13 Best Retail Company Brand Books & Style Guides

A brand book is your go-to guide for everything about your visual and written identity. When done right, it’s a powerful tool that helps your team boost brand awareness and keep your organization’s look and feel consistent.

Let’s check out some big retail names like IKEA, Walmart, and Decathlon. What do they all have in common? They’ve nailed the art of creating strong, instantly recognizable brand identities. By sticking to well-defined guidelines, they ensure their brand always stands out and is easily identifiable.

What’s Their Secret?

There are many steps in the process of creating a strong brand. One of the crucial elements in this process is consistency. In fact, consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%, highlighting significant financial benefits of maintaining a cohesive brand image.

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Being consistent in your communication is the foundation of building a strong brand identity. If you stay consistent with your voice and tone, as well as with all your visuals such as logos, fonts, and colors, it gets easier for your audience to recognize you.

However, making sure that everyone in your company uses your assets correctly is not always an easy task. That’s why it can be helpful to create a brand book with guidelines on how to project your brand effectively.

A well-crafted brand book not only maintains uniformity, but also empowers your team by providing a reference point. It serves as a comprehensive resource, detailing how to maintain the brand’s integrity across all platforms and materials.

What Does a Brand Book Consist of?

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 remains consistent.

Most brand books are divided into various parts, which contain at least:

• The brand mission, vision, and core values: These elements articulate what the brand stands for and its goals.

• Logo guidelines: Instructions on the correct and incorrect ways to use the brand logo.

• Color palette: Specific colors and their uses to maintain visual consistency.

• Typography: The fonts and typefaces that represent the brand’s identity.

To give you some inspiration, we have collected some examples of our favorite brand books and style guidelines that may help you with the creation of your own guidelines.

Let’s get started!

Our List of Brand Book & Style Guide Favorites

1. IKEA

IKEA’s brand book is the perfect example of how to make the brand’s core values and guidelines clear to everyone.

On every page in this brand book, IKEA gives a short and clear statement with a detailed description of each core value. It also uses inspirational images to reiterate the brand’s voice and theme.

2. Walmart

Walmart keeps it short and simple. There is a brand center on the website that gives everyone access to its guidelines. You get a short impression about the brand’s purpose as well as the right usage of logos and colors.

3. Decathlon

Decathlon has created a detailed brand page. In it you will find detailed instructions about the dos and don’ts of logo usage, colors, typography, and a description of its core values.

4. REWE Group

To give everyone access to the brand’s core values and guidelines, the REWE Group company website features a page for its mission statement. There is also a page about sustainability where the reader is provided information about the REWE Group guidelines and core values.

5. Kroger

If you look at the Kroger website, you will also notice that it places a focus on sustainability as part of its mission statement. There is a sustainability report with detailed descriptions of the company goals and vision.

6. Carrefour

The Carrefour website includes a brand center that focuses on the correct usage of logos. It gives exact instructions and examples to ensure that the brand’s guidelines are clear to everyone. This ensures that the use of logos and colors remains consistent.

7. Walgreens Boots Alliance

Another notable example of how to give an overview of a brand’s core values is Walgreens Boots Alliance. The simple icons and clear statements make it easy for everyone to understand the company’s vision, purpose, and values.

8. Coop Group

The Coop Group website gives an overview of the company’s vision and mission statement. It also includes downloadable files with a summary of their core values.

9. Amazon

To make sure that everyone has access to its guidelines, Amazon employees have created a website section where you can find links to all their advertising policies. One of these links brings you to a brief overview of its logo guidelines. Amazon owns a separate website that gives an overview of the company’s vision and core values.

10. H&M

H&M has published a brand book with a focus on the brand’s core values, “the H&M way,” where you get a detailed description of the guidelines as well as the company’s history. The brand uses strong images that help it tell its story.

11. Nike

Nike’s brand book is a testament to its commitment to maintaining a strong, cohesive brand identity. The brand book features bold photography and straightforward writing that reflects Nike’s ethos of empowering athletes.

Nike also emphasizes sustainability through its “Circular Design Guide,” which outlines principles for creating long-lasting products with minimal environmental impact.

12. Starbucks

Starbucks’ brand book is a comprehensive guide that details the company’s mission, vision, and core values. It includes specific guidelines for logo usage, color palettes, typography, and imagery, ensuring that all communications remain consistent with the brand’s identity.

Starbucks’ mission and guidelines emphasize the importance of creating a welcoming environment and fostering a sense of community.

13. Apple

Apple’s brand guidelines are renowned for their simplicity and clarity. The brand book provides detailed instructions on logo usage, color schemes, and typography, ensuring that every piece of communication maintains Apple’s sleek and minimalist aesthetic.

The guidelines also emphasize the importance of consistency in creating a strong, recognizable brand. Apple’s brand values focus on innovation, design, and user experience, which are evident throughout its brand book.

Create Your Own Brand Book & Style Guide

1. Define Your Brand’s Core Elements

Start by outlining your brand’s mission, vision, and core values. These foundational elements will guide all your branding efforts and should be clearly articulated in your brand book. They provide the context for why your brand exists and what it aims to achieve.

2. Develop Visual Guidelines

Visual consistency is key to a strong brand identity. Your brand book should include detailed guidelines on the following:

• Logo Usage: Provide specific instructions on how and where to use your logo, including spacing, sizing, and color variations. Include examples of correct and incorrect usage.

• Color Palette: Define the primary and secondary colors that represent your brand. Specify color codes (e.g., RGB, CMYK, HEX) to ensure accurate reproduction across all media.

• Typography: Choose fonts that reflect your brand’s personality and ensure they are used consistently. Provide guidelines on font sizes, styles, and spacing.

3. Establish Voice and Tone

Your brand’s voice and tone should be consistent across all communications. Define whether your brand’s tone is formal, casual, playful, or serious. Provide examples of language and phrases that align with your brand’s identity. This section helps ensure that all written content, from social media posts to internal communications, resonates with your brand’s character.

4. Include Imagery Guidelines

Images play a crucial role in brand perception. Outline the style of photography or illustrations that should be used, including guidance on color schemes, subjects, and composition. Provide examples of imagery that align with your brand’s aesthetic.

5. Create Templates and Examples

To make it easier for your team to apply the guidelines, include templates for common documents and marketing materials. Provide examples of correctly formatted materials such as business cards, letterheads, email signatures, and social media posts.

6. Ensure Accessibility and Updates

Make your brand book easily accessible to all employees, possibly through a digital platform or an internal website. Regularly update the document to reflect any changes in your brand strategy or identity.

Strengthen Your Brand Identity Today With Lytho

By carefully crafting a brand book and style guide, you ensure that every interaction with your brand is consistent and professional. This not only strengthens brand recognition, but also builds trust and loyalty among your audience.

Learn how Lytho’s Creative Workflow Software and Digital Asset Management solutions can help you create and maintain a comprehensive brand book and style guide. Our tools streamline your branding processes, ensuring consistency across all platforms and touchpoints. Schedule a demo with Lytho today and see how our solutions can transform your brand management strategy.