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Why Every Business Needs A Brand Book And What It Includes
We discuss the brand book as a key business asset and what it typically includes.
In a previous article, we provided a guide to crafting a strong brand identity. In it, we said that a brand’s visual identity consists of multiple elements like its logo, font selection, color palette, imagery, etc.
In addition to its visuals, we said that a brand’s personality is also shaped by its verbal communication, i.e. what you say and how you say it.
In another article, we discussed at length the brand’s voice and tone and their importance for a brand’s identity. We concluded that all visual and verbal elements must complement and support each other. To create a successful brand, they must all adhere to a single unifying vision.
The best place to describe this vision is the brand book, manual, or guide.
In this article, we will discuss the brand book as a key business asset. We will show how it can help build and maintain a strong brand identity.
We will cover what it typically includes so you know what to expect when you work with a designer or agency. Our goal is to help you as a business owner develop and maintain a strong brand identity.
In short, the brand book is a document that describes your brand’s personality, its elements, and how they should be used.
It contains specific instructions on how to use your brand’s logo, fonts, colors, images, photos, etc. Crucially, it also includes rules on what not to do. More on that later.
The brand book is usually created at the end of the branding process after all the individual elements have been designed and rules have been set in place for them.
The branding process, if done correctly, is typically lengthy, iterative, and involves a lot of research. Far from a simple choice of colors and fonts, the branding process should be an opportunity to learn about yourself, your customers, and your competitors.
In a previous article, we described our entire logo design process. In it, we showed how we as a branding agency go through rounds of revisions to adapt the logo concept to your needs. Designing all other elements of the brand requires a similar process.
As it is crucial to get it right from the start to avoid expensive rebrands and minimize risks, we suggest working with an experienced designer or agency to help you.
In a previous article, we discussed at length how to find a reliable graphic design partner for your business. The right design partner will know that a brand book is necessary, what to include in it, and how to structure it. They will involve you every step of the way, they will ask questions, propose ideas, discuss options, and consider your feedback.
In most cases, the brand book is created by you and your design partner together as a result of your cumulative research and efforts.
As it is a key deliverable in the branding process, designers and agencies typically include it in when quoting prices for projects.
The main purpose of the brand book is to help your employees and business partners understand and properly interact with your brand. Anyone among your internal and external partners who will interact with your brand in any way needs to know what to do and what not to do.
For example, if you hire an agency to create an ad campaign for you, they will need to see your brand book to know what to do.
Also, if you hire a customer service team, they will need to be trained on how to speak to your clients and what to say. These rules can be included in the brand book.
Because of its value and importance, it is not uncommon for an external partner who will work with you to request your brand book.
A brand book saves time for everyone, reduces the amount of communication needed, and minimizes risks of brand damage.
Although there are no official rules on what to include in a brand book, most brand manuals have a similar structure.
They typically make an introduction to the brand, its mission, its core values, and its main products and services.
Then they usually describe the personality of the brand: is it serious or quirky, formal or informal, etc.
Next, descriptions and rules about the brand elements are listed: the logo, font selection, color palette, imagery, etc.
Finally, brand books typically showcase the brand in use, along with visual examples of what to avoid.
Brand books mainly differ in the amount of detail they go into. Some brand manuals can span tens, even hundreds of pages. Most brand books are shorter.
As a business owner working with a design partner, you should make sure that your brand book contains sufficiently detailed information on the key elements of your brand.
In the following sections, we will explore and give examples of some commonly encountered rules for use of your brand’s elements.
To have a professionally designed logo is only the first step in turning it into a success. It is equally important how you use it.
Here are items related to the logo commonly found in a brand book:
Brand books typically contain a short description of the logo, its story, an outline of the design process, and its key elements.
This is how we showcased and described the logo in the brand book of a client at our agency:
Alternative versions of the logo are often designed to allow it to be effectively used in as many cases as possible.
For example, on light and dark backgrounds or adapted for print media of different sizes.
There should be a limited set of alternative versions allowed, and for specific purposes. Otherwise, it can become confusing, damaging the perception of your logo.
Also, to avoid clutter and misplacement, there should be clear rules around the positioning and spacing of the logo, relative to other elements.
Here is how we showed this visually in the brand book for our client:
There should also be clear restrictions in your brand book on how not to use your logo, to avoid brand damage.
Rules for logo use typically include:
- Don’t display parts of the logo, only display the entire logo
- Don’t rearrange elements in the logo
- Don’t change the font sin the logo
- Don’t stretch or compress the logo when resizing it
- Don’t rotate the logo
- Don’t print it in black and white
- Don’t use colors outside the color palette
- Don’t position it too close to other elements
Here is how we described and showed the logo use restrictions for our client:
In a previous article, we discussed the role of typography for your brand’s visual identity. In it, we said that a limited selection of fonts should be made for a brand, along with clear rules on when to use each typeface.
Depending on their personality and specific strengths, different fonts are appropriate for different purposes.
These rules need to be laid out in the brand book along with instructions on what to avoid.
This is how we described and displayed the rules in the brand book of our client:
Rules for font use typically include:
- Don’t use unapproved fonts.
- Only use approved fonts and sizes for headers, subheaders, and body text.
- Only use approved alternative fonts as backup in situations where your primary font is unavailable, such as on certain web platforms or print.
- Use appropriate line spacing and letter spacing to enhance readability, particularly in digital formats.
- Only use bold, italic, or different font weights for approved purposes to keep branding unified across mediums.
Your brand book should also contain a detailed description of your color palette.
This includes detailed information about your brand’s main and secondary colors, along with rules about when to use which one, and in what combinations.
To ensure consistency, colors are precisely defined using a code (e.g. in RGB, CMYK, HEX, or Pantone format). It is not enough to state that the color is “blue”, but exactly which shade of blue.
Here is how we described the color palette in the client’s brand book:
In terms of color combinations, it is common practice to limit them to certain predefined patterns.
Apart from the brand’s main colors, secondary colors can be used in specific contexts.
For example, you can color-code every type of service you offer, giving it a unique color which can only be used in relation to the service.
For instance, you’re an insurance company. You want to visually differentiate between your life, car, and health insurance products. You can set specific colors to represent each product type in your branded materials. These colors should not be used in any other context.
Here are some restrictions typically included in the brand book to govern the use of colors:
- Use only approved primary and secondary colors.
- Use the exact color codes stated in the brand book.
- Only use approved color combinations.
Another element of your brand’s visual identity is its use of graphic elements.
The most important type of graphic elements to consider are its icons. If custom icons have been created for the brand, this is the place to display them and regulate their use.
There may be other graphic elements used for decoration, such as custom geometric shapes, lines, or 3D models. There should be rules for their use too.
For example, here is how we showcased the custom icons we created for our client in the brand book:
In a previous article, we stressed the often neglected role of photo selection for your brand’s visual identity. In it, we said that selecting high-quality photos that support your brand’s personality and meet your customers’ expectations is key to building an emotional connection with them.
Conversely, using low-quality stock photos that are clearly unrelated to your business, too generic, or clash with your customers’ expectations, can lead to brand damage. That’s why a well-designed brand book should contain rules and restrictions for effective use of photos.
Here are some rules commonly found in brand books:
- Do not use photos that look overly staged
- Do not use photos that show exaggerated expressions
- Do not use photos with artificial scenery and lighting
- Do not use common stock photos
- Do not use images that look inauthentic
- Do not use images with illustration overlays
- Do not use AI-generated images
Here is how we described and visualized rules around photo use for our client in their brand book:
As we said earlier, your brand’s identity consists not only of its visuals, but also its verbal communication. How you speak to people and what you say is crucial to build a strong, cohesive brand.
All text content you use in your brand materials, for example, on your website, social media or brochures, should sound as if the same person is speaking. This doesn’t mean that all of your verbal communication should be exactly the same, but it should follow a clear set of rules.
First, you need to determine if you want your brand to sound serious or funny, conservative or modern, confident or down-to-earth, etc.
Then, you can set specific rules around verbal communication. Common ones include:
- Do not use jargon.
- Avoid overly formal language, keep it approachable.
- Use positive and empowering language.
- Avoid overly dramatic language
- Stay clear of humor that could be misinterpreted.
Finally, after all rules and restrictions have been listed for all relevant brand elements, it is common to find a “branding in use” section in brand books.
This is the place where you as the business owner can see how your brand will look like on different print and digital media.
This is achieved through mockups of your website, social media accounts, presentation templates, business cards, letter and stationary templates, billboards, etc. You will be able to judge the overall look and feel of the brand in different contexts and show what is appropriate to do in each one.
For example, this is how we showcased the future website of our client in the brand book:
As we have shown, the brand book, guide, or manual, is a key business asset that details and regulates the use of the brand’s visual elements and verbal communication.
It is created at the end of the branding process and is a key deliverable when working with a graphic designer or agency.
It helps keep the brand consistent and protects it from damage and dilution. It helps internal and external business partners to understand your brand and work with it.
Brand books commonly contain information and rules about your brand’s logo, font selection, color palette, imagery, voice and tone, etc.
We strongly advise working with an experienced graphic designer or agency on your brand book to ensure quality and avoid costly rebranding in the future.
Have a graphic design or branding project for us? Need a brand book? Send us your brief!
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