Firstly, what is a style guide? And why do I need one?
A brand style guide is basically a rulebook that explains how a business presents itself to the world. It contains all of the rules about how a logo and its submarks should be used. Additionally it outlines what fonts should be used for headings and body copy, the colour palette and guidelines for their use, the photography style and graphics. It also contains guidelines for how these all pull together to represent your brand across social media, your website, print materials, marketing etc.
A style guide is important to a business for a few reasons:
Consistency:
A style guide ensures consistency in the way a brand is presented to the public, which can help to establish a brand’s voice.
Efficiency:
A style guide can save time and effort by eliminating the need for constant editing and revising of content.
Brand recognition:
A style guide ensures that all materials produced by a business, including websites, marketing materials, social media, and other forms of digital and print content, are in line with the company’s overall branding and messaging.
The 6 essential elements that all style guides should include are the logo, submarks, typography, colour palette, photography style, and brand graphics. Do you have all of these covered in your branding?
