Getting started with your brandbook? Let's get acquainted
What is a brand book?
A brand book - also called a corporate identity handbook, brand book or brand guide - is a document that captures the core of your brand visually and verbally. It is the guideline for how your brand looks, sounds and behaves, both internally and externally.
A good brand book helps teams, partners and external agencies stay aligned in communication and design. It ensures recognition, trust and consistency in all communications.
What's in a brand book?
- Logo use: How and when the logo may be used.
- Typography: The fonts to be used consistently.
- Color palette: The primary and secondary colors of the brand.
- Visual language: Guidelines for photography, icons and illustrations.
- Tone of voice: The writing style and tone of voice of the brand.
- Marketing expressions: From banners to trade show booths
- Social media statements: in variations for a recognizable feed
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Brand values and positioning: Your brand's mission, vision and core values, translated into behavior and communication.
A brand book is a document that establishes a brand's visual and verbal guidelines. It includes agreements on logo, color usage, typography, tone of voice and other elements that ensure a consistent brand appearance.
Why should you have a brandbook created?
A brandbook is an essential document for companies striving to create a strong and consistent brand identity. When designing a corporate identity, it is essential to carefully establish it so that your brand is presented in the same way everywhere. Not only does this ensure recognition, but it also offers several other benefits:
Consistency in communication
A consistent look increases your brand's recognition and reliability. Whether it's social media, your website or printed materials, a corporate identity manual ensures that everything is aligned.
Professional look
Having clear guidelines makes your brand look more professional. This builds trust with customers and partners.
What does a brandbook cost?
The investment in a brand book depends heavily on the depth, purpose and context of your brand. Is it purely about visual guidelines such as color use, logo and typography? Or do you want a strategic brand document that also captures brand values, positioning, tone of voice and behavioral principles?
A concise brand book that lays out only the basics of visual identity requires a different approach (and budget) than a comprehensive brand manual that serves as the foundation for your overall brand experience - both internal and external.
At Studio Brabo we do not see a brand book as an after-the-fact documentation, but as a strategic tool to establish your brand in a consistent, scalable and recognizable way. The price is therefore not a fixed amount, but depends on the extent to which we go back together to the core of your brand, and how widely it should be applied.
Understanding what is needed for your brand?
I'm Bob, digital strategist, and happy to advise you.
How does a brand book help with rebranding?
If your company is embarking on a new direction or needs a fresh look, a brand book plays a crucial role in the rebranding process. It helps ensure a smooth transition by providing clear guidelines for the new visual and communication style. This prevents customer and employee confusion and ensures that the new branding is applied consistently across all communications.
How do you ensure that employees and partners comply with the brand book?
For a brand book to be effective, it must be implemented properly. Some ways to ensure this:
- Training and workshops: Teach employees how to apply the guidelines correctly.
- Internal communication: Share the brandbook with the entire team and make it accessible.
- Tools and templates: Make it easier by offering ready-made templates for presentations, social media and documents.
- Monitoring and Adjustment: Regularly monitor compliance with guidelines and make adjustments as needed.
Common mistakes when creating a brandbook
A brand book is meant to provide direction, not inhibition. Yet we see that drafting it is often underestimated, resulting in a document that is either too vague or too restrictive. These are the pitfalls we encounter most often:
1. Too superficial or too generic
Many brand books get stuck on just the visual basics: logo, colors, typography. But without context - why those choices were made, what the brand wants to convey, or how it relates to competitors - the document offers little guidance. Guidelines without an underlying brand strategy are rarely effective.
2. No regard for ongoing development
Brands are not snapshots. Yet brand books are often considered "finished" after completion. Good brands move with the market, organization and target audience. So does your brandbook. If it is not a dynamic document, it quickly becomes irrelevant.
3. Directed too tightly
A brand book is not a set of immutable rules, but a framework that provides frameworks and allows space. Too strict guidelines make it difficult for teams and external partners to work with it. Creativity within the brand identity must remain possible - otherwise you get stiff, impersonal expressions.
At Studio Brabo, we look at brandbook creation differently. For us it is not a static document, but a strategic starting point. One that offers a foothold, without getting in the way of creativity. We always build it from the core of the brand - with an eye for application, ease of use and growth. So that your brand book doesn't disappear into a folder, but instead helps daily to make choices, to inspire and to keep your brand sharp.
What is the next step after a brandbook?
It's the perfect time to take a critical look at your website. After developing new brand guidelines, it is essential to ensure that your website is seamlessly consistent with the updated style. This means adjusting not only the visual elements such as colors, typography and imagery, but also optimizing the overall user experience and navigation to ensure consistency in branding. The goal is to create an online presence that is not only visually appealing, but also fully reflects the brand identity and provides a smooth experience for your visitors.
