Step-by-Step Process to Create Brand Guidelines for Your Small Business

April 28, 2023

Consistency is the key when it comes to building a memorable brand. Just a glimpse of the bitten apple, we recognised it as Apple, a swoosh for Nike and of course famous golden arches for McDonald’s. As a small business owner, creating a strong brand is essential to your success. One of the key elements in establishing a strong brand is developing brand guidelines. These guidelines provide a roadmap for your business’s visual identity, tone of voice, and overall brand personality. You can connect with a graphic design company Ahmedabad to create brand guidelines for your business.

Learn How to Create Brand Guidelines:

Step 1: Define Your Brand Identity

Your brand identity is the foundation of your brand. It is a representation of who you are as a business and what you stand for. An experienced branding agency in Ahmedabad can help you to define your brand identity. But if you wish to define your brand identity by yourself then you’ll need to:

Craft a mission statement that defines your purpose and values.
Identify your target audience, including their needs, wants, and preferences.
Define your unique selling proposition (USP), which is what sets you apart from your competitors.
Establish your brand personality, which is the tone and style that you’ll use to communicate with your audience.
Once you have a clear understanding of your brand identity, you can move on to creating your visual identity.

Step 2: Create Your Visual Identity

Your visual identity is the collection of visual elements that represent your brand, including your logo, color palette, typography, and imagery. Ensure to include expert graphic design company Ahmedabad to create your visual identity. Here you’ll need to:

Design a logo that represents your brand and can be easily recognized by your audience.
Choose a color palette that reflects your brand personality and is consistent across all of your marketing materials.
Select typography that is legible and consistent with your brand personality.
Use imagery that is relevant to your brand and consistent with your brand personality.
Your visual identity should be consistent across all of your marketing materials, including your website, social media profiles, and print materials.

Step 3: Establish Your Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice is the way you communicate with your audience. It should reflect your brand personality and be consistent across all of your marketing materials. To establish your tone of voice, you’ll need to:

Define your brand personality and the tone and style that you’ll use to communicate with your audience.
Create a set of brand messaging guidelines that outline the key messages and phrases you’ll use to communicate with your audience.
Develop a style guide that outlines the grammar, punctuation, and style you’ll use in your written communications.
Ensure that your tone of voice is consistent across all of your marketing materials, including your website, social media profiles, and email marketing.

Step 4: Define Your Brand Guidelines

Your brand guidelines are a set of rules for how your brand should be represented visually and verbally. They ensure that your brand remains consistent across all of your marketing materials and help to establish a strong brand identity. Your brand guidelines should include:

Logo usage guidelines that outline when and how your logo should be used.
Color guidelines that specify your brand colors and how they should be used.
Typography guidelines specify the fonts and sizes to be used in different contexts.
Imagery guidelines outline the types of images that should be used and how they should be styled.
The tone of voice guidelines outline the tone and style to be used in your written communications.

Step 5: Create a Brand Guidelines Document

Your brand guidelines document should outline all of your brand guidelines in detail, including examples of how they should be applied. It should be easily accessible to anyone who works with your brand, including designers, copywriters, and social media managers. Your brand guidelines document should include:

An overview of your brand identity, including your mission statement, target audience, and brand personality.
Your visual identity guidelines, including logo usage, color guidelines, typography guidelines, and imagery guidelines.
Your tone of voice guidelines, including brand messaging guidelines and style guide.
Your brand guidelines document should be regularly reviewed and updated as your brand evolves.

Step 6: Enforce Your Brand Guidelines

Step 7: Enforce Your Brand Guidelines

Once you’ve created your brand guidelines document, it’s important to enforce your brand guidelines. Make sure that anyone who works with your brand understands the importance of consistency and adhering to your brand guidelines. This includes providing training for new employees and contractors who will be working with your brand.

Step 8: Review and Update Your Brand Guidelines

Finally, it’s important to review and update your brand guidelines regularly. Your brand may evolve over time, and your brand guidelines should reflect these changes. Regularly reviewing and updating your brand guidelines will ensure that your brand stays consistent and relevant.

Concluding Words

By following these steps and creating a comprehensive brand guidelines document, you can ensure that your brand is accurately represented and that your audience has a clear understanding of who you are and what you stand for. If you are unsure how to do it the right way, Pixenite is the right choice for you. We are an emerging branding agency in Ahmedabad offering the best graphic design, digital marketing and other services. We have expert and experienced people in our team.