{"id":46445,"date":"2022-04-27T09:18:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T13:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=46445"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:34:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:34:04","slug":"brand-style-guidelines-an-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand-style-guidelines-an-overview","title":{"rendered":"Brand Style Guidelines: An Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his 1841 essay <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-Reliance,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, \u201cA foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds&#8230; To be great is to be misunderstood.\u201d A brilliant thinker, Emerson recognized that nonconformity was essential to the world\u2019s most influential minds\u2014from Galileo to Steve Jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But a brand manager Emerson was not. In branding today\u2019s professional services firm, consistency is king. Being understood is power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And brand style guidelines are the keys to the kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Are Brand Style Guidelines?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand style guidelines are a set of instructions, often with visual examples, to help anyone who creates new branded materials for a business or organization. The guidelines identify the key <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand-positioning-strategy-for-the-professional-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elements of the brand<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and explain how to use them. And when an organization embraces them, brand guidelines ensure that even a diverse range of materials are consistent, distinctive, and recognizable. In short, they create a strong, coherent brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brand style guide is never really finished. Like the brands they serve, they often evolve in the face of changing circumstances and new thinking. Think of them as living documents that may acquire new wisdom over time and occasionally slough off moldy, outmoded ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the real world, brand style guidelines are called many things. Here are a few common alternate names you may encounter in the wild:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand identity guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand style guide<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand guide<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corporate brand guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corporate identity guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand book<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some organizations make a distinction between, say, brand style guidelines and a brand book. But there are no generally agreed-upon definitions for any of these terms\u2014and people often use them interchangeably.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"see-also-link\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/portfolio\/hbw-brand-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See also: HBW Brand Book from our Design Portfolio<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Components of a Brand Style Guide<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The contents of a brand style guide can vary considerably. Large enterprise style guides can span multiple volumes and hundreds of pages, while those at other firms may run just a couple of pages. Some organizations want to control every aspect of their brand and provide little room to stray from the approved path. Others want to free their brands to explore new creative directions and evolve over time while adhering to a few fundamental rules.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most brand guidelines, of course, fall somewhere between these extremes. There is no right or wrong approach, nor is there an optimal length. It really depends on how narrowly you want to prescribe your guidance, how much time you want to spend creating and enforcing the guidelines, who your guidelines\u2019 intended audiences are, and what brand elements you consider truly important.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta-link\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/library\/article\/the_hinge_rebranding_kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download the Rebranding Guide &#8211; Second Edition\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below, I\u2019ve organized the components into three categories, though style guides don\u2019t necessarily follow this arrangement. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visual elements<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> include anything that contributes to a firm\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/understanding-brand-identity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brand identity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">External messaging<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> covers advice on the language an organization should use when speaking to the outside world. And<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> internal messaging<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes the principles and messages organizations use to rally their teams toward a common set of goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Visual Elements<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Logo usage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tagline usage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Color palette<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typography\/fonts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iconography<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graphic devices or elements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Layout\/grid system<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photography\/illustration<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data visualization style<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collateral design\/templates<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business unit brand architecture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Co-branding usage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website brand guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>External Messaging<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personality<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Differentiators<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Positioning<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elevator pitch<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tone\/voice<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand essence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brand story<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written style<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Internal Messaging<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purpose<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mission<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vision<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Values<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Value proposition<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These lists, of course, are not comprehensive. Nor do most style guides include all or even most of these. For instance, many organizations do not include internal messaging, as only graphic designers and writers are their intended audience. Many do not include external messaging, either, as their style guides are targeted at designers only.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta-link\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/library\/article\/the_hinge_rebranding_kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download the Rebranding Guide &#8211; Second Edition\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>5 Reasons Your Firm Needs a Brand Style Guide<\/b><\/h2>\n<h4><b>Reason 1: They protect your investment<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are going to invest (or already have invested) in <a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/rebranding_strategies_a_step_by_step_approach_for_professional_services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">revitalizing your brand<\/a>, you don\u2019t want that time and money to go to waste. Brand style guidelines provide the mechanism and peace of mind to ensure your brand will look and sound as good three years from now as it does today. Few things are as upsetting as an exciting new brand identity that starts to unravel as soon as it\u2019s launched.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reason 2: They help you show and tell a consistent story<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a sense, your brand is a story. Each element\u2014from logo to colors to the style of your photography\u2014is a character that contributes to that story. Each does its part to <a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand-differentiation-essential-for-professional-services-firms-to-succeed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">separate you from competitors<\/a>, build a visual framework that\u2019s all your own and convey an unspoken message that inspires trust and confidence in your audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reason 3: They keep you disciplined<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designers love to try new things. Practice leaders can be eager to take their line of business in fresh new directions. And far-flung offices can be sorely tempted to take their branding into their own hands. But novelty is rarely a good thing when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/strong-brand-weak-brand-5-brand-killing-beliefs-you-must-avoid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">building a powerful brand<\/a>\u2014one that people will instantly recognize and admire. That takes a lot of discipline. And brand style guidelines are the iron-fisted rule book that keep everybody in line, in step and focused on the prize ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reason 4: They unify your organization<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In many organizations, brand style guidelines are a place where culture, purpose and marketing intersect. A brand guide that addresses everyone in the organization (not just designers) can be a compass that points everyone in the same direction and explains not only how to deliver their firm\u2019s brand, but why it\u2019s important. Brand style guidelines can also be a tool to unite loosely affiliated arms of an organization\u2014including offices that were added through acquisition or departments run by independent-minded partners. By getting everyone in the organization to adopt a unified set of guidelines, you create tighter bonds and give the mavericks in your firm less room to go their own way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reason 5: They give you guardrails\u2026 and flexibility<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the reasons explained above, you should insist that your brand guide be strictly adhered to. After all, consistency is the glue that holds your brand identity together. But what you leave out of your guidelines is as important as what you decide to include. Where you don\u2019t provide rigid guidance, you give your creative team permission to explore and take the brand into new territory. This freedom can help some brands adapt to changing circumstances and explore new avenues. On the other hand, too much flexibility can create new inconsistencies and undermine a brand\u2019s integrity. How much flexibility is right for your brand is a decision you should consider carefully early in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta-link\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/library\/article\/the_hinge_rebranding_kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download the Rebranding Guide &#8211; Second Edition\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/programs-services\/services\/branding-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rebranding your firm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or if you have refreshed your firm\u2019s brand in the recent past, you need brand style guidelines. They are an essential tool for managing and maintaining your brand. They not only protect your brand identity from the decay of neglect, but they also give your marketing direction, consistency, and focus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inlineWidget yes_borders\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/library\/article\/the_brand_building_guide\" class=\"widgetLink\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/brandbuilding-2nd-200x200.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><div class=\"inlineWidgetText\"><h6>Free Resource<\/h6><p>The Brand Building Guide for Professional Services Firms<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/library\/article\/the_brand_building_guide\" >Download Now<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In his 1841 essay Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, \u201cA foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds&#8230; To be great is to be misunderstood.\u201d A brilliant thinker, Emerson recognized that nonconformity was essential to the world\u2019s most influential minds\u2014from Galileo to Steve Jobs. But a brand manager Emerson was not. In branding today\u2019s professional&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":46337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[387],"class_list":["post-46445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-branding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Brand Style Guidelines: An Overview - Hinge Marketing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you are rebranding your firm, you need brand style guidelines. 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