Why Every Business Needs to Generate a Brand Guideline

When starting a business or trying to become more established, there are a lot of things to create before the official launch.

• Company name
• Website / Digital Platforms
• Products / Services
• Contract Templates

If you have all these things created beforehand, you might want to give it a go and make a brand guideline.

What is a Brand Guideline Anyway?

If you are trying to make your brand known and recognizable on all platforms digital or physical, a logo is not enough.

A brand guideline will serve as the handbook for your brand's identity. It outlines how your brand should look and feel across different platforms, ensuring everything from your logo to your tone of voice is consistent and recognizable. It's all about making sure your brand feels the same to everyone, everywhere.

Why You Need A Brand Guideline for Your Business

No business owner aims to stay small. You start a business, the goal is to grow, expand, and earn more profit. Once your business gets bigger, you need to hire more people which is why it's important to have a complete and comprehensive brand guideline to keep all parameters clear.

ALL employees must have a copy of the guidelines to avoid producing any content or product visible to your consumers that does not align with your brand's identity. Even, presentations, proposals (internal and external), marketing content, and anything that MIGHT go in public are not exempted from the guidelines.

A brand guideline includes:

• Logo usage: A set of instructions on the correct logo usage, sizing, positioning, and spacing.

• Color palette: The specific set of colors, from primary to secondary colors to be used on all platforms and marketing materials.

• Typography: Font rules, sizes, and how to maintain consistency everywhere it's placed.

• Imagery style: The specific elements and graphics requirement even photography to ensure the brand's identity will not be altered.

• Tone of voice: Includes the language, attitude, and personality used in written and spoken content. This will ensure all messages are conveyed in the same tone whether it's professional, casual, funny, intellectual, or authoritative.

• Application across different media: Directions on how to make sure all elements fit perfectly in all materials whether printed or digital.

Things To Remember When Creating A Brand Guideline

Whether you or someone else will be making your brand guidelines, you have to know the information you need to have before starting to create your guidelines after all, it is still your business.

1. Understand Your Brand's Core Values

• - Know your brand’s mission, vision, and values.

• - Make sure all elements complement these aspects of your business.

2. Keep It Clear and Concise

• - Use simple terms.

• - Use number lists or bullet points for easy reading and navigation.

3. Include Visual Examples

• - Illustrate the DOs and DON'Ts of the logo usage, colors, and fonts.

• - Give visual examples so it's easy to understand.

4. Define Your Brand's Voice and Tone

• - Be specific about your brand's voice whether it's casual, formal, intellectual, or authoritative.

• - Provide examples in different contexts.

5. Be Specific About Usage

• - Specify logo dimensions, correct spacing, and different color codes.

• - Make a list of approved fonts and sizes using different text types.

6. Allow for Flexibility

• - Always make room for adjustments and creativity.

• - Be open to trying new trends but make sure to keep the consistency.

7. Consider All Touchpoints

• - Include everything from digital to print.

• - Make sure everything has the same look and feel on all platforms.

8. Keep It Updated

• - Regularly revising the guidelines based on strategy changes and feedback is important.

9. Involve Your Team

• - Get input from different departments. Get feedback and suggestions from different departments.

• - The guideline not only involves the brand but also the people so make sure to meet the needs of your employees as well.

10. Make It Accessible

• - Provide both digital and printed versions.

• - Put the digital version on a shared drive.

Create a Brand Guideline in 1,2,3 Easy Steps!

With the help of uBrand’s brand guideline generator tool, you no longer have to spend too much time outlining the entire guideline. With just a few clicks, your complete brand guideline is now ready for download! 

Step 1: Customize Your Logo

Upload your logo or if you don’t have one, you can use an AI brand logo maker that will give you logo designs you can choose in just a few minutes. 

To create a logo using the AI tool, click on START, then enter the brand name and slogan if there is one then click on CONTINUE.

Next, choose a color palette that perfectly describes your brand. Click on, CONTINUE.

Choose your preferred font before clicking GENERATE.

You will see different logo designs with your brand name on it. You have to choose one to edit before purchasing the logo. 

Above the logo designs, you can see different tabs (Name, Color, Fonts, Symbol). You can click on them before finally deciding on a design and from there, customize the results. 

Click the design you have chosen and click on BUY to start using your new logo in creating your brand guideline. 

For as low as $29, you can get your logo with an 800x600px transparent PNG file. Other options, $59 and $99 have more perks including different high-resolution file formats and a matching Word and PPT file for your logo. Payment can be done using PayPal or Credit Cards. 

After payment, upload the file to the brand guideline generator. Proceed to adjust the colors and padding of each variation and you can download what you need by clicking the download icon on the lower right corner of each variation. 

Scroll down to upload your logo symbol which you can use as a profile photo for social media platforms or on Favicon. You can change the shape of your logo symbol by clicking on the upper-right corner of the block (circle, rounded, square, and clubhouse). 

Lastly, before generating your brand guideline, customize your logo which is often needed on social media profiles. Adjust the canvas shape as you wish then download them. 

Step 2: Adding Fonts, Graphics, and Brand Information

In this section, you can upload your fonts by clicking START on Color/Fonts under Brand Essentials. Do the same for Photos and Position one after another. 

It will look like this after you finish. 

Step 3: Generate, Review, and Download your Brand Guideline

On the upper-left corner of the page, you will see a Brand Guideline button in gradient color. Click on that to generate so you can review everything and edit if necessary before downloading the PDF version. 

Scroll to review and edit. If you are satisfied, click on DOWNLOAD PDF on the right side of the page. 

And you are done! You now have your complete brand guidelines with you and it’s ready to be shared with your employees. 

Quick Tip:

So it will be easier for you to update and share. Organize your brand kit in one place using a brand library so you can share everything even videos easily with your employees. 

A Brand Guideline To Keep Things In Line

Consistency will always be the key to maintaining a strong brand identity. If you fail to keep all your brand essentials aligned, you better start thinking again. With a platform like uBrand, in just a few clicks you can generate a brand guideline that will help you and your employees create, refine, and fit new content or products to all your marketing channels smoothly.