Branding
What Are Brand Guidelines? How to Create a Brand Guide
What is a brand guide, what should it include and how do you make one? A plain guide to brand guides, with a sample outline and a brand voice guide checklist.
Branding is the work a business does to shape how people recognise it and what they think and feel about it: the name, logo, colours, voice, service and reputation working together. A brand is the result, the picture people hold in their heads. Good branding makes that picture clear, consistent and worth choosing.
That’s the short answer to what is branding. Here is the longer one, with the terms people mix up most.
What is a brand?
So what is a brand? The American Marketing Association gives the narrow version: a distinctive name, term, design or symbol that identifies a business’s goods or services. In everyday use, brand meaning goes wider. Your brand is your reputation: what customers expect from you, how you make them feel and what they tell their friends.
You can design a logo in a week. A brand builds up over years, through every ad, phone call, invoice and job you deliver.
What is a brand and branding?
What is a brand and branding, side by side? The brand is the outcome; branding is the work that shapes it. If you want to define brand and branding in one line each:
- Brand: how people recognise and think about your business.
- Branding: the choices and actions you take to shape that, on purpose.
That is the brand and branding definition we work with. Branding meaning, then, is active: you choose a position, a look and a voice, and you apply them consistently.
What does branding mean in business?
In business, branding is what lets people pick you out and trust you before they’ve bought. A clear brand helps customers remember you, understand what you stand for, and feel confident paying for your work rather than the cheapest option. It also makes every later piece of marketing easier, because the look and message are already decided.
What does branding mean in marketing?
In marketing, branding is the foundation and marketing is the activity built on it. Branding decides who you are and how you sound; marketing gets that in front of the right people through ads, social media, SEO and email. Our guide to branding vs marketing covers the difference in more detail.
What are the parts of a brand?
- Positioning: who you serve and why they should choose you. See our guide to brand positioning.
- Identity: the visual parts, such as the logo, colours, typefaces and imagery.
- Voice: how you write and speak, from your website to your quotes.
- Experience: how it feels to deal with you, which often matters most.
A brand guide writes all of this down so everyone applies it the same way.
What do colours mean in branding?
Colours carry associations, but those vary by culture, industry and context, so there’s no fixed meaning to look up. Choose colours that suit your audience, stand apart from your competitors, stay readable on screens and in print, and work in both full colour and one colour. Then use them consistently: recognition comes from repetition.
What do brand awareness, image, loyalty and equity mean?
- Brand awareness: how many people in your market know you exist and can recall you.
- Brand image: what those people currently think of you.
- Brand loyalty: how likely customers are to come back and choose you again.
- Brand equity: the value your brand holds in people’s minds, built from the three above.
What is personal branding?
Personal branding applies the same ideas to a person: a consistent identity, reputation and online presence that shows your skills and personality. It matters most for professionals, consultants and owners who are the face of their business.
Frequently asked questions
Is branding just a logo?
No. The logo is one part of your identity. Branding also covers your positioning, colours, voice and the experience customers have with you. A great logo on top of an inconsistent experience won’t build a strong brand.
Do small businesses need branding?
Yes, and arguably more than big ones. A small business competes on trust and word of mouth, and a clear, consistent brand makes you easier to remember and recommend.
How much does branding cost?
It depends on how much you need. Our New Business Package is $4,995 + GST and covers a logo, a cheat-sheet style guide, business cards, Google Business Profile set-up, social media set-up and a landing page. Extra brand assets are $160 + GST an hour.
When should you update your branding?
When your business has changed and your brand no longer fits: a new audience, new services, a merger or a dated look that undersells you. Our guide on when to rebrand covers the signs.
Where to start
A branding definition is only useful if it changes what you do. Start by writing down who you serve and why they should choose you, then make your look and voice match. If you want help, our creative and design team builds brands for businesses across Australia.
