Why are brand guidelines important for your business?

I go on fairly incessantly about brand guidelines, and with good reason. From an operational perspective having a set of guidelines makes for a much more efficient business, but aside from that, it is what can cement your business in people’s mind. It creates a perception of your business for current and future clients, it will make them feel like they are in professional and experienced hands and creates a clearly identifiable business that helps you stand out in a crowd.

So why specifically are they important and how can they help your business?

Firstly let’s talk about consistency. The consistency that brand guidelines create helps your audience follow you and identify your work quickly, it’s more professional and your work is recognised and trusted. They also enable your business identity to be consistent across all platforms. Think of any of the biggest brands in the world and what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I guarantee you it will be an image, their text, their brand colours! Who doesn’t want that sort of immediate recognition!

Like I said at the start, from an operational and business management perspective it’s really important to have a clear set of brand guidelines. By that I mean a logo, a colour palette, set texts, styles and graphics, and where and how they are meant to be applied. You can also count your messaging, slogans and tone of communication as part of your brand guidelines. Having them set saves time and resources. When everyone is working off the same template it means less time editing and designing and more time to focus on your business message and marketing effectively. It also means your team fully understands what your brand stands for. Added to that is the fact that when you are onboarding new employees you can train them faster in your messaging and allow them to understand your mission and values more clearly by introducing them to your brand standards. Bottom line is, it maintains the integrity of your brand when everyone is representing it the same way and that in turn leads to more effective and powerful messaging.

Ultimately they are a strategic tool that can significantly impact your business’s success. By ensuring consistency, enhancing recognition, saving time and building trust, brand guidelines help to create a strong, cohesive brand that will make your business resonate with clients.