How to Create a Style Guide
How many times have you sent business cards to print and obtained yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been thrilled to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then observed that the crucial tag line is missing or your logo has been squashed.
There is only one way to prevent this from happening and that is to set up a style guide. Not only will a style guide assist you control the reproduction of your logo - it will also help you reinforce your brand recognition – which many argue is one of the strongest selling tools.
We have placed the below steps together for you as a starting point.
Step 1 : Outline the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to use in-house or is this for suppliers and contractors to refer to?
Step 2 : Define what your output uses are. This is important because you will need different logos and file formats for example, black and white publication adverts in comparison to vehicle graphics.
Step 3 : Define the tone for the copy and content required. For example you may wantcopy rules for printed content and then copy rules for website content.
Content rules cover all punctuation rules and how to specify to the business and team.
Step 4 : Assure you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding lies on all the different pieces of collateral that may be repeated.
Step 5 : Make sure to include any contributing logos or logos of business that are affiliated with you. It’s also important that you send a copy of the layout to these companies to ensure they agree with the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.
Step 6 : Confirm that grammar, spelling and contact details are correct.
Step 7 : Assure that when suppliers are using the Style Guide they understand~know~discern~apprehend} that a proof needs to be dispatched~sent~mailed~commissioned}to you to be confirmed as correct.
Have your Style Guide completed and as secure as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advocate a training session – whereby your design studio comes in and trains your staff on how to work the Style Guide and most importantly your brand.
For graphic design Brisbane, logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today. We help your brand build business.
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