Design of a brand book: structure, rules and example pages

Do you want your brand to be recognized with your eyes closed? So that consumers trust your brand like their best friend and willingly buy your product, bypassing competitors?

Then get serious about branding. Create a strong and original image that will emotionally connect with your audience for years to come. 

In addition to a loyal clientele, this will provide your business with recognition, reduced advertising costs and high status in business circles.

Promoting the brand of any company begins with creating a brand book - a book that brings together all the rules and elements of corporate identity. And the success of the entire event depends on how professionally and correctly it is designed.     

Who needs a brand book and why?

A brand book, like air, is necessary for the image of your company in order to maintain its integrity. Moreover, its role increases exponentially when a whole team or, in general, different PR studios are working on branding.

With a brand book, you are protected from various unpleasant “accidents” in the form of a completely unexpected color palette of corporate style, a logo drawn in a mirror image, or a business letter to a terribly important strategic client, written in an overly friendly style.

Do you think customers will be delighted if new Apple models go on sale with the logo of a bitten banana or cucumber?

A corporate style guide (brand book) is required not only by designers. For correct and more efficient operation it is needed:

• copywriters;
• journalists;
• HR managers;
• marketers;
• brand managers. 

With clear guidance at hand, delegating tasks to both full-time employees and contractors becomes a hundred times easier, and most importantly, saves you time and effort (which you definitely use more efficiently).

Brand book structure

The volume of a brand book largely depends on the scale and specifics of the business. If detailed instructions for managing a corporate identity for a small company may well fit into a dozen pages, then for intercontinental corporations several hundred are not always enough.

It is possible to clearly define the content only after studying the task of each specific company. But there are some points that must be present in the brand book, regardless of the type and size of the business. 

History, values and mission

In this section you describe:

• history of the product;
• organizational structure of the company;
• brand mission and philosophy;
• field of activity.

There is no need to delve into unimportant and uninteresting facts. It is better to focus on those historical moments that are imprinted on the image and character of the brand.

Target Audience

Aimless work with target audience is similar to chaotic shooting at a shooting range with a tight blindfold on your eyes. Any marketing activities start with an in-depth analysis of each audience segment. This helps to accurately select the tone and style within which communication with potential consumers is carried out. 

Indeed, in one case, simple vocabulary, light humor and light pictures are appropriate. And in the other there is complex terminology, diagrams, diagrams and calculations.

Corporate style (guideline)

Design information occupies the largest block. Here are the most important elements of corporate identity with a detailed description of the basic principles of their use.

Logo.

Color, monochrome, and black and white options must be included. And also think through all the nuances in advance:

• proportions;
• dimensions;
• accommodation options;
• permissible modifications;
• security field (minimum distance from the edge of the logo to the nearest graphic element);
• color palette of logo and background.

Typography.

Provide examples that include a title and body text. Specify acceptable font sizes and types for printed and digital texts, as well as bulleted list options (standard or branded bullets).

Color scheme.

This paragraph should contain examples of the use of primary and secondary corporate colors. Indicate which colors are used to design the logo, which for the background, and which should be used for accenting, underlining and decorating. 

Do not forget to indicate codes and names, specific proportions of the use of the main and auxiliary colors. 

Photos and illustrations.

In this section you need to collect all the criteria that help maintain a single visual style:

• Tell us what kind of images are acceptable for your brand.
• Fix the rules for their selection.
• Leave the addresses of stocks and photo banks that were previously used to copy or purchase photos.

Indicate which illustrations are prohibited from using (dark background, neon colors, unnatural facial expressions of people, etc.).

If external specialists (designers, photographers) worked on the creation of your corporate illustrations, collect their contacts in a separate list and attach an example of a technical specification for design development.

In the same section, describe in detail your branded infographics (icons and special symbols). In addition to schematic images, it is necessary to clarify the subtleties of their style (color, monochrome or black and white, with thick or thin outlines, shaded or not).

Don't forget to talk about acceptable options for images of web elements (buttons, menus, handles, and footers).

Communication style.

In addition to a detailed description of graphic design, the brand book should contain recommendations for interaction with consumers and partners. This will help you avoid mistakes when writing any text messages (posts on social networks, business letters, presentations).

Attach a list of acceptable and prohibited words, specify the address option (using “you” or “you”).

Layouts and blanks. 

Ready-made graphic samples of printing and souvenirs simplify the work of designers and reduce the risk of making mistakes to zero. So, you can prepare templates in advance:

• forms;
• business cards;
• exhibition stands;
• notepads;
• badges;
• packaging;
• banners.

In addition to the sections described above, the brand book design of large companies may include detailed instructions for the interiors of offices, buildings, transport and workwear for staff. 

In fact, the specified structure is advisory in nature and there are no strict requirements for the design and design of the brand book. 

Depending on the situations, the depth of creative thinking and the creative approach of the developers, specific information can be added in each specific case. For example, the requirement to use a certain type of designer paper for business cards or the fundamental differences in outdoor advertising on a company’s passenger and truck vehicles. 

Formats

Thanks to modern technical capabilities, the format and style of a brand book can be very different. You can choose the option that is most convenient for your business. 

PDF

The most suitable format for prompt transfer to partners, clients or contractors. You can instantly send it by mail, write it to a flash drive or disk. 

Book

The simplest and most popular among all types of brand books. It can be designed in both vertical and horizontal formats, have any type of weave (stitched, eyelet, spring) and cover (hard, soft).

WEB

The site format is a completely acceptable and modern way to develop a brand book. It greatly facilitates the task of comfortable structuring. Using tabs and sections, you can easily and quickly switch from one section to another or return back.

In addition, the online version is much more spacious than the paper version. And making adjustments, if necessary, is much easier. 

Film

It is convenient to show the brand book to new employees or partners in the form of a presentation. But there is one significant drawback: when you need to return to a certain place to clarify specific information, this can be difficult to do.

Secrets and subtleties of successful design

The main task of creating and designing a brand book is to win the trust of the largest number of consumers. Tell them about the benefits of your brand and how your product solves problems and improves their lives!

In this case, it is necessary to take into account the perceptions of the audience from all sides:

• Emotions. Tell us what feelings and experiences your product touches. What benefits, besides material ones, does your product/service bring?
• Functionality. Explain how your product will solve the customer's problem. Why should he accept your offer and not your competitor?

A high-quality brand book presents a visually attractive, intuitively understandable holistic picture. Information should be meaningful, well-structured, easy to read, free of fluff, grammatical and stylistic errors. 

After reading it from beginning to end, a person should fully understand:

1. How, why and why did your brand appear?
2. What are the key benefits of the product?  
3. What communication channels does the company prefer to work with audiences and partners?
4. In what direction is your business developing and where do you plan to go in the near future?

And, of course, what the main visual images look like in various variations of advertising campaigns.

Checklist for designing a brand book

Upon completion of work on the document, be sure to check how completely the information is presented and the general style is followed. The brand book must contain:

1. A short, emotional story about the mission, philosophy and history of the brand.
2. Characteristics of the most important segments of the target audience.
3. Market positioning.
4. Basic principles of communications with partners and clients (communication style, sample publications).
5. Examples of successful advertising campaigns, interactions with the media, presence on social networks.
6. Requirements and rules for using logo, typography, images.
7. Options for ready-made design layouts for corporate style media (business cards, booklets, signs, posters, souvenirs).

If possible, each point should be supported with examples and counter-examples.

Developing a brand book is a complex, responsible and not the fastest process. It should be entrusted to experienced professionals who know how to do it correctly. And most importantly, they will put all their skill, creativity and talent into their work. 

Find a branding agency that doesn't use templates. We need original, fresh, modern and unique ideas, increased attention to the smallest details and a unified stylistic vision of the project! 

Only in this way, the invested time, effort and money will more than pay for itself and you will receive an effective tool that will work with great efficiency for the benefit of your company for many years and will attract the attention of the maximum number of buyers to your brand.

Do you want to order a brand book from a trusted studio? Don’t hesitate to call Veonix, our marketer is already on the phone and ready to answer all your questions!