Making a Style Guide: Essential Elements to Show Off Your Brand

With 2.4 billion (and growing) global internet users, organizations must establish a comprehensive style guide for consistent communication among workers and leave lasting impressions on customers. Style guides serve as a reference tool for anyone handling communication in your organization, whether they’re a writer, social media manager, or frontline employee. Whether you’re running an employment background screening company or recruiting services, a style guide spells out communications coming from your organization as what it should read and look like, providing consistency and clarity. Although there are different style guides that you can use, ensure  you include the following essential elements.

Logo

A style guide should include instructions on how users can use your brand’s logo and what it should like on any form of communication, whether on a letterhead, shirt, or a business card.

The Right Font Style and Size

The font styles you use in written or visual communications play an essential part in establishing your brand’s “personality.” A style guide should include memorable and easy-to-read font styles for headings, paragraphs, and other uses, ranging from PowerPoint presentations to emails. ; When selecting a font style to use for your style guide, consider the following factors:

• Does it leave a lasting impression?
• Is it versatile or works on all platforms you use?
• Does the style reflect your company’s personality?
• Is it legible?

Company’s Colors

Your style guide should boost your brand’s colors, consisting of primary, secondary, and complementing colors to make your brand stand out. However, they may be some cases where you need to stray away from standard company colors. For instance, if your organization supports breast cancer awareness, you may need to incorporate some pink in your logo for a short period following sponsorship or special promotions.

Tagline

Writing a style guide gives you the chance to remind your employees of your brand’s mission statement or tagline. After all, all pieces of communications coming out from your organization should reinforce why you exist and operate in the first place.

Email Signature

Email signatures play an essential role in your branding since it provides a high ‘sense’ of professionalism and instant recognition for your organization each time individuals use it. It’s a critical part of anyone’s branding and should be part of your style guide.

Editorial Guidelines

Anyone writing the style guide should reflect your brand, whether they’re an outsourced writer, social media manager, or the CEO themselves. It should have guidelines providing the specifics on your company’s tone and voice. It should also include regulations regarding grammar, from punctuation, spelling, to abbreviations. You may also choose to adopt a widely known style guide like APA or Chicago, but it’s best to create one specific to your organization to stand out more.

Writing a Style Guide

Now that you know the elements that should go into your style guide, evaluate these, and decide how you will incorporate it into your brand before writing a full-fledged style guide for your organization. However, remember that you need to update it regularly to adapt to your brand’s growth and changes. If you’re too pressed for time to create a style guide, it’s best to outsource the task to a professional writer. In a nutshell, style guides help ensure a consistent brand experience. It’s this consistency across every touch-point that helps a company build a brand and customer loyalty — and this guide can help make the best one for your business, leaving a lasting mark on your customers’ minds and the sector itself.