Links and Buttons: Define the size, color and style for links and button that are used on webpages. Illustrate these with relevant examples.
Sample Style Guide Pages
DO NOT consider the Style Guide as a design guide, instead consider it as a reference. The company must have design templates in place.
Closing thoughts
In conclusion, having a clear and consistent brand is essential for the success of any business. A well-designed style guide can help you achieve that by providing a clear reference point for all your communications, ensuring that your brand message is conveyed accurately and consistently across all channels. By following the guidelines outlined in your style guide, you can establish a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with your audience and helps you stand out from the competition.
So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to consider creating a style guide for your company and take your branding to the next level.
