When first establishing a business, most entrepreneurs are very familiar with the process of getting a logo designed. They might also be familiar with creating a color scheme to use on social media, in their marketing materials and on their website. But before a logo is designed or colors are selected, brand standards should be created for the company. These brand standards dictate the look and feel for the business and make sure that the brand looks cohesive and consistent no matter where it’s advertised. A brand style guide is the primary visual DNA of your company and the physical document that contains all of your brand standards.

Brand style guides typically include:

• Logo
• Submark
• Color Palette
• Typography
• Patterns/Textures
• Mood Board

Logo

Your logo should be professionally designed and should be the centerpiece of your brand style guide as well as include any alternate versions of the logo that you might have. Some brand style guides dictate the sizing of the logo and what is the smallest you should compress it to.

Submark

A submark is the smaller, icon based visual representation of your brand. This is best used for social media profile pictures, as a favicon and other places you might need a square image with minimal text.

Color Palette

This is the heart and soul of your businesses’ look and feel. There should be 3-5 colors included and a HEX value for each color. You may also include accent colors in the guide.

Typography

Select the font families for your headings, subheading and paragraph fonts for your brand. You can also include the sizes, line spacing and colors for the fonts.

Patterns/Textures

A pattern is created when one or more elements repeat themselves and fill an area in a structured way, similar to wallpaper. Textures are used to give more dimension to brands and can range from a gold fill to wood.

Mood Board

Photo inspiration for your brand is typically compiled in a mood board. The board should follow the company’s color scheme and evoke emotion regarding what your brand stands for and represents.

If you are interested in creating your own brand style guide, download our free brand style guide template! We are also available to create professional brand designs and style guides, click here to learn more.