Consistent brand design ensures that a brand’s identity and values are clearly communicated, understood, and implemented. This not only supports the brand message, but also builds trust, increases brand equity, and enables differentiation from the competition.
A design guide is a key tool in ensuring brand consistency. It contains all the guidelines and specifications for the visual appearance of a brand and helps to ensure that all design elements are implemented consistently and professionally.
Basic elements of a design guide
A design guide is the central document that defines all relevant design rules. These rules relate to the logo, color palette, typography, imagery, layout, and other graphic elements. With clearly defined guidelines, everyone knows how the brand should be used, regardless of who is working on it or on what medium.
- Consistent logo management: A design guide defines the correct use of the logo, e.g. size, placement, colors, and minimum spacing.
- Color palette: Colors play a central role in brand perception. A design guide defines a fixed color palette and specifies exact color values (e.g. RGB, CMYK, HEX).
- Typography: A design guide defines the brand’s primary and secondary typefaces and their use in different contexts. This includes font sizes, line spacing, bold, and the proper use of fonts.
- Image and graphic guidelines: Images and illustrations contribute significantly to the brand’s aesthetic. A design guide defines the style of imagery used (e.g., minimalist, vibrant, realistic) and provides guidelines for the use of photos or graphics.
- Design templates for different types of media: A design guide often includes templates or best practices for designing different types of media, such as websites, brochures, social media posts, or advertisements.
How to create a design guide
Step 1: Analyze the audience
Before you start working on the design guide, make sure you understand your target audience. Your design guide should present the brand’s visual identity in a consistent way, but it should also be tailored to the needs, expectations, and preferences of the target audience. Who are your customers? What do they expect from the product or brand? What emotions or associations should the design evoke in them?
Step 2: Define your brand identity
Your design guide should clearly reflect your brand’s values and identity. Answer the following questions: What are your brand’s core values? What message do you want to convey? How do you want the brand to be perceived (professional, fun, innovative, etc.)?
Step 3: Set logo guidelines
The logo is one of the essential elements of branding. Establish clear guidelines for the use of the logo. These include primary and secondary versions of the logo, color and monochrome versions, minimum size and white space around the logo, and improper modifications to the logo (e.g., distortions, color changes).
Step 4: Set the color palette
Colors have a powerful emotional impact and are an important part of brand identity. Determine the color palette that represents your brand by using primary colors (such as the main brand color), secondary colors (supporting colors), and tertiary colors (for accents or background elements). Specify the exact color code for each color (HEX, RBG, CMYK).
Step 5: Create your typographic guidelines
The right type contributes to the perception of the brand. Select primary and secondary fonts and determine how they’ll be used. This includes the main headline font, body text font, font size, spacing and hierarchy, bold, italics, and alternate weights. Make sure the fonts are easy to read and match your brand personality.
Step 6: Set image and graphic guidelines
The style of any photos must be clearly defined. Whether realistic, minimalist, colorful, or another style, images must convey the desired mood of the brand and be consistent with the overall visual identity. There should also be clear guidelines about color choice and area of use. Icons and symbols need guidelines for shape, size, and color.
Step 7: Create layout and design guidelines
Consistent layout is important for creating consistent user experiences across different media. Define design guidelines for different media formats. This includes grid systems (for print and web), spacing and margins, placement of text and images, and examples of different layouts (e.g., website, social media, business cards).
Step 8: Examples and do’s and don’ts
Use examples to illustrate how to use the design correctly and incorrectly. This will help avoid common mistakes. For example, give examples of how to use the logo correctly, specify do’s and don’ts in typography or color selection, and explain good and bad image choices.
Why more and more companies make their design guide available to the public
Many successful companies, such as Apple, Audi, and Google, have recognized that corporate design has become a key success factor in today’s world and have made their design guides available to the public.
One of the main reasons for publishing a design guide is to ensure a consistent brand image. Global companies need to ensure that their brand is consistent across all communication channels, regions, and cultural contexts. A publicly available design guide enables internal teams, external partners, and even fans of the brand to apply the design guidelines correctly.
One example is Apple, whose minimalist approach to corporate design is reflected in every touchpoint of the brand. By having clear guidelines for the use of its logo, colors, typography, and imagery, Apple stays consistent across media. Publishing these guidelines helps maintain brand consistency and avoid misunderstandings.
By making their corporate design guidelines transparent, companies strengthen trust in the brand and foster a deeper bond with their target groups. Audi is a good example of how disclosing design principles can strengthen brand loyalty. The premium car brand values clarity, precision, and technology—values that are clearly expressed in its corporate design. The public can understand how carefully the design has been planned, which underscores the authenticity of the brand.
Tips for updating and maintaining a design guide
Establish fixed dates (e.g., annually or every two years) for reviewing the design guide. Even if no obvious changes seem necessary, minor adjustments may be required.
Identify a team or point person within the organization who’s responsible for maintaining and monitoring the design guide. This team will gather feedback and make recommendations for adjustments. They should regularly solicit feedback from internal design teams, external partners, agencies, or marketing departments. Those stakeholders work with the guidelines on a daily basis and can provide valuable insight into which parts of the guide are impractical or outdated.
The design guide should allow for flexibility, especially in fast-moving areas such as social media. Provide options for handling special cases, such as alternative color palettes or image formats.
When do you need to update your design guide? There are a variety of triggers, such as:
- When a company launches a new brand strategy, positioning, or image.
- When new channels (such as social media, apps, augmented reality) emerge that have specific design requirements.
- In the event of a merger, acquisition, or significant change in product portfolio.
- When feedback from users of the guidelines (designers, agencies, partners) indicates that certain rules are unclear or difficult to apply.
- When design trends or technological capabilities develop (e.g., new web standards).
Implement versioning of the design guide to keep track of changes. Document when and why certain rules were adjusted. This allows everyone to understand how the corporate design has evolved over time.
Microsoft Office documents should reflect your corporate identity
Every document—whether internal or external—contributes to the perception of your brand. If the logo, color palette, or fonts in a Microsoft Office document don’t match the corporate design, the result is an inconsistent brand image.
Embedding your design guide into your Microsoft Office applications can help. It’s easy—with empower® Brand Control.
empower® Brand Control seamlessly integrates your brand guidelines with the features of Microsoft 365 so that all templates and design assets are always just a click away for users. They all work automatically in your corporate design, saving time and eliminating the need to search for and insert templates and design elements. It’s the easiest and fastest way to create brand-compliant presentations and documents.
Do you have any questions? Then please contact us!
Adhere to brand guidelines company-wide at the push of a button
Your guide to successful brand management
