If you constantly find that your organization’s assets take … creative liberties … with fonts, colors, logos, and tone (or you want to prevent off-brand assets from getting out the door), then you need one brand book to rule them all. Assembling one might seem like a daunting task, but we would like you to imagine for one moment a world in which your brand identity is consistent across every. single. piece. of. content.
Have a clear picture in your head? Now you may read on.
Why Do We Need Brand Books?
And where can you get some inspiration to create your own? In this article, we’re going to define the hows and they whys and share some examples of excellent brand books to give you some inspiration for creating your own guidelines.
If you think about what the world’s most recognizable brands all have in common in their brand awareness efforts, there is but one answer — consistency. They are consistent in voice, tone, logo designs, colors, and all other elements that form the brand. And how do they manage to maintain messaging and communication consistency throughout? A brand book, that’s how.
Definition of a Brand Book
A brand book consists of guidelines that lay out the company’s voice, tone and messaging as well as a manual on how to use logos, fonts and colors correctly. It outlines your brand’s identity and core values and ensures that your brand image stays consistent. Its purpose is to act as the definitive reference point for all employees when interacting with and on behalf of your brand.
The Best Tech Company Brand Books Inspiration
1. Apple
Apple has created a brand book for Channel Affiliates and Apple-Certified Individuals. It consists of 56 pages and outlines the dos and don’ts when using Apple channel signatures, assets, trademarks and more.
On the second page they explain the importance of the brand book: “The Apple identity is a seal of approval and a promise of excellence. When you are authorized or certified in your area of business or expertise, you also represent Apple. By following these guidelines, you reap the benefits of the Apple identity and contribute to its strength.”
2. Facebook
Facebook has decided to create a website to make their Brand Resource Center accessible to everyone. On this website they give an overview of their guidelines as well as the correct use of their assets.
3. Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud has published a brand book that gives an overview of their brand assets, including trademarks, names, logos, icons and badges. They also give a summary of their key principles, as well as examples on how to best engage on different social media platforms.
4. Mailchimp
Mailchimp keeps it short and simple. On their website they give a brief description of the correct usage of their logo and colors and have listed some do’s and don’ts that should be kept in mind.
5. Spotify
In Spotify’s brand book the focus lies mainly on the correct usage of logo designs and colors but in the last section they also give some example phrases for messaging.
6. Slack
Slack gives an incredibly detailed overview of all their brand guidelines. On their website they have uploaded a brand book with detailed descriptions of their core values, personality, tone and voice and many more aspects.
7. Microsoft
Microsoft is also extremely strict about logo usage: On their website they have created a FAQ section with exact descriptions of size, shape and colors of the logo. They also mention a broad variation of logo examples that are not allowed.
8. Dell Technologies
Dell has created a clear and detailed overview on their website, where you can find a structured description of logos, colors, typography, voice, images and icons. They have also created a page with an extensive list of FAQs, to answer a wide range of questions.
9. Amazon
On Amazon’s advertising website, you can find a wide range of advertising policies, including brand usage guidelines. On this page you can find exact information about size and the correct logo usage. Just like most of the other brands, they have also created a thorough list of logo examples that are not allowed to be used.
10. Netflix
To make their brand assets accessible to everyone, Netflix has created a brand site where everyone can download the logo. You can also find a list of examples of which logo variations should be avoided and what colors can be used as background.
Recommended readings:
The 10 Most Beautiful Brand Book and Style Guide Examples
10 Best Retail Company Brand Books & Style Guides
Do you want to store all your brand guidelines and other elements in one place? Lytho helps you streamline your entire workflow and harmonize all brand collateral under a single, uniform platform. Schedule a demo and learn how our creative solutions can boost the effectiveness of your creative projects.
Do you want to give yourself and your creative team more room for creative stimulation by automating the boring stuff? Lytho helps you streamline your entire workflow and harmonize all brand collateral under a single, uniform platform. Feel free to reach out to us by scheduling a demo and learning how our creative solutions can boost the effectiveness of your creative projects. We look forward to speaking with you!
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