What to Include in Your Brand Identity Guidelines

Your brand identity guidelines are your silent growth engine. They align perception, ensure consistency, and empower your team to work faster. Why does this matter? Consistent brands see revenue upticks, with some studies showing up to 23 percent more sales when you nail repetition (Adobe Express). Here’s how to pack your style guide from logo to brand book.

Establish Brand Foundations

Define Mission And Vision

Articulate your purpose in one or two crisp sentences. Your mission and vision:

• Guide every design decision
• Anchor your messaging in real value
• Differentiate you from competitors

Clarify Core Values And USP

Pin down what you stand for and why customers choose you:

• List your top three to five values
• Describe your unique selling proposition
• Share examples that illustrate each value

These pillars set the tone for all downstream elements. They also reinforce brand consistency.

Standardize Logo Usage

Specify Variations And Clear Space

Document every logo lockup:

• Full-color and monochrome versions
• Horizontal, stacked, and icon-only formats
• Minimum clear space and scale guidelines

Highlight Prohibited Use

Protect your logo’s integrity:

• No stretching or warping
• No color changes outside the palette
• No unapproved backgrounds or effects

Refer to your logo to brand book for detailed specs.

Select Color Palette

List Primary And Secondary Colors

Limit your palette for maximum impact:

• Primary: 2–3 signature hues
• Secondary: 3–5 accent colors

Provide Color Codes

Ensure cross-channel consistency:

• CMYK for print
• RGB and HEX for digital
• Pantone references if needed

Leverage insights from color psychology in branding to pick hues that resonate.

Define Typography Rules

Choose Font Families

Pick a primary and secondary typeface:

• Primary for headings and logos
• Secondary for body copy and captions

Set Hierarchy And Scale

Standardize text structure:

• H1–H4 size, weight, and line spacing
• Body copy size and leading
• Guidelines for lists, quotes, and captions

For deeper best practices, see typography in branding.

Document Voice And Tone

Outline Brand Tone Attributes

Describe your tone in precise terms:

• Confident, friendly, motivational
• Direct and actionable
• Avoid jargon and fluff

Give Sample Messaging

Show, don’t just tell:

• Hero headline examples
• Email subject lines
• Social media captions

This section ties your visual identity to your brand’s personality. Dive into brand tone and voice for more.

Specify Imagery Usage

Set Photography Style

Define the mood and treatment:

• Lighting: bright and natural vs moody and contrasty
• Composition: people-focused, product-focused, or abstract
• Filters and overlays: approved color tints or none

Define Iconography And Illustrations

Keep icons and illustrations on brand:

• Line style (stroke weight, corner radius)
• Color usage (flat, duotone, multicolor)
• Themed sets: consistent shapes and proportions

Outline Brand Applications

Print And Collateral

Show real-world examples:

• Business cards, letterheads, envelopes
• Brochures, posters, packaging mockups

Digital And Social

Map digital touchpoints:

• Website headers and buttons
• Email templates
• Social media posts and ad creatives

Use this visual identity checklist to audit each asset. Check out our guide on branding across platforms for channel-specific tips.

Manage Guideline Updates

Share And Access

Ensure your guide lives where your team can reach it:

• Cloud drives or digital asset management
• Branded portal with permission controls
• Downloadable PDF for offline reference

Review And Revise

Keep your guidelines relevant:

• Schedule quarterly audits
• Collect feedback from designers and marketers
• Report outdated or unused rules

Fact: 67 percent of teams use informal creative rules outside official guidelines (Frontify). Avoid this pitfall by enforcing your guide and trimming unused sections. When your guide grows stale, your brand fragments.

Appendix: Guideline Components Table

Next Steps

You have the blueprint. Now:

1. Audit your current assets for gaps and inconsistencies
2. Fill missing sections: maybe your guide lacks tone examples or icon rules
3. Train your team: hold a launch session and share the guide portal
4. Monitor compliance: integrate guideline checks into project workflows

With a robust set of brand identity guidelines, you’ll boost recognition, speed up approvals, and build a cohesive brand from your logo to your brand book. Take action today and lock in that competitive edge.