Brand guidelines: Iron cuffs to creativity? Or key to success?

You’ve invested dollars and time in creating your brand. Now it’s time for it to do its job of connecting your customers with your products and/or services. Here's where brand guidelines come in.

Brand guidelines outline your brand’s specifications [logo, fonts, color palettes, etc.] and usage guidelines [design do’s and don’ts]. They also function as a resource for the creation of marketing materials, either internally or with trusted resources. They are a living document that is updated as your brand develops with the creation of additional elements and materials.

But are brand guidelines too restrictive? Probably not. In fact, that's just the point. Brand guidelines serve to make sure a well thought out, well crafted, brand will thrive. They’re a map that tells you where to go and reduces the potential for your brand to be diminished or rendered ineffective by well-intentioned, but off-brand, creativity. We highly recommend them and both design brand guidelines and use existing guidelines when provided.