“What will you name the boat”… Creating a brand book is an important moment in the history of the creation and development of any brand

A brand book (or corporate style) is a document that defines uniform standards and recommendations for using the brand of a company or organization in various media and communications. A brand book serves as an important guide for maintaining a consistent and recognizable brand appearance and identity.

Typically a brand book includes the following elements:

• Logo: Description of the logo, its variants and rules of use. The brand book specifies how the logo should be placed, what color to use, what elements are not allowed with the logo and other details.
• Color palette: Definition of primary and secondary colors used in a brand, including guidance on Pantone, CMYK and RGB codes to accurately reproduce colors across media.
• Fonts and Typography: Specifies the use of specific fonts for text and headings, font sizes, line spacing, and other typographic parameters.
• Graphic elements: Instructions for using graphic elements such as backgrounds, textures, lines, and other design details.
• Photos and images: Guidelines for selecting and styling photographs and images that are on-brand. This may include shooting style, color filters, and composition.
• Text and graphic elements: The use of slogans, slogans, icons and other text and graphic elements that characterize the brand.
• Application examples: A brand book can include examples of the correct and incorrect application of a brand on various materials such as brochures, websites, packaging and promotional materials.
• Instructions for use in various media: How to leverage your brand across multiple media formats, including print, digital, social media, advertising and more.

Following a brand book helps ensure consistency and brand recognition in all communications, and builds a long-term brand identity in the eyes of customers and audiences.

Brand book development

Who develops the brand book? Can this be done independently or should we involve specialists in this field? How complicated is this, in principle? What can depend on a successful or, on the contrary, unsuccessful brand book? These questions are not idle. Because it is based, in fact, on the notorious — “What do you call the boat”…

And experts agree on one thing: creation of a brand book is a specialized task, and it is generally recommended to involve professionals in solving it. It is important to understand that a successful brand book can significantly increase brand awareness and effectiveness, while an unsuccessful one, on the contrary, can damage the reputation and image of the company. And not for a day, but forever…

Let’s look at some key aspects:

• complexity of developing a brand book: Creating a brand book can be a complex and multifaceted process, including developing the design of elements, defining styles, color palettes, typography, and creating a strategy for using the brand in various media. If you have professional experience in design and marketing, you can, of course, try to develop a brand book yourself. Otherwise, it is better to contact specialists.
• professional quality: Branding and design professionals can ensure high quality and up-to-date standards. They can also come up with creative solutions and ideas that will help a particular brand stand out.
• agreement and consensus: Brand book development usually includes a process of approval and decision making. Experts can help accommodate the differing opinions and needs of your employees and customers.
• long term value: A successful brand book can serve as the basis for brand development over many years. This is an important document that guides marketing efforts and creates consistency in communications.
• brand identity: A successful brand book helps establish and maintain brand recognition and loyalty among the audience. A bad brand book can cause confusion and reduce customer trust.

Stages of brand book development