Creating brand guidelines is an important step in establishing a consistent and recognizable brand identity. Here are instructions to help you create your own brand guidelines:

1. Define your brand's mission and values:

• Start by clearly defining your brand's mission, vision, and values. What does your brand stand for? What is its purpose? This will serve as the foundation for all your brand guidelines.

2. Identify your target audience:

• Understand your target audience demographics, preferences, and behaviors. This knowledge will help you tailor your brand guidelines to effectively communicate and resonate with your audience.

3. Determine your brand personality:

• Define the personality and tone of your brand. Is your brand playful and casual, or formal and professional? This will influence the language, voice, and visual elements you use in your brand guidelines.

• Create a brand identity system:

• Design a consistent brand identity system that includes your logo, typography, color palette, and imagery guidelines. Specify rules for logo usage, variations, clear space, minimum size, and acceptable color variations. Define font styles, sizes, and hierarchy. Establish primary and secondary color palettes, and provide guidance on when and how to use them. Determine the types of imagery that align with your brand and any specific guidelines for their use.

• Establish brand messaging guidelines:

• Define your brand's messaging guidelines, including your tagline, key messages, and brand voice. Provide instructions on the language and tone to be used in different communication channels and touchpoints. Specify any preferred vocabulary, grammar rules, or formatting guidelines.

• Outline brand collateral guidelines:

• Determine guidelines for various brand collateral such as business cards, letterheads, email signatures, and presentation templates. Specify the layout, logo placement, font usage, and color schemes for each collateral item. Include downloadable templates and examples if possible.

• Provide digital branding guidelines:

• Detail guidelines for digital platforms, including website design, social media profiles, and digital advertising. Specify layout principles, responsive design considerations, iconography, and imagery guidelines for web and mobile applications. Outline social media profile picture and header image specifications.

• Include brand usage examples:

• Include visual and written examples of correctly executed brand guidelines. Show how the logo should appear in different contexts, such as light and dark backgrounds, small sizes, and social media avatars. Demonstrate the correct usage of typography, colors, and imagery across different touchpoints.

• Review and iterate:

• Once you have drafted your brand guidelines, review them thoroughly to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with your brand's identity. Seek feedback from stakeholders, employees, or design professionals. Revise and iterate based on the feedback received.

Remember, brand guidelines should be a living document that evolves with your brand. Regularly revisit and update them as your brand grows and changes.

Downloadable template coming soon.