Brand Guidelines Matter
Why Documenting Your Brand Is The Best Investment You’ve Never Made.
- Markus Pichorner
You’ve nailed your logo. Picked your colours. Chosen that one typeface that just feels right. So why do you need brand guidelines?
Because without them, you’ll be saying “Wait, which shade of blue was that again?” for the rest of your life.
What are brand guidelines?
Think of them as your brand’s operating manual. They define how your visual identity shows up in the world – from logo placement to colour codes, typography, image style, tone of voice, and more. It’s less about rules, more about consistency.
Why even bother?
1. Consistency builds recognition
Whether someone’s scrolling your Instagram or walking past your flyer in a café: it should feel like you. Brand guidelines make sure everything aligns, so you don’t dilute your identity over time.
2. They save time (and sanity)
No more hunting down hex codes, guessing font weights, or re-explaining the logo spacing to every new designer or developer. Everything’s documented. Everything’s easy.
3. They’re a gift to your future team
You might be a one-person army now. But when you grow, your guidelines become your onboarding shortcut. You can instantly align freelancers, agencies, interns, or partners with your brand’s look and voice.
4. They protect your brand from… yourself
Let’s be honest. It’s tempting to go off-script sometimes. But guidelines are a gentle reminder of what you stand for. They keep things tight, even when you’re feeling experimental.
What should be in them?
The basics:
Logo usage (dos and don’ts, spacing, backgrounds)
Colour palette (with HEX, RGB, CMYK codes)
Typography (typefaces, hierarchy, sizes)
Imagery (filters, compositions, moods)
Tone of voice (how you write and speak)
Applications (social media, web, print examples)
Optional but powerful:
Brand mission & values
Grid systems & layout examples
Icon and illustration style
Accessibility rules
Our take
Brand guidelines scale with you. They’re a foundation, not a constraint. Good guidelines make freedom possible. They allow creativity to thrive within a clear system, which is where the magic happens.
TL;DR
Brand guidelines are your brand’s DNA, playbook, and style cheat sheet rolled into one. Without them, things drift. With them, everything flows. Trust us, future you will thank present you for getting them sorted.