Brand Guides
by admin
Hey guys!
We are working on our Brand Guides as the final part of the semester. Below, you will find detailed information about what needs to be included in the guide and a couple of examples from previous semester.
A Brand Guide is as important if not more important that the logo for the brand. Without a guide to tell designers how to use the logo and what colors and typefaces are associated with the brand, a brand can and most likely will fall apart. For example, Target would never want for it’s logo to be printed in bright blue. That would confuse it with Walmart’s brand. Typefaces are just as important as color. Apple wouldn’t ever use Goudy Old Style as a typeface for it’s logo or anything else for that matter. Goudy isn’t modern and clean cut enough to reflect the design aesthetic of Apple’s brand.
Some Brand Guides get super detailed while others cover just the basics. Our guides will be somewhere in the middle with information.
The following requirements must be in your final brand guide.
REQUIREMENTS
FINAL LOGO
– Black & White
– Full Color
LOGO SAFE SPACE
LOGO MINIMUM SIZE
– for Print (INCHES)
– for Web (PIXELS)
COLOR PALETTE
– PMS
– CMYK
– RGB
– Hex
TYPEFACE
– Primary
– Secondary
BUSINESS CARD
LETTERHEAD
ENVELOPE
The Logo must be shown in Black on White and White on Black so that the end user knows what are acceptable iterations of the mark. The logo must also be shown in full color for the same reason. If you have more than one version of your logo, for example… versions with and without the icon, or the icon on it’s own, it is crucial to show all of these options in Black, White, and Color. Sometimes, you may have multiple color versions of the logo and it’s components. You must show these too!
Safe Space is vital for readability. We need to know how close the logo can be placed to another logo or text that may be near by. By assigning a value of “x” to the height or width to a single element of your logo, and basing the size of all of the other parts of the logo in relationship to this measurement, we are able to figure out the amount of space that is needed around the mark. See examples in the guides below and on the web.
Minimum Size for both print, in inches, and web, in pixels, is extremely important. Without this minimum size given, how do we know how small the logo can be and still be readable. This is also a good spot to indicate minimums for different versions of the logo, aka horizontal, vertical, minimized version without icon, or just the icon.
When using Color, we must talk about color palettes. There are always Primary Color Palettes, which include the colors of the logo and icon. And well thought out brands include a Secondary Color Palettes that are additional colors that can be used as background or accent colors for images, text, other icons, and other images that are used in association of the brand. These colors do not ever replace the colors of the logo. They are meant to compliment the primary color palette.
Typography choices are also broken down to Primary and Secondary just like colors are. Primary Typefaces are the font families of the fonts used in the logo. If you hand lettered the logo, mention how you created the lettering and then indicate an alternate real typeface that can be used for certain applications. Secondary Typefaces are the font families that compliment the Primary Typeface Families. These fonts in no way ever replaces the Primary fonts.
And to round out every brand, you must have a Business Card, Letterhead, & Envelope. With these pieces, include real dummy type. Make up the name of an employee or founder and an address, web address, phone number, and email address. These pieces should be thought about and designed. Also think about 2 sided Business Cards and Letterheads!
FORMAT
6″ x 9″ pages
.125″ bleed
Full Color
Minimum of 12 pages including cover
Saddle Stitched
I have found that giving you guys a small booklet format, it helps to organize the guide and gives you an opportunity to design the guide to reflect the spirit and aesthetic of your brand. When designing the guide, think about what kind of imagery you use. Is it illustration? Photography, Black and White, Colored, Duo-toned? Solid Colors, from your secondary palette?
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLE BRAND GUIDES AND OTHER INSPIRING SITES TO LOOK AT!
Some brands choose to release additional materials, like videos, that evoke the spirit of the brand in addition to the technical points of how to use the brand.