… let’s think about brand style guides.

In this use case scenario … you are responsible for Brand Style Guides at ACME Corporation.

Acme Corporation has a small, but busy marketing department.

The Acme marketing team is only 4 people … but the team works with a lot of freelancers from around the world.

You were recently hired to be the CMO at Acme.

Your job is to manage the Acme brand, and oversee the marketing & freelance teams.

One of the first things you noticed is the Acme Corporation logo appears to be inconsistent on some of its marketing materials.

You also noticed that Acme does not have a brand style guide.

The website 99Designs.com defines a brand style guide as:

What is a brand style guide?

A brand style guide is a rulebook that explains how an organization presents itself to the world through its logo, font and color selections, photography and much more. Put another way, it’s a reference tool that helps maintain consistency in what a brand looks, feels and sounds like.

One of the most impactful task on your plate right now is to develop a brand style guide for Acme.

For one, you want to empower your teams to help you police and protect the Acme brand. And second, you know your competitors do not have a brand style guide to reference. Last but not least, you know that a style guide will increase the perception and value of the Acme brand long-term.

How to Approach:

You are going to delegate the creation of Acme’s brand style guide.

Schedule a meeting with the Acme creative director or the agency that created the Acme logo.

Before your meeting … search on Google for “brand style guide examples”. Or, search for a particular company’s brand style guide (ie … “LinkedIn Brand Style Guide“) for inspiration.

During your meeting … discuss the purpose of the style guide and communicate your expectations for it.

As marketing professionals, productivity and efficiency are cornerstone to your success. The style guide will save time, provide clarity, and bring structure to your marketing.

The Acme style guide will govern the way in which the company’s logos, colors, typography, photography, advertising, and messaging is used in all marketing campaigns.