How to Create a Style Guide from Scratch

Creating a style guide is crucial for maintaining consistency and professionalism in your brand’s messaging and visual presentation. A style guide encompasses various elements, such as typography, color, logos, and imagery, which together establish your brand’s identity.

When creating a style guide from scratch, there are key steps to follow. Firstly, develop a compelling brand story that encapsulates your vision, mission, and core values. This story sets the foundation for your brand’s identity and influences decision-making within your organization.

Secondly, establish clear guidelines for your logo usage. A recognizable brand signature can be created by using your logo consistently and correctly. Include rules on logo placement, minimum size, color variations, and examples of incorrect usage.

Your brand’s core color palette is another essential component of a style guide. Define your primary brand colors and provide codes and examples for consistent usage. This ensures that your brand is easily recognizable and maintains a cohesive visual identity across different media.

Additionally, finding and defining your brand voice is crucial. Your brand’s voice represents its personality and values. By outlining the tone, messaging, and communication style that align with your brand’s essence, you can create a consistent and engaging experience for your audience.

Lastly, learn from the style guides of other successful brands. Studying their approaches and strategies can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your own style guide creation process.

By following these steps and taking inspiration from established brands, you can create a comprehensive style guide from scratch. This guide will contribute to maintaining consistency, professionalism, and brand recognition in all your communications.

Kick off your brand style guide with a great brand story

Every great brand is driven by a compelling brand story that defines and describes the things that a company cares about most. It communicates a company’s values to the public and guides decision-making within the organization. A brand story should wrap up a company’s vision, mission, and core values. It is important to draw inspiration from brand archetypes and infuse the brand story with the company’s own personality. Many successful brands have showcased their brand stories in their style guides.

“A brand story is a powerful tool that connects with the audience on an emotional level, creating a sense of authenticity and loyalty.” – Jessica Thompson, Marketing Director

To create an impactful brand story, start by exploring your brand essence and identifying the values that set your company apart. Delve into the journey of your brand, the challenges you have overcome, and how you have made a positive impact on your customers’ lives. Use storytelling techniques to engage your audience and capture their attention.

Infusing personality into your brand story

Your brand story should reflect the unique personality of your company and resonate with your target audience. Consider the following when crafting your brand story:

• Brand archetypes: Identify the brand archetype that aligns with your company’s values and personality. Whether you are the Hero, the Magician, or the Explorer, incorporating the essence of your brand archetype will give your story a powerful narrative.
• Authenticity: Be genuine and transparent in telling your brand story. Authenticity builds trust and strengthens the emotional connection with your audience.
• Emotion: The brand story should evoke emotions and create a memorable experience for your audience. Use vivid language and imagery to make your story come alive.

Remember to include your brand story in your style guide to provide a foundation for your visual and verbal brand identity. This will ensure consistency and cohesion throughout all your brand communications.

Use logo guidelines to create a recognizable brand signature

Logos are central to a brand’s visual identity and play a crucial role in creating a recognizable brand signature. Consistent usage of logos is key to building brand recognition and establishing a strong brand presence. In order to achieve this, it is essential to have well-defined logo guidelines in your brand style guide.

Logo guidelines provide clear instructions on how to use and present logos across various platforms and materials. These guidelines ensure that your logo is represented consistently and effectively, regardless of its size or placement. By following these guidelines, you can maintain the integrity and visual impact of your brand logo.

In your brand style guide, it is important to include the following logo usage specifications:

1. Space around the logo: Specify the minimum distance that should be maintained around the logo to ensure visual clarity and avoid clutter.
2. Acceptable color variations: Outline the approved color variations of your logo, allowing flexibility while maintaining brand consistency.
3. Minimum logo size: Define the smallest allowable size for your logo to ensure legibility and prevent distortion.

Additionally, it is helpful to provide examples of what not to do when using the logo. This can include improper resizing, incorrect color usage, or unauthorized alterations.

Learn from the best by studying the logo guidelines of top brands. Analyze their approach to logo usage, spacing, color variations, and size specifications. By leveraging the insights gained from these brands, you can create clear and effective logo guidelines that align with your brand’s unique identity.

“A well-crafted logo usage guideline ensures that your logo is always represented in the best light, strengthening brand recognition and maintaining consistency across all touchpoints.”

Remember, a strong and recognizable brand signature starts with well-defined logo guidelines. By incorporating these guidelines into your brand style guide, you will create a cohesive brand identity that resonates with your target audience.

Include your brand’s core color palette in your brand style guide

Brand colors play a crucial role in brand recognition and it is important to define your brand’s core color palette in your style guide. Whether you have one primary brand color or multiple color schemes, it is essential to make your core brand colors absolutely clear. Include necessary hex codes, RGB values, and CMYK color codes to ensure consistent presentation across media. Consider adding useful shade variations and examples of do’s and don’ts to provide a comprehensive guide for using your brand colors.

Building a strong and cohesive brand identity involves creating a color palette that reflects your brand’s personality and resonates with your target audience. Your color palette should consist of a combination of primary, secondary, and accent colors that represent your brand’s essence and evoke the desired emotions.

Primary Colors:

The primary colors are the foundation of your brand’s color palette. These colors should be used consistently and prominently across all brand elements.

Examples:

• Primary Color 1: #FF0000
• Primary Color 2: #00FF00
• Primary Color 3: #0000FF

Secondary Colors:

Secondary colors complement the primary colors and add depth and variety to your brand’s visual identity.

Examples:

• Secondary Color 1: #FFFF00
• Secondary Color 2: #FF00FF
• Secondary Color 3: #00FFFF

Accent Colors:

Accent colors are used sparingly to draw attention to specific elements or to create visual interest.

Examples:

• Accent Color 1: #FFC0CB
• Accent Color 2: #808080
• Accent Color 3: #FFA500

It’s important to provide clear guidelines on how to use each color in different contexts, such as websites, social media, print materials, and advertisements. This ensures that your brand’s colors are consistently applied and maintain their integrity across various platforms.

Remember to include examples of color variations, such as shades, tints, and gradients, to showcase the versatility and range of your brand colors.

By including your brand’s core color palette in your style guide, you establish a foundation for consistent branding and create a visual identity that is easily recognizable and memorable.

Find your brand voice

Your brand voice is an integral part of your brand’s identity. It is the tone and style of communication that represents your brand’s personality and values. Establishing a consistent brand voice is crucial for effective communication with your audience and building trust.

In your brand style guide, clearly define your brand’s essence, voice, tone, and messaging. Consider the key attributes that define your brand and how they should be reflected in your communication. Are you playful and lighthearted, or more serious and professional? Do you use formal language, or do you adopt a more informal and conversational style? Determine the appropriate tone for different types of content, such as social media posts, blog articles, and customer support interactions.

Provide examples and guidelines for content creators to follow, illustrating how your brand voice should be used in various scenarios. This ensures that everyone who creates content for your brand understands your brand voice guidelines and applies them consistently.

By finding and implementing a clear brand voice, you can create a cohesive brand experience, resonate with your target audience, and establish a strong relationship with them.