A BASIC GUIDE TO STYLE GUIDES
Yesterday I was reading through an RFP (request for proposal) and noticed that creating a style guide was included in their needs. This is something I have a TON of experience in and that brings me a lot of joy. This got me thinking; “do small business owners know what a style guide is?”
The majority of the graphic needs of most small businesses I work with consist of two things.
Logo/brand identity
business cards and signage
It is my opinion that most small businesses don’t focus enough on brand and style, and it makes sense, when you’re small your focus is honed in on converting sales and building a customer base, and therefore, they really should be hyper focused on advertising and building customer base.
But brand and style are so important, it’s overlooked, and I think it would be helpful to explain and break down the basics of a style guide, it might help propel the next person to move forward with theirs.
What is a Style Guide?
By my personal definition: a Style Guide is a set document that explains to internal and external entities the perimeters of the company’s brand, style and voice. This document governs the use of the company’s appearance, both online and in print.
So in digestible terms, a style guide is a little “company bible” that tells someone how the company should look and sound.
This is important, especially if you have someone else working on your marketing, it ensures that they completely understand all the do’s and don’t’s of how you want the public to view your company.
Here are the basics of what you should have and provide to any designer or person representing your company and brand, just the basics- not everything.
Logo
You should have a logo for your business, hopefully that logo is clean, simple, and sends a clear message to the public of who you are. Also included, how to use your logo, for example: do not portray my logo upside down. I know it seems silly, but designers are artists, and sometimes we do crazy things. So have your logo, but also have rules on if your logo can change colors, shape, and even how close you want it to other images if necessary.
Color
Next is color; your color pallet says a lot about you and should be just as thought out as your logo. You should provide CMYK and RBG colors for you primary logo and style, and even accent colors that you feel go best with those.
Font
This may sound like overkill, but you don’t want someone marketing your business with comic sans right? Font is important, and can on a micro level play a role in how someone reads and views your businesses personality. Have one primary font chosen that is used with your logo and with printable materials, otherwise you’re leaving yourself open to something that may be too bold, or not easily readable.
Imagery
Along with a logo, you should always present preferred photographs and graphics that show how you want your products and services to look and feel. I recommend every small business to have a collection of at least ten different photographs that can be used in any layout.
While this is the bare minimum, it is a great jumping off point for someone with minimal experience to begin putting together a basic style guide. Once you start gathering all these puzzle pieces you’ll find it almost soothing to see what these elements look like together and how they create a feeling and visual voice for your company.
If you find that this task is difficult, and you just can’t seem to find the right colors and images, reach out to us for help. We love to talk style and want to help create the perfect identity for you. find us here!