Brand
Style
Guide
Learn how to build a brand style guide, what to include, and how to keep your startup's brand consistent across product, web and marketing.
Why You Need a Style Guide
Quick answer: a brand style guide is a document that explains how to use your logo, colors, type, imagery and voice. It keeps everyone, from designers to marketers, consistent. Without one, every new hire and freelancer interprets the brand differently, and it slowly drifts. A style guide is also useful for partners, resellers and the press, who need to use your logo correctly.
A guide also speeds up work, because people stop asking the same questions. Include accessibility guidance, such as approved color combinations for text and backgrounds.
Branding
Design System
What to Include
Logo: versions, clear space, minimum sizes and examples of incorrect use. Color: hex, RGB and CMYK values, plus how much of each color to use. Show real examples wherever possible. Seeing the brand applied to a social post or slide is clearer than rules alone.
Typography: fonts, sizes, weights and hierarchy for headings and body text. Imagery and graphics: photo style, illustration rules, icons and patterns. Voice and tone: how the brand writes, with examples of good and bad copy. Applications: examples on social posts, decks, merch and the website. Provide downloadable assets alongside the guide, such as logo files, templates and fonts.
Keep It Usable
Keep the guide short and visual. A clear 20-page guide is used more than a 100-page one. Host it somewhere easy to find, like Figma, Notion or a simple web page, and update it as the brand evolves. Assign an owner who keeps the guide up to date and answers brand questions.
Kites Design builds brand style guides as part of every branding project on our monthly plans. Review the guide once or twice a year to add new applications and remove outdated examples.
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