What to Include in Brand Guidelines: The Complete 12-Section Checklist
Brand guidelines are a rulebook that explains how your brand looks, sounds and behaves. At a minimum, they should include your brand story, logo rules, colour palette, typography, imagery style, tone of voice, and examples of correct and incorrect usage.
If you’re wondering what to include in brand guidelines, this guide covers all 12 sections, why each one matters, and how detailed to make it. Whether you’re a startup creating your first document or an established business tidying up years of inconsistent design, you can use this as a checklist.
What Are Brand Guidelines (and Why Do They Matter)?
Brand guidelines, also called a brand style guide or brand identity guidelines, are a document that defines how your brand is presented across every touchpoint. That includes your website, packaging, social media, brochures, ads and even email signatures.
They matter because people recognise brands through repetition. When your logo, colours and tone change from one platform to the next, trust drops. Strong guidelines help your team, freelancers and vendors all produce work that feels like it came from one company. If consistency is your main concern, read our guide on how to maintain brand consistency.
Brand guidelines vs brand strategy: strategy defines who you are and why you exist. Guidelines define how that gets expressed visually and verbally. You need strategy first. Our post on brand strategy for startups explains how to build that foundation.
Quick Checklist: What to Include in Brand Guidelines
- Brand story, mission, vision and values
- Brand personality and positioning
- Logo usage rules
- Colour palette
- Typography
- Imagery and photography style
- Iconography and graphic elements
- Tone of voice and messaging
- Layout and grid rules
- Social media guidelines
- Applications and templates (stationery, packaging, digital)
- Usage dos and don’ts, plus contact details
Here is each section in detail.
1. Brand Story, Mission, Vision and Values
Start with the “why.” Include a short brand story, your mission (what you do), your vision (where you’re going) and 3 to 5 core values. This gives designers and writers the context to make decisions that fit, even in situations the guidelines don’t cover.
Tip: Keep it to one page. Nobody reads five pages of company history.
2. Brand Personality and Positioning
Describe your brand as if it were a person. Is it bold or calm, premium or approachable, playful or serious? Add your target audience, your positioning statement and what makes you different from competitors.
This section guides every creative choice that follows, from colour to copy.
3. Logo Usage Rules
This is the most important visual section and the most commonly misused. Include:
- Primary logo and all approved variations (horizontal, stacked, icon only, monochrome)
- Clear space around the logo, so nothing crowds it
- Minimum size for print and digital
- Backgrounds where the logo can and can’t be placed
- Misuse examples, such as stretching, recolouring, adding shadows or rotating
If you don’t have a professional logo yet, see our advice on how to choose a logo design agency before you document the rules.
4. Colour Palette
List your primary, secondary and accent colours, with exact values for every format:
- HEX and RGB for screens
- CMYK for print
- Pantone for packaging and branded merchandise
Specify which colour is used where (for example, backgrounds, buttons, headlines) and the proportion in which they appear. Also check accessibility. The WCAG contrast guidelines recommend a minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text.
New to choosing colours? Our colour theory basics guide explains how to build a palette that works.
5. Typography
Define your typefaces and how they’re used:
- Primary typeface (headlines) and secondary typeface (body text)
- Font weights and styles allowed
- Size hierarchy (H1, H2, body, captions), line spacing and letter spacing
- Fallback fonts for email and web, where your brand font may not load
- Licensing details, or links if you use free fonts such as Google Fonts
6. Imagery and Photography Style
Describe the look and feel of your visuals. Are photos bright and natural, or moody and cinematic? Do you use real people or illustrations? Include approved examples, filters, colour treatment, cropping rules and subjects to avoid.
If you use video or motion, add guidance on pacing, transitions and on-screen text style too.
7. Iconography and Graphic Elements
Document your icon style (line or filled, rounded or sharp), patterns, textures, shapes, illustrations and any other brand assets. Show how and where they should be used so new designers don’t invent their own.
8. Tone of Voice and Messaging
Brand guidelines aren’t only visual. Your voice is just as recognisable. Include:
- 3 to 4 voice attributes (for example: confident, warm, clear)
- Do and don’t examples (“We help you grow” vs “We provide synergistic solutions”)
- Tagline, boilerplate “about us” text and key messages
- Grammar and style preferences, such as spelling, capitalisation, emoji and jargon
Mailchimp’s public content style guide is a well-known example of a brand voice done well.
9. Layout and Grid Rules
Explain how designs should be structured: margins, grids, spacing, alignment and use of white space. This helps layouts look consistent across brochures, presentations, web pages and ads.
10. Social Media Guidelines
Social is where brands drift off-brand fastest. Include profile picture and cover image specs, post templates, hashtag rules, caption style, posting dos and don’ts, and how to respond to comments. Not sure how to split your content? See our breakdown of the 50-30-20 rule in social media marketing.
11. Brand Applications and Templates
Show the guidelines in action with real mock-ups: business cards, letterheads, packaging, signage, website sections, email signatures, presentation templates, uniforms and merchandise. Examples make the rules far easier to follow than text alone.
12. Usage Dos and Don’ts, Approvals and Contacts
Finish with a clear “dos and don’ts” page, details of who approves new brand uses, where to download asset files, and who to contact with questions. Add a version number and update date so everyone knows they have the latest copy.
Brand Guidelines Examples Worth Studying
- NASA Graphics Standards Manual: a classic example of an extremely detailed visual identity system, republished at standardsmanual.com.
- Mailchimp: a strong benchmark for tone of voice.
- Spotify Design: a good case of a brand system documented clearly for creators and partners.
You can also see how we’ve built identity systems and guideline documents for clients in our brand guidelines portfolio.
How Long Should Brand Guidelines Be?
- Startups and small businesses: 10 to 20 pages covering the essentials
- Growing companies: 20 to 50 pages, with templates and social media rules
- Large brands: 50+ pages, often with an online brand portal
Detail is only useful if people read it. Use visuals, clear headings and real examples. A short guide that’s followed beats a long one that’s ignored.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Making it too vague. “Use a friendly tone” isn’t enough without examples.
- Skipping file formats. Provide logos as SVG, PNG and PDF, and give every colour value.
- Forgetting digital. Many older guidelines focus only on print.
- Never updating it. Review the document every 12 to 18 months, or when you rebrand your business.
- Keeping it hidden. Share it with employees, agencies and freelancers.
How Long Does It Take to Create Brand Guidelines?
For most businesses, a complete document takes 2 to 6 weeks, depending on whether you already have a logo and brand identity. If you’re building from scratch, see our breakdown of how long a branding project takes.
Should You DIY or Hire a Branding Agency?
If you have a clear identity and a small team, a simple DIY guide can work. If your brand is growing, you work with multiple vendors, or you’re launching in new markets, a professional document saves time and prevents costly inconsistencies. Not sure which route to take? Compare a branding agency vs a freelancer, or explore the best branding agency in India options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in brand guidelines?
At a minimum: brand story and values, logo usage rules, colour palette, typography, imagery style, tone of voice, layout guidance and dos and don’ts. Larger brands also add social media rules, templates and application examples.
What is the difference between brand guidelines and a brand style guide?
The terms are often used interchangeably. A style guide usually focuses on visual and verbal rules, while brand guidelines may also include strategy, values and positioning.
How many pages should brand guidelines be?
Between 10 and 50 pages suits most businesses. Start with the essentials and expand as your brand grows.
Do small businesses and startups need brand guidelines?
Yes. Even a short 5 to 10 page guide keeps your logo, colours and messaging consistent from day one, which helps build recognition as you scale.
What format should brand guidelines be in?
PDF is the most common because it’s easy to share. Many brands also publish an online version or a brand portal where assets can be downloaded.
How often should brand guidelines be updated?
Review them every 12 to 18 months, and update them whenever you refresh your logo, launch new services or enter new channels.
Final Thoughts
Knowing what to include in brand guidelines is the first step. Putting them into practice is what protects your brand’s reputation. Cover the 12 sections above, keep the document clear and visual, and share it with everyone who touches your brand.
Need help creating brand guidelines that your team will actually use? Start a project with Maglo Media or browse our work to see how we build brands. Have questions first? Visit our FAQ page.