A practical brand guidelines outline. What to include for an SME, what to skip, and what to put in a separate document.
SME brand guidelines should fit on twelve to twenty pages. Anything longer never gets opened. Here is the outline we use across the studio.
Include
- One-line positioning statement
- Logo: primary, monogram, favicon, clear-space rules
- Colour: primary, secondary, accent (hex / RGB / CMYK)
- Type: display + body, with a sample of each at headline and paragraph size
- Voice: three rules and three examples
- Imagery: three sample treatments with do / don’t
- One sample composition: business card or A4 layout
Skip
- Brand history paragraphs
- Aspirational mission statements
- Complete font specimen sheets
- Six-page colour-theory introductions
- Anything that does not influence a real decision
Move to a separate document
- Print specifications (paper stock, finish, dieline)
- Web token files (CSS variables, design system)
- Photography shot lists