What's included in a brand style guide?
A comprehensive brand style guide includes logo usage rules with construction grids and clear space requirements, complete color systems with Pantone, RGB, and HEX specifications, typography guidelines with hierarchy and usage examples, iconography and visual element libraries, voice and tone frameworks for all communications, photography and illustration guidelines, application examples across digital and print touchpoints, and template libraries for common uses like presentations and social media.
How long does it take to create brand guidelines?
Typical timelines range from 4-6 weeks for comprehensive brand guidelines. This includes stakeholder workshops, competitive research, visual identity development, documentation creation, and team training. We work in collaborative sprints with regular check-ins to ensure alignment. For organizations with existing brand elements, we can accelerate the timeline by documenting and systematizing current assets while filling strategic gaps.
Do you help implement the guidelines after delivery?
Yes, we provide comprehensive implementation support including team training sessions, asset toolkit delivery with all logo files and templates, partnership with your development teams for digital implementation, consultation on vendor briefing for print applications, and ongoing support as you scale. We also offer monthly retainer services through our Design Supercharger program for continuous brand evolution and expansion.
Can you work with our existing brand elements?
Absolutely. We can audit your existing brand assets, identify inconsistencies and gaps, systematize what's working well, refresh outdated elements, and create comprehensive guidelines that unify everything. This approach is often faster and more cost-effective than a complete rebrand while still achieving professional consistency across all touchpoints.
What's the difference between visual identity and brand guidelines?
Visual identity is the creation of your brand's core design elements—logo, colors, typography, and visual language. Brand guidelines are the comprehensive documentation of how to use those elements correctly, including usage rules, specifications, examples, and governance. We typically deliver both as part of our Minimum Viable Brand service, ensuring you have both beautiful assets and clear instructions for maintaining consistency.
How do you ensure our brand guidelines stay relevant as we grow?
We build living brand systems designed to evolve with your organization. Our guidelines include scalability principles, modular component systems that can expand, clear governance frameworks for making brand decisions, version control best practices, and flexibility within consistency. We also recommend annual brand audits and offer ongoing partnership through our retainer services to help your brand mature alongside business growth.
What format will we receive the brand guidelines in?
You'll receive a comprehensive digital brand book (typically 50-100 pages) in PDF format, a complete digital asset toolkit with all logos, icons, and templates in production-ready formats (SVG, EPS, PNG, JPG), design tokens and specifications for developers, editable template files for common applications, and optionally, access to a collaborative Figma file for team reference and asset access.
How much does brand style guide design cost?
Our Minimum Viable Brand service (4-6 weeks) includes narrative and messaging hierarchy, complete visual identity, iconography, WCAG-AA color palette, and comprehensive brand guidelines with press kit starting at significantly less than hiring in-house senior designers. We're 3x more cost-effective while delivering full-service strategic and creative capabilities. Contact us for detailed pricing based on your specific scope and timeline requirements.