What is a brand book? This is a document representing the corporate identity of the company and the rules for its use. The brand book sets distinct guidelines for maintaining and positioning brand identity across all aspects of the business.

Why do you need a brand book? 

Suppose the situation, you’ve ordered a logo design, planned every detail, invested in its development, and got the perfect result. Unexpectedly, your logo is placed on an advertising banner on an unfavorable background or from a distorted perspective. You have to change something making a lot of extra moves to correct. And there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again. But for the fixed the rules for using the logo in the brand book, you would have forever avoided such problems.

It concerns other elements of corporate identity ranging from corporate colors to the motto. The brand book of the company is the main law for designers, advertising and PR professionals, marketers, and those who are called to promote the brand in the market. Directing their creative energy in the right way, the corporate identity guide preserves the brand’s values ​​and visual identity.

Brand book creation: what you should start with

For any company, the starting point for a brand book creation is the awareness that it is necessary. Next up is the professionals’ job.

Brand book development begins with identifying brand goals and the means to achieve them. It is necessary to decide what the brand identity is as well as how it is advantageous to establish and to emphasize the concept.

Create a brand book properly 

The brand book basis consists of the company’s philosophy and all relevant developments in its corporate identity.

A brand book creation includes 5 significant steps:

1. Collect and analyze information.

2. Prioritization and conceptualization.

3. Structure definition.

4. Drafting of text and visual material.

5. Document development.

Brand book guideline: basic elements 

A brand book can be both a voluminous document and a one-page document. The main goal of a brand book is to carry out its mission. One of the most crucial parts of its creation is to determine what the brand guideline should include.

Let’s consider in more detail the main points that may set in the corporate identity guide.

Brand legend 

We mean a beautiful story about creating a brand that defines the essence of your corporate identity. The brand legend forms in people an idea of ​​your company, products, and services that you offer. It helps the consumer to understand better your brand as well as to accept it. A legend brand may include a short history of the company, its core values ​​, and mission, i.e. everything that you consider necessary to convey to the world. With that right story, you can turn your brand into a legend.

Logo 

This section contains instructions on the logo displaying and strict rules regarding its placing. The correct appearance data and size, acceptable and undesirable options for placing a logo will help to further avoid errors in using it.

Brand colors

It’s no secret that people see colors differently, and color reproduction on different media may vary considerably. Therefore, this section is an important guideline for maintaining the unity of the corporate style.

It should include the exact features of the color scheme of your brand – primary brand colors as well as secondary colors, Pantone color samples, and names, and indicate colors for both digital use and for printing.

Typography and images 

These visual guidelines should include information about the corporate fonts for headlines and body texts, the sizes ratio, spacing, alignment of texts as well as other information necessary for the text component to be in harmony with other elements of the corporate identity.

As for the images, give examples of your brand pictures and photos displaying in a proper or incorrect form on social networks, advertising, and printing materials.

Brand tone of voice 

This is about the style of communication (logical, emotional, distant, serious, humorous, etc). You should choose what vocabulary and drafting styles are in favor, and which one is avoided. Some companies find out it an essential section to include in their corporate identity guide.

A brand book can be designed as a print publication or in a digital format. The cost of a brand book depends on many factors but try to avoid the cheapest options.

Brand book creation: quick, efficient and professional! 

Entrusting the brand book creation to professionals guarantees a qualitative result.

TCD branding agency offers:

• Company brand book creation;
• Corporate identity development;
• Logo design.

Would you like a stunning brand book? Contact us, please. You can leave a request on our website using the feedback form or call by the phones indicated in the Contacts.