What is a Brand Book? Our Guide to Creating an Attractive Brand

The brand book can be described as your brand’s user manual. It’s a key tool that lets everyone know in detail how to use your brand image, on any support, both online and offline.

Whether you are a brand manager, a marketing or a communication executive, or a CDO, if you’re looking to know how to deal with a brand book and how to share it with those working with your brand, you’re in the right place!

In this guide, we’ll detail the essential components of the brand book, the required steps to create your book, as well as some inspirational examples.

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What is a Brand Book?

Brand Book: Definition

The brand book is the keystone of a branding strategy. It contains all the elements that make up your brand, from its founding principles:

• mission,
• vision,
• values,

to its visual identity:

• logo,
• colors,
• visuals,
• style,
• the overall design, etc.

Thus, it serves as a reference document for everything related to the use of your brand, either for clients or partners. 🖌️

The Brand Book as Part of your Communication Strategy

In a few words, the brand book is the design guide of your company.

It is an essential part of any communication strategy. The brand book should state an ensemble of guidelines and best practices regarding the use of your brand, on any support.

The brand book should reflect the distinctive elements that make your brand original and unique, like the design, or the colors. It allows your company to create a strong brand personality and speak in a clear and consistent voice.

This harmonization is crucial! It enhances brand recognition and the trust people place in your brand. This lays the foundations for solid brand awareness and a positive brand image.

💡 The brand book itself should be the concentrated expression of your brand. Its content must reflect the spirit of your brand in a detailed, stylish and concise manner.

Why Do We Need a Brand Book? 5 Advantages

When creating your brand book, you must keep these 5 objectives in mind to give shape to a strong brand identity:

• #1 – It explains what your brand is What is its purpose? How does it work? What does it represent? 🤔
• #2 – Ensure it is coherent: Be sure to define coherent guidelines for its use on a variety of digital and physical platforms, including:
• websites,
• social media,
• commercial documents,
• business cards, etc.
• #3 – Coordinate the actions and projects of all the departments in your company working with your brand: commercial, marketing, communication, etc.
• #4 – Federate people around a common brand culture and a spirit, from long-time collaborators and new employees to applicants (employer brand).
• #5 – Adopt a unified communication strategy in your relationships with all stakeholders, such as:
• suppliers,
• investors,
• customers,
• the media, etc.

Graphic Charter: Is it Another Name for Brand Book?

The content of a brand book is more theatrical than that of the graphic charter. The latter focuses on the practical aspect of your brand's graphic elements.

Unlike the brand book, the charter doesn't include broad guidelines or founding strategic principles.

How to Create a Brand Book for Your Brand

Step 1: Present Your Brand

The first step in creating your brand book is to give your brand an identity and a personality.

Start by presenting your brand by asking yourself a few questions:

• Who are you?
• What do you do?
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you stand up for?

Highlight your values and create a story that makes you unique! 💭

To achieve strong results, you can build upon the elements of your brand platform, such as:

• the genesis and your Company History (CH),
• its mission statement: why your brand exists,
• its vision: the way your company imagines the impact it could have on the world, the market, and the path it should take to achieve its goals,
• its brand promise: the problem your company has pledged to solve and the need it fills,
• its core values: the reason behind each of the actions of your business,
• a description of the products or services it provides, etc.

As for defining your branding strategy, it's advisable to conduct an audit of your brand.

👉 You can survey your teams and executives from each department, or other relevant stakeholders. The goal is to assess their perception of your brand.

Be sure to synthesize and organize their thoughts point by point so you can represent your brand personality as much detailed as possible.

💡 Pay attention to the style and the wording used in the brand book as some formulations could be reused on other marketing supports.

Step 2: Create Detailed Guidelines for your Brand Through 5 Elements

#1 – Logo

Your logo must always be consistent as the main design and branding element.

The brand book should provide detailed information about the meaning of the logo and the way to use it correctly, including:

• What does the logo represent?
• What are the variants, if any (secondary version of your logo, icons)?
• What are the dimensions and proportions of the logo?
• How to position the logo?
• Which uses are banned?

If your logo includes a tagline, the latter should also be subject to rules:

• the position of the logo,
• the colors,
• the size, etc.

✅ Feel free to provide visual examples of wrong or correct uses of your logo.

Take a look at this example. 👇

#2 – Typography

The brand book should indicate which fonts can be combined with your branding elements. 📝

✅ Provide comprehensive examples to ensure typefaces are used harmoniously with your brand on both digital and printed supports.

#3 – Colors

Integrate your brand's color palette into your brand book. Define declinations and alternative colors.

Limit your choice to no more than a few different colors! Your visual identity should remain simple and easy to remember.

Colors should help people identify your brand immediately.

✅ Include the exact name and code of each color (according to the HEXA, RGB or other reference systems).

#4 – Visuals

Define guidelines for the use of images and other visual elements, including:

• Appropriate pictures, illustrations, and icons for your brand.
• Dimensions for various media.
• Dominant colors in visuals.
• Integration of the logo and tagline.

✅ Provide concrete examples to illustrate correct and incorrect usage.

#5 – Communication Style and Tone of Voice

Editorial tone and style are crucial to your brand's personality.

Your voice should resonate with your target audience and connect personally with their marketing persona.

Identify key elements that define your communication:

• Terms,
• Vocabulary,
• Speech patterns,

✅ Specify terms you want to be associated with and those to avoid.

Step 3: Make the Brand Book Your Own

Use design strategies to make your brand book an effective communication tool in and of itself. Work with elements such as:

• the layout,
• the format,
• the expressions,
• the colors, etc.

The brand book should be the purest expression of your brand identity.

✅ Be bold and seize this opportunity to show off your creative side!

Step 4: Share your Brand’s Guidelines

The final document should be easily understood by all kinds of people. 😮💨

Readers should fully understand what makes your brand unique with little to no effort. The brand book should reflect your identity in a coherent, clear and friendly way.

Moreover, be sure to make your guidelines available to everyone!

✅ To avoid having to share a PDF each time you need to share guidelines or update them, why not create an online document to grant access to relevant people?

Brand Book Examples

Combined with our guide, nothing’s better than tangible examples. 👇

Here are some brand guidelines you can access online. Other brands even go as far as to create a complete online portal to compile all the resources related to their brand identity.

You can find inspiration, and perhaps even create your online display dedicated to your brand and your company!

Airbnb

▶︎ Take a look at Airbnb’s brand book here.

Netflix

▶︎ Take a look at Netflix’s brand book here.

Nike Football

▶︎ Take a look at Nike Football’s brand book here.

Spotify

▶︎ Take a look at Spotify’s brand book here.

Urban Outfitters

▶︎ Take a look at Urban Outfitters’ brand book here.

Nestlé

▶︎ Take a look at Nestlé’s brand book here.

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Brand Book in Summary

A brand book is the beating heart of your brand identity. It gives definitive guidelines to external people about what your brand stands for, and what it looks like.

Comprehensive design rules are more important now than they ever were. A coherent framework allows people to recognize your brand.

As marketing supports and communication channels have become extremely diverse in the digital age, your company needs to promote a consistent brand image across its online platforms and physical representations.

It’s up to you to create a powerful identity and make your voice heard!