So, you’ve received your brand guidelines, but maybe you don’t have a graphic designer on staff who knows how to implement them or read the jargon scattered throughout the multi-page document.
Following these rules keeps your brand looking consistent and professional, and helps maintain the trust you’ve built with your audience. Let’s break down the basics so you can confidently bring your brand to life.
Your Signature
Your signature, also known as your logo, is just one part of your brand identity. Your brand guide should spell out how to use it, how big or small it should be and how much space it needs.
Your logo could consist of a brandmark (an icon that is attached to your logo), a tagline or a wordmark (a logo that is just words).
What is a primary signature?
This is your main logo. Check your brand guide for alternate versions, like ones without a tagline or ones that are better suited for small or specialty uses like screen printing on a t-shirt or other promotional item.
Why is there a minimum size?
It’s important your logo stays legible. Brand guides often specify exact measurements as a reminder not to shrink your signature too small.
Why a Clear Zone?
I tell clients to pretend there is a large invisible box around their logo. This is called a clear zone space, a margin of space that you should give your logo from the edge of a page, other logos, text, etc. Keeping this margin between your logo and other elements makes your logo and brand look professional. The more the better! Don’t smush!
Visual Elements
Icons and Graphics
When your design calls for an icon or graphic, look to your brand guide for direction on style. Choose icons from the same family. Are they filled or outlined? Keep that choice consistent across all materials. Consistency in line weight, color and style reinforces your brand’s visual identity. Need inspiration? Explore free icon libraries like flaticon.com to find sets that align with your brand’s look and feel.
Photography
Photos should reflect your brand’s message and identity. If your organization is people-focused, choose authentic, candid images that represent your audience and evoke the emotions your brand stands for. Consider lighting, tone and composition. Each photo should feel like it belongs in your brand world!
Dos and Don’ts
When we think about the “do’s and don’ts” of implementing your brand identity, there are quite a few. These include adjusting your brand in any way beyond what is provided in your Brand Guide.
Do – follow the rules.
Don’t –
- Use colors that aren’t in your brand guide.
- Pick random fonts (even those fun Canva ones!).
- Drop your font size below 8 pt.
- Place text or logos on low-contrast backgrounds.
- Stretch, distort or edit your logo.
Accessibility
We hope your brand guidelines tell you how to use color combinations from your palette in an accessible way. That helps your text and icons remain visible to people with visual impairments. If your brand guidelines don’t provide guidance, visit whocanuse.com to explore color combinations and ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. For more accessibility tips, check out our blog!
Pro tip? Use tools like color.review or whocanuse.com to check if the combination of colors you want to use is accessible. You want to make sure that your brand is inclusive to anyone who comes across it.
Ready to take it further?
The brands we create have purpose, and so do our rules. Let’s schedule a brand audit or team training to ensure your visuals are always on point!
