Brand guidelines may be looked upon by some, as an excessive set of rules which hang over the creation of all material working to represent a brand. However, we are here to share with you the importance of brand guidelines and why they should be viewed as more of a helping hand, when working in a business setting.
Consistency
In order for a brand to be solid, recognisable and ultimately successful it must show a high level of consistency. This concept applies to any type of business including those in the service industry, as companies should be viewed as brands in themselves. Having brand guidelines is a way of ensuring that consistency is applied across all ‘customer facing’, as well as ‘backroom’ aspects of a company. This includes such elements as imagery, typography, colour schemes, logos, visuals, wording, ethos, communications and even business principles.
Efficient use of time
Having brand guidelines minimises the chance of mistakes being made across business areas, in turn reducing the amount of time that is wasted redoing work. From an alternate perspective, brand guidelines provide clear direction and therefore allow for work and designs to be completed in good time, as less time is needed in the planning process. A truly efficient use of time gives any company or brand a good chance of being successful.
Perceptions
Brand guidelines are valuable to have in order to ensure that the perceptions associated with a company are managed effectively and remain positive. For instance, the way a brands communications are handled with various stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers and distributors creates certain perceptions. As previously mentioned, communications can be governed by brand guidelines and therefore made consistent, allowing for perceptions to be managed as bets as possible.
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Ultimately, brand guidelines provide support, clarity and focus for anyone connected to a brand, both internally or externally. Brands with clear guidelines are often more successful than their competitors who do not follow such an approach to business.
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