If you work in marketing, you know that branding is more than just a name and a logo. It's the personality of your company, something that makes people feel something special when they interact with your product or service. A successful and strong brand is consistent, and a brand book tool will definitely help with this.
Co to jest brand book?
A brand book, or brand book, is a complete guide that explains the brand identity and covers all its details and standards. It usually starts by outlining the brand's mission, its core values and discusses all aspects of design, such as logos, colours, typography and graphics. Essentially, the brand book allows employees, colleagues or interested parties to find out how a brand presents itself to the world. However, that is not all. With a complete brand book, employees will know what brand language to use, what design principles to follow and what values the brand stands for. If you are looking for examples of brand books, you can take inspiration from great and successful companies that have made their brand book available online. 
Elements that must be included in the sign book
Now that you know what a brand book is, take it one step further and find out what a brand book must contain in order to be complete. We can distinguish between two versions: the basic version and the extended version. The former contains only the logo, colours and selected typography. We will focus on the extended version of the brand book, which includes elements of the basic variant and other materials.
It is a good idea for the first pages of this document to include a section about the brand, i.e. basic information about what it does, what values it represents, what its mission is. This is also a great place to reveal the company's history, preferably in an interesting and creative way.
The next point is the persona, or fictional character of our ideal customer. It includes details of the customer's job title, age, gender and professional challenges - thus defining who your brand publishes content for. The persona will facilitate the creation of blog content, advertisements and visual media that can attract valuable customers to your business.
The brand communication style is another important point that should be included in the brand book. It is nothing more than the guidelines according to which content is created. The choice of style influences how the brand is perceived, received and evaluated by current and potential customers. It is worth remembering that communication includes everything that reaches the audience: not only the spoken and written words, but also non-verbal messages resulting from actions taken, for example.
If the logo also includes a logotype, there must be a section dedicated to this in the brand book. Details about the typography used will prove helpful for designers to use when creating different graphics and visual content. Remember that you don't have to limit yourself to one font: according to experts, it is best to choose two typefaces to use when communicating with your audience. 
Information about the logo in the brand book - origins, logo versions, colours
One of the most important elements of the brand book is the genesis, versions of the logo and details of the chosen colour scheme.
Sometimes the chapter on the origins of the logo is wrongly omitted from the logo book. Its purpose is not only to increase brand awareness, but also to emphasise the values and idea behind the company. By presenting the origins of the logo, the final design makes sense, which has a positive impact on how the logo is used.
In addition to the story of how the logo was created, the graphic shows the construction of the logo. For this purpose, a construction grid is most often used to define its exact proportions. A brand mark can contain only a signet (graphic symbol) or a logotype (typography) or consist of a signet and a logotype at the same time.
The key element of the brand book is the basic version of the logo presented on a light and dark background. This element usually appears in two versions: vertical and horizontal. The description of the alternative version of the logo, on the other hand, reveals the possibilities of using it in monochrome (one-colour) or achromatic (shades of grey).
The next important element that should be included in the document is the colour palette. The colour scheme chosen should not be random or based on the aesthetic preferences of the individual, as it will be used for the design of the brand and any of its visual content. 
Why is it important to create a brand book?
Creating a brand book is essential if you do not want to lose control of the visual and communication style of your brand. The brand book is not only meant to look attractive, but also to be a reliable source of information for external contractors or employees who do projects for the company. This allows them to check that their idea is consistent with the brand vision and the values it represents. Otherwise, the brand will become a mix of different styles, combinations and ultimately lose its personality.
Consistency and, at the same time, professionalism are important from the audience's point of view. Remember that there is only one first impression and that a customer quickly builds up an image of a company in his or her mind after the first contact. Brands that use colours, typefaces and visuals in a consistent and logical manner are more appreciated by customers. Taking care of every detail will therefore certainly translate into increased customer confidence.
When should the sign book be used?
The brand book is an excellent mine of knowledge about a company, used by designers, graphic designers, marketing agencies and new employees. However, what about customers?
Many brands choose to make their brand books available on websites and even in the form of printed books. In this way, customers can get to know a brand in a short period of time, familiarising themselves with its values, mission, purpose and personality. This step can prove to be a hit with all public institutions and recognisable companies. The brand book is usually a PDF document that can be easily downloaded. Sometimes companies with larger budgets opt for an interactive website, where all the chapters of the brand book are presented through attractive visual content.
Brand book as a guarantee of consistency
A consistent visual and communication brand image translates into increased visibility and awareness among customers. Although a brand book requires putting in a lot of hours of work, in the long run it repays a huge return.
It is worth noting that the decision to create a brand book is not only right when a brand is entering the market or has been in operation for some time, but also when we decide to rebrand a brand. Designing a new logo and developing the entire visual identity with it is quite an undertaking. Therefore, when deciding to take such a step, it is worth getting the right tool to help the new identity function properly.
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