I’m happy to join ten other branding experts who are spilling brand guideline secrets to Business2Community. My tip? Use humor. If you’re a company that has fun (as you should be!), have fun with it all. The guidelines to brand your company should reflect who you are as a business. It doesn’t “have to be” a certain way, especially when that way is dry and boring.
Other tips include knowing how and when to use a logo—if it’s not in your guidelines, nobody will know when it’s appropriate. When crafting your mission statement, make sure it reflects your company from the inside out. Make this piece passionate. This should be a message that ties everything together, since a bunch of ill-fitting mini messages can just cause confusion.
Ensure the company voice is clear and uniform on all channels. Is it fun and informal or technical and direct? Your brand’s entire form, function, look, and feel should be weaved throughout the guidelines. Make sure you document the brand fonts/colors, but tone of business voice is also key.
Now is the time to nail down particular aesthetics. Use concrete examples to showcase your core values so that anybody can pick up the guidelines and get on board.
