Brand guidelines: what to include

The short answer

Brand guidelines should cover the brand's purpose and voice, logo versions and spacing, colours, typography, imagery style and examples of correct and incorrect use. Keep it short enough that people actually open it, and update it when the brand changes.

What brand guidelines are for

Brand guidelines let everyone who touches your brand make the same decisions without asking you. That includes your own team, designers, printers, freelancers and partners. Without them, each person fills the gaps with their own taste, and over time the brand drifts.

The document does not need to be long. A clear ten-page file that people read beats a hundred-page manual that sits in a folder. Write it for the person who has to make a flyer on a Friday afternoon.

Start with the brand itself

Open with a short statement of who the brand is for and what it stands for. Include the purpose, the audience and the personality in a few lines. This is the context behind every later rule. Our guides on mission, vision and values and writing a brand story help you word it.

Add the brand voice: how it sounds, which words it prefers and which it avoids. A few pairs such as "friendly, not casual" or "plain, not simple" are more useful than a list of adjectives.

Logo rules

Show every version of the logo and say when to use each one. Cover the full logo, the compact version, the icon and the single-colour version. Our guide to responsive logos explains why a brand needs several.

• Clear space around the logo, shown with a diagram.
• Minimum size on screen and in print.
• Approved backgrounds and colour versions.
• Common mistakes, such as stretching, recolouring or adding effects.
• The file formats available and where to download them.

Colour and typography

List each brand colour with its codes for screen and print, and say what each is for. Name a primary palette, a supporting palette and the colours for text and background. Check that the combinations are readable, using our guide to colour accessibility and contrast.

For type, name the fonts for headings and body text, give fallbacks for places where the brand font is not available, and set simple rules for sizes and spacing. Include the licence details so nobody uses the font where it is not allowed.

Imagery, layout and examples

Describe the style of photography, illustration and icons, and show examples of what fits and what does not. Our guide on defining a brand photography style shows how. Add a few layout examples, such as a social post, an email header and a slide, so people see the rules applied.

Pairs of "right" and "wrong" examples teach faster than paragraphs. Keep them real rather than invented, using your own work.

Keep the guidelines alive

Name an owner for the document, put it somewhere everyone can open it and give it a date. Review it when the brand changes or at least once a year. Link it from your onboarding for new staff and your briefs for freelancers.

Finally, do not let the rules become a barrier. A short note on who to ask for an exception, and how to ask, prevents people from quietly ignoring the guidelines altogether. The wider habit is covered in our guide to brand consistency across channels.

Examples of useful rules

Rules work best when they are specific enough to settle an argument. Compare "use the logo respectfully" with "keep clear space equal to the height of the letter o on every side". Compare "use friendly language" with "write in the second person, use contractions, and avoid exclamation marks in support emails". People can follow the second kind without guessing.

• Name the exact colours and where each may be used.
• Show minimum logo sizes in pixels for screens and millimetres for print.
• Give two or three sample sentences in the brand voice and two that are off brand.
• Say how photos are cropped, edited and captioned.

A simple order for the document

1. Welcome and purpose of the guidelines.
2. Brand purpose, audience and voice.
3. Logo versions and rules.
4. Colour and type.
5. Imagery and icons.
6. Layout and example applications.
7. Files, contacts and review date.

Digital and print differences

Colours look different on screen and on paper, so give both sets of values and ask printers for a proof. Fonts may need a web version and a desktop version. Social platforms crop images in their own ways, so show safe areas for profile pictures and banners, using the ideas in our guide to social media branding. State which rules are strict and which allow judgement, so people know when to ask.

Related guides

• Branding and logo design
• Brand Colour Accessibility and Contrast Basics
• Brand Asset Library: How to Organise Your Files
• What goes into a brand style guide
• How to choose fonts for your brand
• How to choose brand colours

Questions and answers

How long should brand guidelines be?

As long as they need to be and no longer. Many small businesses do well with about ten pages covering purpose, voice, logo, colour, type, imagery and examples.

Who should have access to brand guidelines?

Anyone who creates something for the brand: staff, freelancers, agencies and printers. Put the file in a shared location and link it in briefs.

Do I need brand guidelines if I am a small business?

A short version still helps. Even a one-page sheet with the logo files, colours, fonts and a voice note prevents mismatched materials as the business grows.

How often should brand guidelines be updated?

Review them at least once a year and whenever the brand, logo or main channels change. Record the date on the cover so people know they have the current version.

Who should write the brand guidelines?

Usually the person responsible for the brand, with input from a designer and the people who use the materials every day. A designer or agency can draft them, but the business should approve the rules.