Set Your Brand Style Guidelines in 2024 [Free Template]
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 4:34 am
What is a brand style guide?
A brand style guide is a document that helps you and your stakeholders understand how your brand assets should be used.
You can create a simple brand style guide in any format (Google presentation, Google Doc, Google Sheet, web page) or a more extensive style guide. For this, we recommend using a format that really allows you to showcase your brand.
We recommend not creating a Brand Style Guide in a static format such as PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.
You don't want to send your Style Guide to your stakeholders and have them download it to their devices. If this happens, you can no longer ensure that people are using the latest version of the guide. Mistakes will happen.
Publish your Guidelines where you can adjust them accordingly and make sure you have a single source of truth.
The free Brand Style Guide we provide in this article was created in Google Sheets.
Live within the Growth Storytelling Framework that helps you achieve your goals faster.
The benefit of having it in this sheet is that you can share the link with your stakeholders and no matter how often you change it, everyone will have the latest version when they access it through your link.
The secondary benefit is that it is always at your fingertips as you will use the other tabs in the Growth Storytelling Framework for your Content Distribution , Strategy , etc.
You can access our brand style guide template here for free .
Email registration is not required.
Below we explain how to use the template, and here are some Brand Style Guide Examples to inspire you.
Growth Storytelling Framework by StoryLabAI
Importance of a brand style guide
First, let’s review the importance of a brand style guide.
The template we provide is just that. A template.
It's up to you what you want to use, remove or add. Therefore, understanding the importance of a Style Guide is important to truly customize it.
Branding in general is important to evoke an emotion, to show what you stand for, and for your audience to recognize you.
A Brand Style Guide helps you document the look and feel of your cambodia business email list brand so that you and your stakeholders can be consistent when creating new assets. It is an essential part of your Inbound Marketing Strategy and overall marketing strategy.
Growth Storytelling Brand
[Step-by-step course]
Start Brand Growth Storytelling Course Today
How to tell better stories and get better results. Find the right message and strategy and attract the right people to add value and grow your brand.
Start the Brand Storytelling course
How to use our brand style guide template
1. Present your brand
Write a brief summary about what makes your brand unique and what you should always remember when creating new assets. It’s not about color codes, typography, etc., that comes later. What feeling do you always want to convey? What do you stand for? Make it in the form of a story.
2. Important keywords that describe your brand
Let's now go back to a couple of keywords that describe your brand. Is it playful, colorful, corporate, what is it?
3. Proper use of logo and link
What is the proper use of your logo? Do you always use fill? A specific background? How should people NOT use your logo?
Also link to their official logo.
4. Slogan(s)
Do you have a slogan? Do you have multiple slogans? Can they be used together? Can they be used in combination with your logo or not?
5. Color palette
What colors do you use? Be specific. Write down your color codes. What are the combinations that can be used together?
6. Typography
What is your font? Where can people download it? Do you use just one or several? When can each one be used?
7. Appropriate use of images
This ties in a bit with #1. What emotions do you want to evoke? For example, most nonprofits choose to only use positive imagery and stay away from negative emotions. They choose to empower rather than spread fear. What emotions do you want to evoke, and which ones do you want to stay away from?
8. Use of shapes and corners
Does your brand use shapes? How can they be used? What about sharp shapes, corners, boxes versus more organic ones? For consistency, it would be great to stick with one of the two.
A brand style guide is a document that helps you and your stakeholders understand how your brand assets should be used.
You can create a simple brand style guide in any format (Google presentation, Google Doc, Google Sheet, web page) or a more extensive style guide. For this, we recommend using a format that really allows you to showcase your brand.
We recommend not creating a Brand Style Guide in a static format such as PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.
You don't want to send your Style Guide to your stakeholders and have them download it to their devices. If this happens, you can no longer ensure that people are using the latest version of the guide. Mistakes will happen.
Publish your Guidelines where you can adjust them accordingly and make sure you have a single source of truth.
The free Brand Style Guide we provide in this article was created in Google Sheets.
Live within the Growth Storytelling Framework that helps you achieve your goals faster.
The benefit of having it in this sheet is that you can share the link with your stakeholders and no matter how often you change it, everyone will have the latest version when they access it through your link.
The secondary benefit is that it is always at your fingertips as you will use the other tabs in the Growth Storytelling Framework for your Content Distribution , Strategy , etc.
You can access our brand style guide template here for free .
Email registration is not required.
Below we explain how to use the template, and here are some Brand Style Guide Examples to inspire you.
Growth Storytelling Framework by StoryLabAI
Importance of a brand style guide
First, let’s review the importance of a brand style guide.
The template we provide is just that. A template.
It's up to you what you want to use, remove or add. Therefore, understanding the importance of a Style Guide is important to truly customize it.
Branding in general is important to evoke an emotion, to show what you stand for, and for your audience to recognize you.
A Brand Style Guide helps you document the look and feel of your cambodia business email list brand so that you and your stakeholders can be consistent when creating new assets. It is an essential part of your Inbound Marketing Strategy and overall marketing strategy.
Growth Storytelling Brand
[Step-by-step course]
Start Brand Growth Storytelling Course Today
How to tell better stories and get better results. Find the right message and strategy and attract the right people to add value and grow your brand.
Start the Brand Storytelling course
How to use our brand style guide template
1. Present your brand
Write a brief summary about what makes your brand unique and what you should always remember when creating new assets. It’s not about color codes, typography, etc., that comes later. What feeling do you always want to convey? What do you stand for? Make it in the form of a story.
2. Important keywords that describe your brand
Let's now go back to a couple of keywords that describe your brand. Is it playful, colorful, corporate, what is it?
3. Proper use of logo and link
What is the proper use of your logo? Do you always use fill? A specific background? How should people NOT use your logo?
Also link to their official logo.
4. Slogan(s)
Do you have a slogan? Do you have multiple slogans? Can they be used together? Can they be used in combination with your logo or not?
5. Color palette
What colors do you use? Be specific. Write down your color codes. What are the combinations that can be used together?
6. Typography
What is your font? Where can people download it? Do you use just one or several? When can each one be used?
7. Appropriate use of images
This ties in a bit with #1. What emotions do you want to evoke? For example, most nonprofits choose to only use positive imagery and stay away from negative emotions. They choose to empower rather than spread fear. What emotions do you want to evoke, and which ones do you want to stay away from?
8. Use of shapes and corners
Does your brand use shapes? How can they be used? What about sharp shapes, corners, boxes versus more organic ones? For consistency, it would be great to stick with one of the two.