Beyond a Logo, Brand Guidelines That Define Your Business

Brand guidelines are a set of rules that help ensure consistency in how a brand is presented across different channels and platforms. They typically include guidelines for things like logo usage, typography, color palette, imagery, tone of voice, and overall brand style.

Often when we work with clients, we perform a competitive analysis to not only know the landscape but to identify differentiators for your business that stand above the competition. It’s easy to create a Facebook post. It’s easy to order merch or swag with your logo. It’s much harder to keep your strategy on track, and creating guidelines is one way to keep your content consistent across all channels.

Brand guidelines are important because they help create a strong, recognizable brand identity that customers can easily identify and connect with. Have It Your Way. Just Do It. The happiest place on earth. A Diamond is Forever. You’re in good hands.

If you read those slogans and knew immediately the brand, you’re not alone. You probably even pictured the logo for each brand and possibly even can recall the voice in the commercials.

A set of branding guidelines also helps ensure that all communication and marketing materials are consistent and cohesive, increasing familiarity with your business and building brand trust and loyalty. In rural areas with smaller populations, we like to do business with faces we know. This is the next step in scaling up for success.

Thinking of your brand guidelines as a blueprint for how a brand should look, sound, and feel, provides a framework for maintaining consistency and clarity in every interaction with your target audience. Going beyond a logo to create an entire brand, not just hanging a shingle and hoping for the best is a great exercise