How to create a brand guide: A step-by-step walkthrough of the process

Without further ado, let’s walk through seven simple steps for creating your own brand guide. 

Step 1: Do a brand content audit and enlist the help of experts

First thing first —  before you even begin creating your brand guide, take a look at your existing content materials and visual assets to see what themes you’re currently following, why, and what level of success it’s given you. 

This stage is just for preliminary research and to make a few decisions about what details you’d like to improve on and which elements you’d still like to stick with. 

Ideally, if possible, get the help of CX (customer experience) experts and brand strategists in your niche to see what insights they have and what they’d recommend changing. 

Step 2: If you haven’t already, drill down on your customers and competitors

At this stage, try to get the feedback of your customers to find out what branding details are causing a hindrance to their customer journey and what elements they’d like to keep and/or change. 

For example, your content materials may use high-level professional language with a lot of jargon, which may cause difficulty for your customers to follow through. 

Consider running incentivized surveys or enlisting the help of your brand loyalists to get customer feedback. 

Alternatively, you can also take a look at what your competitors are doing to find out what branding elements you like on their website/social media pages and how you can replicate those details for your own brand. 

Step 3: Develop a brand story

Next up — the actual task of creating a brand guide begins! 

Start with a brand story — this story highlights the mission, vision, goals, history, and USP of your brand and allows all stakeholders to understand what makes you stand out from the crowd. 

Experts recommend enlisting storytelling techniques that drive emotions and help create a genuine connection with the brand.  

For example, Ben and Jerry’s About Us page is a classic example of what a brand story should look like as it takes the reader on a journey through the decades and shares the issues they care about. They also have a separate page on their brand activism and company core values: 

To create such brand stories for your company, here’s a reference infographic that highlights the key elements you should consider:

Step 4: Identify the elements that need to be included

This section will make up the bulk of your brand guide. At this stage, you’ll need to strategize and decide on the following details (and sub-details):

• Brand Function 

1. 1. Mission/vision statement
   2. Company values
   3. Product and company USP

• Brand Identity Elements

1. 1. Logo variations (primary, secondary, grayscale, etc.)
   2. Logo usage guidelines (size, placement, spacing)
   3. Color palette with color codes (primary, secondary, accent colors)
   4. Typography guidelines (approved fonts, font sizes, font pairings)
   5. Imagery style (photography, illustrations, graphics)
   6. Image dimensions 
   7. Iconography

• Messaging and Voice

1. 1. Tone of voice (+ which tone is acceptable on which platform)
   2. Company messaging
   3. Brand tagline or slogan

• Visual Application

1. 1. Brand collateral templates (business cards, letterheads, envelopes)
   2. Presentation templates
   3. Social media graphics templates
   4. Email signature guidelines
   5. Packaging design guidelines

• Digital Branding

1. 1. Website design elements (layout, colors, fonts)
   2. Social media branding guidelines (profile picture, cover photo, post design)
   3. Email marketing templates

• Brand Usage Guidelines

1. 1. Brand guidelines for print and digital applications (e.g., some companies refuse to partner with websites that exclusively create content relating to gambling, adult work, or illegal activities). 
   2. Brand do’s and don’ts 

• Brand Assets

1. 1. High-resolution logo files (in various formats such as .ai, .eps, .png, .jpg)
   2. Color swatches or color codes
   3. Font files or links to download fonts
   4. Photography or imagery resources (some companies may have subscriptions to a few stock photo companies)

• Brand Strategy

1. 1. Target audience personas
   2. Competitive analysis
   3. Brand positioning statement
   4. Brand roadmap or strategic plan

• Brand Management

1. 1. Guidelines for maintaining brand consistency over time
   2. Procedures for updating the brand guide as needed
   3. Approval process for brand-related materials

• Legal and Compliance

1. 1. Trademark information
   2. Usage rights and permissions for third-party assets
   3. Compliance with industry regulations and standards
   4. Restricted or negative keywords
   5. Correct and incorrect terminologies 

Step 5: Include templates and resources users can refer to

At this stage, try to include templates your teams can refer to. For example, while you may mention brand do’s and don’ts — do you have any examples of what these do’s and don’ts look like in real life? 

Similarly, you might also need design templates of what your company’s branding looks like in real life. For example, a template for an email signature could look something like this: 

Step 6: Edit for clarity, purpose, and structure

Once all details are set in stone, now’s the time to send the guide to a trusted editor who can proofread your work, edit it for clarity and purpose, and structure and format it well. 

At this stage, you can again get the input of a brand strategist to confirm if everything is looking A-OK. 

Step 7: Forward it to the right teams

Lastly, the only step that remains after creating your brand guide is to send it forward to the right teams. These will mostly be your marketing, graphic, branding, and creative teams, as well as outside contractors who support your content efforts.