A set of brand guidelines brings together the rules for using a visual identity: it's the reference document that keeps a brand consistent everywhere, over time. Here are the 8 elements it should contain, with concrete examples.
1. The logo and its usage rules
Logo versions (primary, monochrome, icon, horizontal/vertical), the clear space around it, and the minimum display sizes. This is the heart of the guidelines.
2. What you must never do
The things you never do to the logo: distort it, change its colours, place it on a background that makes it unreadable, or recreate it. These don'ts protect the brand just as much as the rules do.
3. Colours
The full palette with the exact codes for every use: HEX and RGB (web), CMYK (print), and Pantone where needed. Primary and secondary colours, and the proportions in which to use them.
4. Typography
The typefaces (headings, body), their weights, and above all the hierarchy: which size signals which level of information. This is what makes any layout legible at a glance.
5. Patterns, shapes and textures
The recurring graphic elements that extend the brand world beyond the logo: shapes, grids, pictograms, textures.
6. Imagery and photographic style
The rules for photos and illustrations: style, treatment, framing, mood. A consistent brand chooses its images deliberately rather than settling for whatever comes along.
7. Applications
How the identity works in practice: stationery (business cards, letterheads), web assets, social media, signage, printed materials. The more examples the guidelines show, the more useful they are.
8. Tone and real-world examples
A handful of real scenarios that show “how it should look” — the best way to get everyone who uses the guidelines to actually follow them.
What do brand guidelines look like? (examples)
An example of brand guidelines can range from a one-page mini-guide (logo + colours + fonts, for a small business) to a detailed brand book running to dozens of pages for a brand with many touchpoints. In every case, a good example includes: a logo page (versions + clear space), a colour page (a coded swatch chart), a typography page (hierarchy), application pages (cards, web, social, print) and real-world usage examples. You'll find this kind of deliverable in our work.
Guidelines, identity, logo: don't mix them up
The logo is a mark; the visual identity is the complete system; the brand guidelines are the document that sets the rules for it. See the difference in detail. Need clear, usable guidelines? They're included in our identity work, on a project basis or through the unlimited design subscription — request a free quote.