Brand book content and its purpose
Updated: May 26, 2020
A brand book is a guideline for brand identity and brand standards. You can start developing your brand book once you turn your business idea into a business plan. At this stage, you already know what your business is and what you aim to accomplish within a few years.
Why do you need to create a brand?
Picture a white coffee cup. Now, picture a white coffee cup with a logo and excellent branding. Not only are we paying more for the branded product, but we can also remember it and repeat our business. Have you ever attempted to remember a brand of a white cup that was without any mark? That's the reason why companies want to be memorable and unique. Branding helps businesses accomplish that.
Why do we need a brand book?
I’ve worked with many organizations and I've seen how the brands suffer when they have no brand book. Over time, each graphic designer, whether in-house or contracted, adds or changes things according to their style or taste. At the end of the process, you have a brand Frankenstein. When a brand is different each time a customer experiences it, it misses a chance to be memorable. There’s a reason why Tiffany & Co. uses the exact same shade of turquoise each time and why that colour is patented so no other company can use it.
A brand book can explain to everyone who works for your company your brand identity and standards. For instance, it can spell out how you'd like your customers to feel when interacting with your brand, what your colours are, and what the typography is. Updating everyone on your brand standards can be accomplished simply by sharing a document. Quite easy, right? All graphic designers, print houses and advertising agencies would receive the information and would be able to follow your guidelines.
If done correctly, anyone can grab any graphic right from the brand book and use it. If all your logos and most essential graphics are there, your brand book will be practical and handy.
Brand book content
All brand books differ; otherwise, they wouldn't be memorable and unique. However, all brand books have to include the following:
brand name
slogan/tagline
mission and vision
company values
logos and all its variations
brand colours
typography
It can also include:
guidelines for photography
other graphic elements such as icons, patterns, textures
style, tone of voice
how the brand will act on all five senses including aroma
marketing collateral design including pens, notebooks, business cards, outdoor banners, event stands, t-shirts, and cups.
Branding is an exciting process. I’m heavily involved in it along with the agency's graphic designers. We work together to generate ideas, give feedback, choose the best options, and work with them. You can view some of the brand books we’ve created here. If you have any questions about branding, reach out to us.