Creating a branding guide is an important step in building your company’s brand. It can help you establish your company’s visual identity, avoid unnecessary confusion with similar logos, and streamline internal processes. That being said, creating a branding guide can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure where to begin. Thankfully, there are just four simple steps to creating a branding guide. Let’s explore how you can do so.
Research Your Branding Needs
Before you can begin creating a branding guide, you’ll need to know what you want your branding guide to accomplish. This can include anything from creating a consistent visual identity to helping employees understand corporate branding guidelines. It’s important to research your branding guide needs before you start your brand guide because not all branding guides are created equally.
For example, let’s say you run a tech company that develops software for businesses. If your company’s branding guide is solely focused on creating a logo, you might not need a branding guide a tall. However, let’s say you’re launching a new product, and you want to create a visual identity that makes your product seem more established and professional. In this case, a branding guide might be more important.
For example, let’s say you run a tech company that develops software for businesses. If your company’s branding guide is solely focused on creating a logo, you might not need a branding guide a tall. However, let’s say you’re launching a new product, and you want to create a visual identity that makes your product seem more established and professional. In this case, a branding guide might be more important.
Define Your Brand
If you don’t know what you want your branding guide to accomplish, you won’t know what you need your branding guide to accomplish. Your branding guide should primarily focus on creating a visual identity for your company. To do this, you’ll want to define the core values that your company revolves around.
Next, you’ll want to define your brand’s visual identity. Think about what colors, fonts, and images you want to appear in your branding guide. Your branding guide logo should be a representation of these visual elements.
Define Your Brand
Universities and companies often begin the branding process with a logo. This logo can then be used throughout your branding guide. However, if your logo is the only thing people see when they think of your company, you’ll confuse people. It’s important to create a visual identity that extends beyond your logo.
To create your logo, you’ll want to consider the following:- Your branding guide logo should be simple. The logo should be easily recognizable, but not too distracting.- Your logo should be easily incorporated into your branding guide. This can be as simple as surrounding it with your company’s visual identity.- Your logo should be versatile. Ideally, you want to be able to use your logo consistently, but also be able to modify it based on the context of a particular product or situation.
Incorporate your branding guide into the company culture Your branding guide logo is just the beginning of your branding guide. After you create your logo, you’ll want to incorporate your branding guide into the company culture. This includes displaying your branding guide logo in an obvious and prominent place, such as on your company’s walls or uniforms.
You can also incorporate your branding guide into your company culture in smaller ways, such as by creating a Pinterest board with your branding guide logo and related images. If you have employees, you can also have them create a branded version of their resumes—a practice that’s been growing in popularity.
Stay updated on brand guidelines and trends
As your company grows, so will your branding guide. For this reason, it’s important to stay updated on branding trends and guidelines as they become available. While there are many resources that offer general and industry-specific branding guidelines, there are also many more that provide brand trends that are specifically tailored to your industry.
To stay updated on trends and guidelines, you can use a variety of resources, including online newsletters, industry publications, and social media groups. Maintain your brand presence After creating your branding guide, you’ll still need to maintain your brand presence. This can include things like updating your company’s logo to incorporate your branding guide logo and replacing your branding guide logo when it becomes outdated. As you maintain your brand presence, you can also use it to improve your branding guide. For example, if your branding guide logo is outdated and needs a change, incorporate your branding guide into the change. Doing so will help you maintain your brand presence while also incorporating the latest branding guide trends and guidelines. From the beginning, you should have known that a branding guide is one of the most important parts of building your brand. That being said, it can be difficult to create a guide that engages your employees and delivers results, especially if you’re new to the process. Keep these four steps in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful branding guide.