One of the most useful tools to communicate use of your brand once you’ve plotted strategy is the humble brand guideline. Often characterized as a designer’s straightjacket, it doesn’t have to be that way. As part of a workshop for employees and creative agencies, guidelines can recruit everyone as a defender of the faith. Misuse of your brand by a totally unrelated organisation through deliberate or mistaken effort is one thing but controlling use of your brand in your own marketing and those you partner with, is also essential. So what should they cover?
- Brand Purpose
Start with a brief background to the mission and strategy to set the scene. Together with partners and customers your brand is going to achieve its purpose while all involved understand the part they play in the experience.
- Positioning
Outline the relevant products or services and how they sit within the rest of the organisation’s offerings under this or your other brands. This is often referred to as the Brand Architecture – how it all fits together.
- The brand identity
The logo or symbol, colours and fonts used to make the brand recognizable. The way it makes the target audience feel and what they understand about the purpose it represents. Information should include sizing information for your logo and strapline across scenarios for example packaging, promotion, video, social media, POS, websites, annual reports and exhibitions. It’s great to reflect on other’s interpretations of your brand however it’s pointless to have your logo lurking behind furniture on an exhibition stand or suffering endless animation in a video.
- How we say it
Our brains process images as quickly as within 13 milliseconds so choice of images to tell a story about a brand and the commitment to a consistent use of a style, resonates powerfully with customers. Similarly, the tone of voice in choice of words used needs to be defined for example as playful, expert, chatty or serious to bring the personality of the brand to life.
- Approval process
It’s good to ensure everyone knows which communications require sign off and the structure and deadlines for doing that to manage the guidance principles and know who can bend them.
- Competitors
If it’s likely that your logo will appear next to that of your competitors in certain situations, have some rules around the minimum space between them and a tagline that is certain to at least equal theirs. If both organisations are mentioned within the same paragraph point out to the editor, the necessity to clarify they are independent of each other.
- Menu and Glossary
Help your colleagues find the page they’re looking for and provide a glossary to expand on terms that are particular to your organization or tricky concepts. Keep readers onside by making it straightforward.
- Other markets
Provide translations of the document for other markets and check that it’s accurate with trusted colleagues in country if you are building a global presence.
- The Snake Oil Factor
It’s seems obvious but the claims made about the brand or statistics of its positive effects create trust if they stand up to scrutiny.
Guidelines can play a major part in building awareness and trust for your brand so I hope you find these tips will do the heavy lifting!
brandooper.com 