Adobe international certification wants to design! Understanding the style guide is your best introduction design

Nothing is more pleasing than consistency . It makes us feel safe , It lets us know what we can expect .

For brands , It is important to maintain this stability in order to maintain audience engagement .

How to design a style guide

Before we start designing , It's best to know what a style guide is first .

What is a style guide ？

The style guide is a set of standards for the overall brand identity , To ensure that the appearance of the system is given in all materials .

Some companies simply put everything in one place with Times New Roman The font Word In the document , And call it their style guide . Others do their best to ensure that their style guides are in the best condition 、 Thorough and gorgeous . Yours should be one of the latter .

Before we start , You will follow some quick tips when designing the brand style guide .

First , Need to know “ Less is more ” The trend of does not apply to the design of style guides . The more details you include in your article , The less likely the intern is to deviate from the path and add a groundless gradient to your logo , Or use random sounds in an article that should not be random at all . More details here mean fewer problems .

secondly , Once this style guide is created , Don't hide it in the depths of the company's intranet . Whatever format it is , Make sure everyone has access to it . The more your employees understand the existence of these style guides , The better .

Now that we have mastered these important general points , The following points need to be considered when designing the style guide itself .

Format

“ Format ” The word can be applied to your style guide in many ways . ad locum , It is used to describe how the brand style guide should be delivered and how it should be laid out .

Interaction

The reason you created the style guide is Everyone You can access it and follow its guidelines . If the team for which you are designing the guide is all in one place , Then it may be a good choice to put a printed version in the office .

If the team consists of employees who work together in the office and remotely （ professional 、 Agency 、 Other remote employees or partners ） form , establish PDF Or style guides in online format will make it easy to share with others , No matter where they are .

Layout

There are countless ways to lay out the brand style guide . To keep as clean as possible , We recommend using desktop publishing software that provides grids and guides .

The grid helps make each element appear in a consistent way , To improve readability . Make sure that the page layout you end up using establishes a clear hierarchy . If you don't do that , It may cause the loss of important information in the translation process .

You are not the first person to design a style guide —— by my troth . There are many brands with excellent style guide examples , You can use them to inspire your layout .

For consistency , Please make sure to follow your own style guide . Use the title that your company will use for its title , And put your company name on every page .

7 A point

Your brand style guide doesn't have to be rigid 、 A stern document . If your brand has a unique personality , Please go from cover to cover throughout the style guide （ Or from PDF Top to bottom of ） Show it . Let's start from scratch .

The story

A brand without a story is not a brand . The story of the company is the foundation of the whole brand . To ensure that employees are familiar with the story , Why not list them at the beginning of your style guide ？

The first part of the brand style guide should include the brand's mission statement 、 Values and vision . This section need not be lengthy - Included to ensure that employees have a basic understanding of culture , And make a good introduction to what will happen ： A style consistent with the story .

sign

You know when you order a cup of coffee , The barista asked your name , And then put it on your coffee cup ？ Yes, you are .

When you mess up their logo design , This is how the designer feels . More Than This , Too many changes will cause confusion between brands , And lead to the weakening of brand identity .

On your logo page , Include your primary logo design and all types of acceptable re-use logos . When you're doing it , Include inappropriate variants . please remember , The more information you provide your employees , The less likely they are to get lost .

palette

Unless your creative team doesn't like shadows , Otherwise, your brand color is “ Orange ” It is far from enough to provide guidance for employees .

In the next section , Specify your brand color . When we talk about the details , We are serious . If your brand has not yet determined the core color , Please take a moment to work with your team to come up with adjectives that match your brand , And learn more about color psychology . Most brands choose up to four major colors .

On this page , Note the actual display color , And any information that employees need to match the color . This includes PANTONE Name and number 、 Printing color (CMYK) And number colors （RGB and HEX Code ）.

If your brand doesn't have secondary colors , Please consider including shadows of primary colors . This will give employees more opportunities to have fun .

Typesetting

Although the typography used by the company may not seem important , But it is as recognizable as a unique palette . therefore , Typesetting should have its own part in the brand style guide .

First , Find out if there are any special reasons for choosing your company's font . If any , Provide employees with a background story - It makes things more interesting , And can give more meaning behind the text .

Please be sure to pay attention to whether your brand insists on using one font , Or whether they have adopted font pairing . Besides , Determine which font should be used in a particular situation ： title 、 The title and body may be in different sizes and sizes .

Besides , Define the primary alignment of the text . Specifies whether the title should be centered or right justified , Whether the body text is left justified or both justified , wait .

Photography

Not all photos can imitate your company's mood . This section will guide employees in any way you choose , To ensure that the photos used on any material are appropriate .

This can be done by providing a page that mimics the mood board , Because it provides elements such as lighting and color that should be consistent throughout the picture . If you already have a brand photo , Please list some of them as examples . Both techniques suggest to employees that these samples are the target .

If you want to get into the details , You can provide some specific camera settings , These settings should always be used to ensure that all photos are cohesive . You can also show examples of how to arrange these photos on the page .

Illustrations and graphics

Some companies may use hand-painted illustrations to supplement or replace photos . Unique illustrations make the company stand out , And create a more personalized customer experience than traditional picture display . Illustrations can simplify complex ideas , And it can be customized to convey specific information to the audience .

Other companies may not have illustrations themselves , But there are background elements specific to their brand .

If your company uses illustrations or background elements in its promotional or marketing products , Please do not ignore the content contained in the brand style guide . Provide examples and describe the overall style of illustrations and graphics that should be used . If your company keeps an illustration file online , Make sure to include where they can be found , So that employees can easily use them .

voice

Part of what makes the brand personality stand out is their voice . How does your company communicate with customers ？ Some companies speak very formally , Make them look trustworthy . The voice of other companies is very casual , Make them more friendly and approachable .

No matter what your company's voice is , The consistency of this sound is important . When a company consists of tens or hundreds of people or individuals , It's hard to achieve . Although the workplace encourages diversity , But the consistency of the brand voice makes it stronger .

In your style guide , List some adjectives that can be used to describe your company's voice . If your company prefers employees to use certain words or phrases rather than others , Please create the do's and don'ts by providing some examples , To clearly show your brand voice .

Do something with style

The style guide is a lighthouse , Guide all your employees to secure themselves within the brand . A great guide brings great results . The more employees understand your style guide and follow its rules , The stronger your brand will be .